Spring has been a very eventful time for us, with a lot of behind-the-scenes happenings. As COVID rates have decreased, CRRL has updated hours and staffing. Our new hours are:

To make an appointment, please call 540-372-1144, ext. 7054, or email talking-books@crrl.org. For those who want to come by and visit us during in-person hours, please ring the doorbell on your arrival. Sometimes Talking Books staff are working in our backroom preparing books for people, and we won’t know if you’re at the door! Our address is: 125 Olde Greenwich Drive, Suite 155, Fredericksburg, 22408. We are adjacent to the Library Administration Center. You can also see our hours, along with how to get to us and more, at our location listing.

After a great deal of conversation among the attendees of the Sightlines Book Group, we have decided to cease meeting. It was a tough decision, but one the attendees felt was best given how difficult it has been to gather. That said, we invite those looking for a book group to join one of CRRL’s many book groups. These groups are themed by interest, genre, location, and some even accompanying beverages. They meet in-person or online depending on the group. You can see the full list at librarypoint.org/book-groups.

One way is to search the Talking Books online catalog of over 10,000 titles. Another is to check out the Talking Book Topics publication online. And, of course, you can always learn about books from friends, family, the news, and Access Services staff.

Once you’ve found a book you’d like, simply get in touch with us to request it! You can do this by physically mailing a letter to 125 Olde Greenwich Drive, Suite 160, Fredericksburg, VA 22408; by emailing us at talking-books@crrl.org; or by calling 540-372-1144, ext. 7054. We’ll then add the title to your list of books to mail out.

CRRL’s Talking Books Library, in conjunction with the Talking Books Center of Staunton, presented a virtual interview with author Joe Koury on Tuesday, June 7. A Talking Books user himself, Mr. Koury is the author of Seeing Without Eyes: One Man’s Journey Out of Darkness (DB 105487), the story of his experience transitioning through sight loss at 19 and learning to "see" using echolocation techniques and survival instinct. A video of the interview is available here.

July 28: World War II at the Movies: The Guadalcanal Campaign

Talking Books users and other interested parties are invited to join us July 28, from 6:30-8:00 pm, at Fredericksburg Branch for a presentation on the Guadalcanal Campaign by Virginia Lucas, Talking Books user and author of World War II at the Movies. You can learn more about the presentation here. No registration is required.

Ms. Lucas is also presenting World War II at the Movies on Monday, July 11, from 12:00-1:00 pm. You can join via Facebook Live at facebook.com/crrlnews. No Facebook account is needed.

It is our great pleasure to share that Access Services Librarian Babak Zarin is among this year’s 41 Library Journal Movers & Shakers Award winners, specifically being one of eight librarians nationwide to receive their Innovator Award. The award is given by Library Journal, the nearly 150-years-old trade publication, and recognizes those whose work is helping to further develop the librarian profession. Babak received the award for his work with Talking Books, his service on CRRL’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and his role in helping establish the statewide Deaf Culture Digital Library.

You can read more about the other award winners and the fantastic work they are doing at libraryjournal.com/page/movers-and-shakers-2022.

All Talking Books members with CRRL library cards may participate. If you live in CRRL’s service area or a county with which we have a reciprocal borrowing agreement and do not have a library card, you can apply at librarypoint.org/card. Your library card barcode will be emailed to you, and your physical card will be mailed to you. To register for the reading challenge, visit librarypoint.org/summer or call Babak at (540) 372-1144, extension 7054. 

CRRL’s reading challenges are held online throughout the year - including a year-round reading challenge - on the Beanstack software platform. This is a highly accessible platform, one that involved Talking Books libraries in its development.

CRRL offers a free, virtual class series where people can explore new ideas and interests on their lunch hours. Classes are held Fridays, 12:00-1:00. You can watch classes live at facebook.com/crrlnews, and no Facebook account is needed.

Highlights of the upcoming quarter include: a three-part series on caregiving resources (June 24 to July 8), CRRL’s Lobby Stops and You (July 15), and a special 100th Lunch & Learn (August 5), where we’ll discuss 10 Great Things about CRRL. We will also be giving away CRRL-themed prizes throughout the presentation. You can find a full listing of the Lunch & Learn class topics by clicking here.

Books-By-Mail is a service that is open to those with a CRRL library card whose temporary or permanent disabilities prevent them from coming to a library branch or lobby stop in person. Those who use it can ask Access Services staff to send them items from CRRL’s physical collection - such as books, DVDS, or CDs - through the mail. It’s a fantastic service, and we have seen an increase in the number of people who are using it! But one question that those who are new to Books-By-Mail often ask is, how do we get these items back to the library?

Here’s the answer: in the past, the most common way items have been returned is by having a friend, family member, or caregiver deliver them to the nearest CRRL branch on your behalf. You are also welcome to mail them back to us at Access Services, 125 Olde Greenwich Drive, Suite 160, Fredericksburg, VA, 22408. The choice is yours, as long as you do return them to us.

Print Talking Book Topics Suspended

NLS has made the difficult decision to cease production of all large-print serialized publications due to the ongoing worldwide paper shortage and significant increases in printing costs. This includes large-print editions of Talking Book Topics (TBT), a bimonthly publication announcing the latest additions to the Talking Books collection nationwide.

Because of this, we strongly recommend that all those who were receiving TBT in large print switch to one of the non-print formats, such as a talking book, a sound recording through BARD, or reading it online in either HTML and PDF format. You can then contact us to request whichever books you’d like.

If you know someone who was receiving Talking Book Topics in Large Print, please pass this news to them. We want to make sure we reach everyone!

For years now, the BARD mobile app has been available in Spanish for Spanish-speaking readers to use. NLS is happy to announce that BARD is also now available in French for French-speaking readers, too! If you wish to switch over, let Access Services Librarian Babak Zarin know, and he will be happy to help you with that. 

NLS has a long history of supporting its veteran users, who were instrumental in the founding of the service over 90 years ago. In addition to giving veterans preferential enrollment and sharing resources for veterans and their caretakers, NLS has worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs Blind Rehabilitation Services (BRS) to create a “rapid enrollment” process for eligible veterans for BARD services and faster access to all the services available to them in Talking Books. We hope you share this news with the veterans in your life!

An Upcoming Holiday and Your Next Issue of Sightlines

All CRRL branches, including Access Services, will be closed Monday, July 4, for Independence Day. The next Sightlines newsletter will come out late August.

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

Anyone wishing to receive Sightlines can visit this link, enter their email address, and click Sign Up.