Fall 2023

Summer went by so quickly, didn’t it? Our Summer Reading program wrapped up incredibly well, with thousands of books getting read, and seeing those still in school head back was really exciting.

Fall is shaping up to be an outreach heavy time for us! Among other events, Access Services Librarian Babak Zarin will be attending the University of Mary Washington’s Table Fair for students, CRRL’s Rappahannock Writers’ Conference, and both the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) and the Virginia Library Association’s annual conferences– making sure to spread the word at all of them about Talking Books and accessibility. In addition to all of that, October marks the end of the National Library Service’s fiscal year, meaning the planning and preparation for Talking Books’ next year kicks off. See below for some things you can do to be a part of it.

Fiction Bestsellers

• The Winners by Fredrik Backman (DB 110615)
• Endless Summer by Elin Hilderbrand (DB 111177)
• The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci (DB 109013)
• The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson (DB 11118)
• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (DB 111420)

Nonfiction Bestsellers

• Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization by Neil deGrasse Tyson (DB 110636)
• The Philosophy of Modern Song by Bob Dylan (DB 111197)
• Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong (DB 110297)
• And There Was Light by Jon Meacham (DB 111374)
• The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté (DB 110536)

For more popular Talking Book titles, as well as the newest books added to our collection, check out the Talking Books Topics magazine, available bimonthly in digital audio through BARD, by cartridge with subscription, or online at its website. Talking Books users can ask the Access Services Librarian to add any titles of interest to their request lists.

Monthly Online Program: The Many Faces of Bard



Every second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m., the NLS Patron Engagement Section hosts their monthly program, The Many Faces of BARD series. The series lasts for one hour and covers one aspect of BARD (the Braille and Audio Reading Download) usage.

The September session’s topic is “Using Your Braille Display to Read Braille BARD Books on Your iPhone. NLS Consumer Relations Officer Judy Dixon will demonstrate how to access BARD braille books located on your iPhone and read them with your braille display. Note that information in this session will apply to any braille display, including the NLS Braille eReaders. Afterwards, Judy and the rest of the NLS staff will take questions about the demonstration or anything else relating to BARD.

The session can be joined by going to the Library of Congress’ Zoom link or calling 1-669-245-5252 followed by 161 892 7125 and then 570141. If you wish to speak, you may request to do so by raising your hand electronically. On a PC, press Alt Y to raise and lower your hand. On a Mac, press Option Y. If you are dialed in on a telephone, press Star (*) 9. To mute or unmute yourself on a PC, press Alt A; on a Mac, press Command Shift A; and, if you are dialed in on a telephone, press Star (*) 6. If you choose to dial into the call, use the telephone numbers provided.

These sessions are open to all interested parties and will be recorded. If participants do not want to be on the recording, they should refrain from speaking.

Annual NLS Reminders



NLS’ new year begins in October- so it’s nearly the new year! With that in mind, here are four tips to keep your Talking Books account in good shape:

• Return old cartridges. This tells us you’re ready for new books and keeps your account active. We promise to send you new books as fast as we can, and we always send out new books once we’ve checked your old ones back in.
• If you have or use BARD, please log into your account. You need to log in at least once a year to keep that account active.
• We keep records of your preferred authors and topics. You can update your preferences by contacting Talking Books at talking-books@crrl.org if you’ve changed addresses, want to switch to BARD only, or just want to put a temporary hold on your account, 

Virginia Relay Service



Virginia Relay is a free public service that enables people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, DeafBlind or speech disabled to communicate with standard telephone users. The conversation is relayed between the two by a specially trained Virginia Relay Communications Assistant (CA).

Relay services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, with no limit on the number or length of calls a user may make. By law, every call is handled with the strictest confidentiality. Special features are available for speech-disabled, Spanish-speaking, and sign language users. Anyone can make a Virginia Relay call just by dialing 7-1-1. To learn more, check out vddhh.virginia.gov/varelay.

Lunch & Learn



Every Friday from 12:00-1:00, CRRL offers a free, virtual class series where people can explore new ideas and interests. You can attend classes live at facebook.com/crrlnews. No Facebook account is needed.

Highlights of the upcoming quarter include:

• “Blue Star Welcome Week: Resources for Veterans and Military Families” (September 29)
• “Combating Loneliness” (October 13)
• ”Avoiding Common Healthcare Scams” (November 17)

The full list of upcoming topics can be found here.

Memory Café



CRRL offers a quarterly Memory Café for those with early-stage dementia or Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. This quarter’s café will be held at Salem Church Branch on Friday, September 15, 10:30-12:00.

Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Groups



In partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, CRRL hosts two monthly Alzheimer’s caregiver support groups, meeting the first Wednesday of each month from 5:00-6:00 at Cooper Branch in Colonial Beach and the third Tuesday of each month from 1:00-2:30 at Howell Branch in southern Stafford. You can find a full listing of meetings by clicking here.

Time with a Therapy Dog



In partnership with Blue Gray Therapy Dogs, CRRL is pleased to offer Time with a Therapy Dog, a program for adults and teens with disabilities in grades 7-12, along with their caregivers, who may read or relax with a certified therapy dog. The program is offered in person; sign up at the branch. To learn more and get the full schedule, click here.

Sensory Time

Sensory Time is a monthly early literacy class specially developed for children and youth of all ages who have autism or other developmental challenges. Presented at a preschool level of development, Sensory Time has stories and activities that allow children to develop the skills and practices they need to become ready to read, all set in a quieter environment with lights lowered, distractions minimized, a smaller class size, and specially trained staff.

Sign up for Sensory Time classes here in our online events calendar. Note that, while an adult must always attend with children, we ask that you please only register the child participating.

Upcoming Holidays and Your Next Issue of Sightlines

All CRRL branches will be closed November 23 and 24 for Thanksgiving. Your next Sightlines newsletter will come out in mid-December.

Contact Us

For book requests, to share a review, or for more information on any of our services, contact CRRL Access Services Librarian Babak Zarin at 540-372-1144, extension 7054; toll free at 1-800-628-4807, or email talking-books@crrl.org.