CT Library for Accessible Books Newsletters
Current Newsletter: January and February 2025
CT LAB News
CT LAB Book Club
The next CT LAB book club will meet virtually on Wednesday January 15, 2025, from 11:00am to 12pm. The title we will be reading is Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan. This title is available as a Talking Book cartridge and from BARD as DB 90012. A summary of the book follows.
Milan, 1943. Teenager Pino Lella becomes involved in the resistance movement to ferry Jews out of Italy. To save him, Pino's family enlists him in the German army. When he is assigned as a driver for General Hans Leyers, Pino begins spying.
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.
Looking for Your Next Great Read?
You’ll find the latest additions to the library’s collection in Talking Book Topics (TBT), Braille Book Review (BBR), and International Language Quarterly (ILQ). TBT and BBR are produced bi-monthly and new issues of ILQ are available each quarter. All three publications are available in multiple formats.
For patrons who miss the hard copy version of Talking Book topics in large print, CT LAB can send printed excerpts of Talking Book Topics upon request.
Contact CT LAB to learn more about TBT, BBR, and ILQ or to request printed excerpts of Talking Book Topics.
Magazines Available from NLS
CT LAB patrons have access to dozens of magazine titles in audio and braille format. Magazines are produced by NLS and NLS-network libraries. A full list of magazines is available at the NLS magazines web page or can be obtained by calling CT LAB.
Contact CT LAB with any questions about magazines, to subscribe to magazines, or if you would like to make changes to your current magazine subscriptions.
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.
Below is a selection of Connecticut Talking Books recently added to BARD. These books can also be sent to patrons on a cartridge.
DBC 28454 A Place of My Own: the Education of an Amateur Builder
Written by Michael Pollan. At a turning point in his life, writer Michael Pollan found himself dreaming of a small wood-frame hut in the woods near his house--a place to work, but also a "shelter for daydreams." Weaving the practical with the philosophical, this book presents a captivating personal inquiry into the art of architecture, the craft of building, and the meaning of modern work.
DBC 28444 In the Hands of Providence: Joshua L. Chamberlain and the American Civil War
Written by Alice Rains Trulock. This remarkable biography traces the life and times of Joshua L. Chamberlain, the professor-turned-soldier who led the Twentieth Maine Regiment to glory at Gettysburg, earned a battlefield promotion to brigadier general from Ulysses S. Grant at Petersburg, and was wounded six times during the Civil War. He went on to serve four terms as governor of his home state of Maine and became president of Bowdoin College.
DBC 29964 Customs and Fashions in Old New England
Written by Alice Morse Earle. The details of everyday life in 17th- and 18th-century New England provide a fascinating background to an understanding of the social and political institutions that emerged from the puritan experience. The author devoted a lifetime to searching out and recording the customs, rituals and beliefs of the colonials making a highly readable and sought after source on life in Old New England.
DBC 28420 Captive of Libby Prison
Written by Stewart J. Petrie. Historical novel based upon the letters of Charles R. Robinson, who served in the 18th Connecticut and 30th Connecticut (colored) Volunteers during the Civil War, was captured twice, and served two terms in the Union Army, Charles Robinson wrote letters home to his family, sharing intimate details of life on the battle lines. Today his great, great nephew, Dr. Stewart Petrie from New Haven has gathered over twenty of those letters, as well as historical notes, to give voice to his second historical novel.
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) Updates
New e-newsletter Highlights Books on BARD
The NLS has launched a monthly e-newsletter called Collections Connections. The subscription-based newsletter highlights books that can be downloaded from BARD. In addition to titles focused on a particular theme, the newsletter spotlights books that are newly available on BARD. To start receiving the newsletter, send your email address to connections@loc.gov.
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 January 9, 2025, Many Faces of BARD program has been canceled. The next Many Faces of BARD program is scheduled for February 13, 2025. The topic will be Open Forum: An Hour of Answers to Your Questions from the Experts. There will not be a presentation, just a full hour of answers to your questions about anything related to BARD.
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
January 20, 2025 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
February 12, 2025 – Lincoln’s Birthday
February 17, 2025 – Washington’s Birthday
