Table Of ContentS' Montana State Library
3 0864 1006 9316 0
TAPE TALK
Newsletter For Volunteers of the Montana State Library
For The Blind & Physically Handicapped
SPRING, 1992
MEETING OF CIRCULATION
Please mark Friday, May
VOLUNTEERS 15, on your calendars and plan
to attend from 12:00 - 1:30 at
Since the new year we
Jorgensen's Restaurant.
have changed some things with
book circulation to help us
track better on our book
inventory throughout the year.
We'd like to have a meeting
with all of you who work in
book circulation to talk about
these and other changes we'll
be making in the near future.
You may also bring your spouse.
The meeting will be at 10:00
We will send out formal
a.m. on Thursday, April 16th.
invitations soon.
Please try to be there if you
do rewinding, pulling, shel¬ STAFF VACATIONS
ving, and checking in and out.
Sandra and her husband
HEALTH AND FITNESS FAIR John recently flew to San
Francisco where they enjoyed a
The Library
week of visiting with their son
for the Blind
Craig, and daughter, Jill.
has been
Though they enjoyed the cuisine
invited to
of the area, they were saved by
display at
all the walking they did. The
the Health
weather was so-so. The Allens
And Fitness
will leave April 17th to take
Fair at
Gen's Mom back to Vancouver, WA
Capital Hill
and enjoy a week's vacation at
Mall, April
the coast (OR and WA). We hope
29th. I would appreciate help
each of you will be able to
from any of you willing to
enjoy some time away from your
staff the table for two hour
usual routine, even if you
segments between 10-4 p.m. We
don't travel a long distance.
will have brochures and
information on our program VOLUNTEER NEWS
available. Thanks.
Jeannette Folsom had
VOLUNTEER LUNCHEON cataract surgery on March 25th.
and is doing fine. She tells us
Once again it's time to
that she is now enjoying 20/15
enjoy each other's company and
vision in the eye that had
allow the library staff to say
surgery. Jean Schellenberger is
a heartfelt "thanks" to you for
planning a trip to Germany with
all you have done for us this
Elderhostel in May...Barb
past year.
Baarson going to Colorado to
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visit her sister in May. . computer programmer, Phyllis
RoseMary Rougle is planning to Meierhenry lends her muscles
visit her sister in Penn¬ and stamina to the BPH on
sylvania in April. Bernece Arts Wednesdays to help out with
spent a delightful week in reshelving books. We are
Spokane with an old friend. slightly in awe of her, knowing
Millie Huxley and her husband that she works so hard at her
just returned from a trip to paid job and then comes over
Portland, OR. Mary Nichols and here and works hard!
her husband are going to Mexico Keith Clark joined us in
at the end of April and to December and works on Tuesdays
Ireland for two weeks in May! and Thursdays. One day a week
Ann Teigen will be leaving us he helps Information Resources
soon to return to her ranch. We with a computer project and one
hope to see her smiling ' face day he works in the BPH. We are
again next winter. Thanks Ann very grateful to him for his
and we’ll miss you. Eleanor help with cleaning and checking
Casey dropped by to say she's machines. Currently he is
really enjoying her new job at entering patron requests and
the Human Rights Commission. doing some other computer work.
She is taking some computer Angela Behr has recently
classes and does a good amount joined us and is working with
of data entry. Library Development two days a
week. Most recently she worked
for the Department of Labor as
an administrative aide. The
folks in Library Development
report that she is a dynamo and
moves mountains during her
working hours.
Unusual as it may seem,
we have a younger volunteer
working in BPH. Sean Rife, a
hometeaching student, began
rewinding in February and has
NEW VOLUNTEERS
learned several other tasks in
S ince our last book circulation since then.
newsletter, we have been This delightful and mature 10
fortunate to get some new folks year old comes in on Mondays
among' our volunteer ranks. with his Mom, Cecelia, who is
Shirley Farley recently retired also his teacher. She has been
from the Highway Depart. She hometeaching Sean since he was
worked for the State of MT for in first grade and thought that
32 years and most recently was volunteer work was a valid and
the administrative assist. On important part of his educa¬
Mondays she works in BPH doing tion. Cecelia, husband Tim, and
follow up calls with new Sean, are originally form
patrons and in Information Georgia and have been in Helena
Resources doing other projects. since June, 1991.
On Thursdays she helps the
folks in Library Development BULLETIN BOARD
and is a terrific help to them.
We keep working away on
In addition to working
the recording area/break room
for Blue Cross/Blue Shield as a
-
in hopes of making it more like to check out a book, sign
pleasant for meetings and your name on the card and file
coffee breaks. Since it is also it by book title in the
a work area, we know that it checkout box near the shelf.
will never be without some These may be checked out for
clutter. We are anticipating one month. If you wish to
that the recording booths will renew, just resign the card.
be renovated within the next We also have most back
few months (really!). issues of "Montana,. The
Please be sure to glance Magazine of Western History" on
at the bulletin board for the shelf. These too may be be
important messages and checked out.
announcements. And in case any
of us forget to remind you, you
are most welcome to coffee and
any of the goodies often found
in this area!
The average person reads 2 books a
year. The average blind I physically
BEQUEST
handicapped individual is exposed to
The Montana State
at least 35 books a year!
Library/Library for the Blind &
(NLS Information)
Physically Handicapped recently
received a generous gift of
$37,878.79 from the estate of
Hazel F. Chamberlain who died
in Tempe, Arizona on Sept. 4,
1991. The library operates on
PLEASE WEAR NAMETAGS an extremely limited budget and
the recent mandatory 8% budget
We were fortunate to
cuts made this tight budget
have a number of new volunteers
even more so. You can imagine
on staff this year. Since we
our delight when we received
all have problems with re¬
Hazel's wonderful gift. Hazel
membering names, it would help
was a retired school admin¬
new and old staff and volun¬
istrator from Red Lodge and was
teers if everyone would wear a
NOT one of our patrons;
nametag when working. They are
evidently though she was aware
hanging on one side of the
of our service and believed in
lockers in the break room.
our work.
(Thanks to Eileen who sewed the
The bequest has been set
neat hanger!)
up in a special account and
some of it will be used to
MONTANA BOOKS CHECKOUT
update the computers that run
Thanks to Jeannette and
the automated circulation
Phyllis, the Montana books
system; it will help us to
shelf has been rearranged by
continue the Montana Cassette
author, and each book now has a
Book Recording Program, and in
checkout card. If you would
general will be used to better
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serve the people of Montana who be matching missing books and
cannot read standard print Jeannette Folsom will be
because of a physical or visual searching 1988 unmatched books
impairment. It will not all be so that we can clear them off
spent immediately; part of it the shelf. Ron Albright has
will act as a "back-up" fund incorporated rewinding into his
for the times when equipment day and become the "rewind
needs replaced and we have no king". He has bailed us out
equipment budget. (The normal several times when we were
situation). We have renamed overwhelmed with rewind carts,
our computer system "Hazel", as has Barb Baarson.
in honor of dear Hazel, our
guardian angel. NEW GREEN THUMB WORKER
Anna Laverdure, a Green
STAFF DO 10 HOUH DAYS
Thumb Worker, joined our staff
Sandra gave the green in February for 22 hours a
light for those BPH staff who week. She has assumed some of
wished to change to a 10-hour both Eleanor and Roy's duties.
day, 4-day a week schedule. In It is a delight having her with
March, Darla and Carolyn began us. She's a bundle of energy
a 7:30-6 p.m. schedule. In and has a real sense of humor.
addition to Sat. and Sun. off, Anna is interested in develop¬
Carolyn is also off Wednesday ing her computer skills and
and Darla Thursday. So far they began an introductory course in
like the schedule. Birdie and computers at Vo Tech in April.
Gen chose not to make the
change for now but may try it NOW LOOKING FOR
out later. NARRATORS AND MONITORS
STAFF WORKSHOPS UPCOMING I will be recruiting for
narrators and monitors again
Spring is filled with a
this June. If you know anyone
number of meetings for BPH
who you think would enjoy
staff. Sandra, Carolyn, and
either aspect of the recording
Rita will attend the Montana
program, please tell them about
Library Association meeting in
our program.
Bozeman April 26-29 . This is an
annual meeting of librarians
from all around Montana. Sandra
and Gen are off to Baltimore,
MD for the National Library
Services annual meeting May 4-
8. Sandra will attend the
THE COURTESY RULES OF
Montana Assoc, for the Blind
annual conference in Bozeman BLINDNESS
May 29-31. And June 4,5 & 6,
I thought you would be
Sandra and Gen will go to Great
interested in the following,
Falls for the Low Vision
reprinted by permission from
Seminar.
the VOICE of the Diabetic
(published by the Diabetics
VOLUNTEERS DOING NEW
Division of the National
JOBS... Federation of the Blind).
Jean Schellenberger will
.
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When you meet me don't through those senses than you
be ill at ease. It will help do—that's all.
both of us if you remember
these simple points of
courtesy: If I'm your houseguest,
show me the bathroom,
closet, dresser, window--the
I'm an ordinary person, light switch, too. I like to
just blind. You don't need know whether the lights are on.
to raise your voice or address
me as if I were a child. Don't
ask my spouse what I want— 'I'll discuss blindness
"Cream in the coffee?"--ask me. with you if you're curious,
but it's an old story to me. I
have as many other interests as
If I am walking with you, you do.
don't grab my arm; let me
take yours. I'll keep a half¬
step behind, to anticipate Don't think of me as just
curbs and steps. a blind person. I'm just a
person who happens to be blind.
I want to know who's in
the room with me. Speak In all 50 states, the law
when you enter. Introduce me to requires drivers to yield the
the others. Include children, right of way when they see my
and tell if there cat or extended white cane. Only the
dog. Guide my hand to a chair. blind may carry white canes.
You see more blind persons
today walking alone. Not
The door to a room, because there are more of us,
cabinet, or to a car left but because we have learned to
partially open is a hazard to make our ov/n way.
me.
At dinner I will not have
trouble with ordinary
table skills.
Don't avoid words like
"see." I use them, too.
I'm always glad to see you.
_J«r<N I don't want pity. But
CAj* don't talk about the
"wonderful compensations" of
blindness. My sense of smell,
touch or hearing did not
improve when I became blind. I
rely on them more and, there¬
fore, may get more information
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