CT Library for Accessible Books Newsletters

Current Newsletter: September and October 2024

CT LAB News

CT LAB Book Club

The next CT LAB book club will meet virtually on Wednesday October 30, 2024, from 11:00am to 12pm. The title we will be reading is Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora. This title is available as a Talking Book cartridge and from BARD as DB 110163. A summary of the book follows.

Trip. My parents started using that word about a year ago—“one day, you’ll take a trip to be with us. Like an adventure.” Javier Zamora’s adventure is a three-thousand-mile journey from his small town in El Salvador, through Guatemala and Mexico, and across the U.S. border. He will leave behind his beloved aunt and grandparents to reunite with a mother who left four years ago and a father he barely remembers.

A memoir as gripping as it is moving, Solito provides an immediate and intimate account not only of a treacherous and near-impossible journey, but also of the miraculous kindness and love delivered at the most unexpected moments.

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.

New Contact Information?

If you have a new telephone number, mailing address, or email address, please call CT LAB to share your updated contact information.  Sharing your updated contact information ensures that, when needed, we can contact you and that your books are delivered to the proper address.

Please call CT LAB at (860) 704-2220 or (800) 842-4516 to share your updated contact information with us. 

Reminder: Braille on Demand

A reminder that CT LAB patrons who read braille can take advantage of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled’s (NLS) Braille on Demand service. 

Patrons can request up to five books a month in hardcopy braille to keep indefinitely for personal use. Choose from any of the tens of thousands of braille titles available on BARD, the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download website.

To request a Braille on Demand book, use the NLS Braille on Demand Request Form. You may complete the form yourself or ask CT LAB staff to place a request for you.

Please note that the Braille on Demand service is offered in addition to regular loan of hard copy braille books. 

Contact CT LAB at (860) 704-2220 or (800) 842-4516 to place requests for hard copy braille on demand books. 

Connecticut Talking Books Now Available

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 service. BARD is offered by CT LAB and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled at the Library of Congress.

DBC 06275 Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life

Written by Helen Czerski.  Storm in a Teacup is Helen Czerski's lively, entertaining, and informed introduction to the world of physics. Czerski provides the tools to alter the way we see everything around us by linking ordinary objects and occurrences, like popcorn popping, coffee stains, and fridge magnets, to big ideas like climate change, the energy crisis, or innovative medical testing. In an engaging voice at once warm and witty, Czerski shares her stunning breadth of knowledge to lift the veil of familiarity from the ordinary. Access the catalog record for DBC 06275 or download DBC 06275 from BARD.

DBC 06276 The Stuff that Never Happened: a novel

Written by Maddie Dawson. Annabelle McKay has been in a stable marriage for almost three decades…The trouble is Annabelle isn't sure she wants to be married to Grant anymore. In the early tumultuous years of her marriage Annabelle carried on a clandestine affair with the one person whose betrayal would hurt her husband the most. Now, with her children grown and gone, Annabelle can't help but remember those glorious, passionate days and wonder if she chose the right man. Access the catalog record for DBC 06276 or download DBC 06276 from BARD.

DBC 06304 The Opium Equation

Written by Lisa Wysocky. Ashland City, Tennessee horse trainer Cat Enright and her community search for a murderer and a kidnapper after a retired movie star is found murdered and one of Cat's neighbors is missing. Access the catalog record for DBC 06304 or download DBC 06304 from BARD.

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

BARD Express Update

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) recently announced the release of BARD Express, version 3.0.0.7. This release includes the long-awaited BARD Express Player, which allows patrons to choose an audio book or magazine from their BARD Express bookshelf and listen to it directly on their PC.  Please note that BARD Express is currently available for Windows-based computers only.  BARD Express is not available for Mac-based computers.

Additional information about BARD Express and the BARD Express player can be accessed at the BARD Express web page or by contacting the Connecticut Library for Accessible Books (CT LAB) at (860) 704-2220 or (800) 842-4516.

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 September 2024 Many Faces of BARD program is cancelled. The Many Faces of BARD will resume on October 10, 2024.  The topic is to be announced. 

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

Connect with CT LAB

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

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