The Magnifier The Newsletter of the Oakland County Library for the Visually and Physically Impaired Fall 2007 Digital Talking Book Machine Progress Report Digital Talking Book Players In August, the National Library Service (NLS) began accepting proposals to identify a manufacturer to produce digital players. NLS will award the contract in late 2007. Flash Cartridges and Containers NLS has already received proposals from contractors for the flash cartridges, which is the new media books will be recorded on. They are in the process of evaluating and selecting a manufacturer. The flash cartridge container contract has already been awarded, and an initial batch of container prototypes will be produced in March 2008 for extensive testing. Player Shipping Box NLS is producing specially designed boxes for shipping the player. They will be easy to open, featuring interlocking flaps that fold to hold the player securely, and pop out for easy removal of the machine. Are You a Veteran? While we make every effort to ensure our computer database is accurate, mistakes do occur. If you are a veteran, and aren’t sure if we have that information, please call 1-800-774-4542 to verify your status. In June 2008, digital machines are expected to arrive. By law, Veterans receive priority in distribution of new machines. More Digital News Did you know that NLS has been recording books in digital format for several years? By the time the initial shipment of digital machines arrives, there will be 8,000 born-digital recordings, and 10,000 titles that will have been transferred from analog (cassette) to digital format! More older titles will be converted as funding permits. Page 2 New Descriptive Videos DV 00507 Blackbeard, the Pirate DV 00508 Captain Kidd DV 00509 Long John Silver’s Return to Treasure Island DV 00510 NOVA: Why the Towers Fell DV 00511 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire DV 00512 King Kong (2 parts) DV 00513 Brokeback Mountain DV 00514 Cheaper By the Dozen 2 DV 00515 The Producers DV 00516 Wedding Date DV 00517 Jarhead DV 00518 Date Movie DV 00519 Chicken Little DV 00520 Eight Below To add any of these titles to your list, or to request a complete listing of videos, please call the library at 248-858-5050 or 1-800-774-4542. The list is also available online on our homepage at www.oakgov.com/lvpi. Use the link ‘Descriptive Video List’, located at the bottom & center of the page. Book Recommendations Patron Harriet Purdy recommends the Adventure author Clive Cussler. RC 17307 Night Probe! RC 49279 Atlantis Found RC 20909 Deep Six RC 50937 Blue Gold RC 23019 Cyclops RC 51151 Pacific Vortex! RC 26993 Treasure RC 52893 Valhalla Rising RC 31038 Dragon RC 54328 Fire Ice RC 37326 Sahara (LP 09019) RC 56507 White Death RC 38369 Mediterranean Caper RC 57099 Golden Buddha (LP 11451) RC 38872 Inca Gold RC 57180 Trojan Odyssey RC 43317 Shock Wave RC 58714 Lost City RC 45276 Flood Tide RC 60747 Polar Shift RC 48575 Raise the Titanic RC 61355 Dark Watch RC 48719 Serpent Page 3 Calendar of Events SAVE THE DATE! LVPI Book Discussion Group Next Meeting Wednesday, January 23, 2008 1—3 p.m. Books to be discussed: TO BE DETERMINED Volunteer Spotlight David Harcourt has been a patron for a long time. He had volunteered at the LVPI several years ago, and has just recently returned to assist us rewinding and shelving books. David walks from his home to the library once a week; and he checks out his own books and walks back home when he’s finished helping out. Thanks, David! LOCAL LOW VISION AID / ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY INFO Low Vision Solutions: The Magnification Place 27520 West 7 Mile Road Livonia MI 48152 248-777-1100 or 1-877-277-1127 Store Hours: Monday — Friday 9:30 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. Weekend and Evening appointments available. Ablezone — Low Vision Helpers / Magnifiers & More 3456 Rochester Road Troy MI 48083 1-866-663-2256 Store Hours: Tuesday — Friday 11:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. Saturday 10:00 a.m. — 2:00 p.m. Mobile Eyes — Products & Services for the Visually Impaired 734-216-5778 mobileeyes@msn.com / www.mobileeyesllc.com Ellis Enterprises — Adaptive Technology 5035 Geraldine Drive Lansing MI 48917 517-327-6363 / 1-888-888-9533 emailmee@comcast.net / www.meewebsite.com OAKLAND COUNTY LIBRARY FOR THE VISUALLY & PHYSICALLY IMPAIRED PHONE: 248-858-5050 TOLL-FREE: 1-800-774-4542 FAX: 248-858-9313 TTY: 248-452-2247