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A Publication Featuring The Information Services Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume V, Issue 8 | August 2002 |
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Outreach Services at the Maine State Library provides Talking Books, Large Print, Books By Mail, and Descriptive Videos to eligible Mainers. (See our new Website at http://www.maine.gov/msl/outreach.) Our section meets the needs of many people (in 2001, the section circulated 172,309 items to people who are blind, visually or physically impaired), as well as to those who live in geographically isolated communities in our state. |
Talking Books is a federal program of the National Library Service, which was established in the 1930s. Talking Books provides specialized cassettes and players free of charge to the blind, visually impaired, and physically disabled. The players are flexible machines, which can be adjusted to suit the listening preferences and needs of the users. There is a wonderful collection of reading material available through this program, and we’re hoping to make more people aware of its availability. We also loan Large Print and Descriptive Videos to libraries and eligible individuals. All of these materials are eligible to be sent Free Matter for the Blind and do not require postage.
These programs mean so much to the people who receive them, that they are often referred to as a lifeline. We receive frequent notes of heartfelt appreciation from participants and their families. One family member commented: "My aunt, who is in her 90s, uses Talking Books all the time. They give her the mental stimulation she needs; it helps keep her sharp. Even though she is in a nursing home, she is very mentally alert. The Talking Books and magazines help keep her aware of her world."
A group called the Telephone Pioneers runs an important support service for Talking Books. These volunteers, many of who are retired telephone company employees, clean and repair the program’s specialized tape players on a weekly basis.
Books By Mail, which replaced the Bookmobile program discontinued in the 1980s, is another great Outreach program; it provides library materials to people who are without their own public library, or who have one that is open very few hours.
Descriptive Videos is a small but popular collection that we'd like to grow. These videos are regular films and television programs, which have special narration describing the action for people who are blind or visually impaired.
Every year, Outreach Services offers a Summer Reading Program to the children in all of our programs, as do most public libraries. Recently we have been working to involve public libraries statewide in a cooperative program for 2003 that will help children feel part of Maine’s reading community. We hope to include a variety of reading incentives, like one at Old Fort Western, where they offer a free one-day pass to children who participate in any Maine summer reading program. We believe that encouraging children to read is one of the most important and worthwhile things we can do!
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Melora Ranney has been Outreach Coordinator at the Maine State Library since May 2002. Prior to May she worked for eight years as Library Director at the Charles M. Bailey Public Library in Winthrop. As a longtime member of the Maine Library Association and the American Library Association, she has actively promoted equitable access to library materials for all citizens. |
Questions? Comments? Contact the author by calling 287-5653 or 1-800-762-7106, or e-mailing melora.ranney@state.me.us.
