Current Newsletter: May and June 2024

CT LAB News 

CT LAB Book Club

The next CT LAB book club will meet virtually on July 17, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.  The title that we are reading for July is The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese.  This title is available as a Talking Book on cartridge and from BARD as DB 114896.  A summary of the book follows:

Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala’s long-existing Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this unforgettable new beginning, the young girl—and future matriarch, known as Big Ammachi—will witness unthinkable changes over the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss, her faith and love the only constants.

Please register for the book club by calling Paula McLean at 860-704-2216 or 800-842-4516. Participants will receive the Zoom meeting link or dial in phone number for the book club meeting following registration.

Locally Produced Talking Books

Connecticut Talking Books are recorded by volunteers from Talking Books CT/CVSBH.  When books are completed, CT LAB transfers the Talking Books to BARD, the Braille and Audio Reading Download. BARD is a service offered by CT LAB and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled at the Library of Congress.

Connecticut Talking Books Now Available on BARD  

• DBC 28409 Noah Webster: the life and times of an American Patriot by Harlow Giles Unger.  Unger creates an intriguing portrait of the United States as a confident young country, even when independence was fragile and the future unclear. He brilliantly restores Webster's monumental legacy as a teacher, legislator, philosopher, lawyer, editor, and one of history's most profoundly influential lexicographers.  Access the catalog record for DBC 28409 or download DBC 28409 from BARD.
  
  
• DBC 28030 I’ll Fly Away: Further Testimonies from the Women of York Prison by Wally Lamb.  A volume of intimate, searching pieces from Wally Lamb's writing workshop at the York Correctional Institution, Connecticut's only prison for women. These portraits, vignettes, and stories depict with soul-baring honesty how and why women land in prison, what happens once they get there and how lives change through the power of the written word. Access the catalog record for DBC 28030 or download DBC 28030 from BARD.

   

• DBC 28366 Sneaky Pie’s Cookbook: a Cookbook for Mystery Lovers by Rita Mae Brown.  Sneaky Pie Brown, co-author of the irresistable Mrs. Murphy mysteries such as Murder on the Prowl, dishes up delectable fare for cats and humans alike in this unique collection of recipes spiced with witty personal anecdotes, including glimpses of life with co-author Rita Mae Brown. Access the catalog record for DBC 28366 or download DBC 28366 from BARD.
  
  
• DBC 28412 Stone by Stone: the Magnificent History in New England’s Stone Walls by Robert M. Thorson. Stone walls tell the story of how New England was formed and how they link the natural and human history of the region. There once may have been enough stone walls in the northeast to measure most of the distance to the moon and requiring three billion hours to build. Even though most of them are crumbling today, they contain within them a magnificent scientific and human story. Access the catalog record for DBC 28412 or download DBC 28412 from BARD.
  
  

Updates from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) 

NLS Patron Listserv

The NLS Patron Engagement Section hosts an announcement-only listserv with information and updates about NLS programs, services, and products. New posts are added to the list a few times a week. To sign up for this listserv, send your name and email address to the Patron Engagement Section at nlspes@loc.gov. You can unsubscribe yourself from the list at any time.

Upcoming NLS Programs 

Get to Know the Many Faces of BARD

NLS staff members offer tips, answer questions, and demonstrate new features of BARD, the BARD Mobile app, and BARD Express each month during The Many Faces of BARD. This online event is open to all patrons and is held at 7 p.m. eastern time on the second Thursday of every month.

The topic for the Thursday, May 9, 2024, Many Faces of BARD program will be Using the Siri Shortcuts for BARD. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. eastern time and last for one hour. The session will begin with a brief presentation. The remainder of the time will be spent answering questions about the presentation or other questions related to BARD usage.

Get program details, login information, and recordings of previous programs at the Many Faces of BARD web page. 

Connect with CT LAB

CT LAB Contact Information

Phone: 860-704-2220 or 800-842-4516 (toll free in state only)

Email: csl.AccessibleBooks@ct.gov

Mailing Address: 786 South Main St., Middletown, CT 06457

Upcoming CT LAB Holiday Closings

May 27, 2024 – Memorial Day
June 19, 2024 – Juneteenth Day
July 4, 2024 – Independence Day
September 2, 2024 – Labor Day
October 14, 2024 – Columbus Day
November 11, 2024 – Veterans Day
November 28, 2024 – Thanksgiving Day
December 25, 2024 – Christmas Day
January 1, 2025 – New Year’s Day