CT Library for Accessible Books Newsletters
Current Newsletter: September and October 2026
CT LAB News
CT LAB Staff Updates
CT LAB has both bittersweet and exciting news. Paula McLean, long-serving Reader’s Advisor at CT LAB, retired as of September 1, 2026, after 25 years of service with the state of Connecticut.
Many of you know and have interacted with Paula over the years. Paula, her knowledge, and her experience, will be missed by CT LAB patrons and by her colleagues at CT LAB and the CT State Library. Paula’s unwavering commitment to patrons and extraordinary humility about her contributions are two qualities that defined her approach to her work. They are emblematic of the dedication and compassion that Paula brought to her work throughout her years with CT LAB. We, at CT LAB and the CT State Library, are grateful to have worked with such a wonderful person and we honor Paula’s years of service.
Upon Paula’s retirement, Matt Geeza, Director of CT LAB assumed Reader’s Advisor duties for Paula’s patrons until a new Reader’s Advisor is hired to replace Paula. The CT LAB team is working to make this transition as seamless as possible for patrons.
Please contact CT LAB if you have any questions at (860) 704-2220 or (800) 842-4516 (toll free for in-state callers) or at csl.AccessibleBooks@ct.gov.
Congratulations to Paula on her retirement!
CT LAB Book Club
The next CT LAB book club will meet virtually on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Our selection is a nonfiction book, titled This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History by Beverly Gage. This title is available as a Talking Book cartridge and from BARD as DB 137224. A summary of the book follows.
Ride along with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Beverly Gage as she travels the country to see the museums, historic sites, roadside attractions, reenactments, and souvenir shops where Americans learn -- and fight -- about our history. From the birth of the nation in Philadelphia to Disneyland and the California dream, This Land Is Your Land offers a guided tour of thirteen places and thirteen key moments that define America's greatest successes and challenges. The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a document that proclaimed the liberty and equality of all human beings, but produced a country that often failed to agree upon -- or live up to -- those ideals. This Land Is Your Land is for everyone who wants to find that history -- to experience it and confront it, to celebrate it and condemn it -- in the places where it happened. Gage shows that Americans can face their past and still love their country.
Please register for the book club by calling (860) 704-2220 or (800) 842-4516. Participants will receive the Zoom meeting link or dial in phone number approximately one week before the book club meeting.
Download This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History by Beverly Gage from BARD.
Connecticut Talking Books Now Available
Read below for a selection of locally produced Talking Books now available on BARD, the Braille and Audio Reading Download service from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS). These books can also be sent to patrons on a Talking Book cartridge. Connecticut Talking Books are recorded by volunteers at the studios of Talking Books CT/CVSBH.
Connecticut Witch Trials: The First Panic in the New World by Cynthia Wolfe Boynton. DBC06174
Connecticut's witch hunt was the first and most ferocious in New England, occurring almost fifty years before the infamous Salem witch trials. Between 1647 and 1697, at least thirty-four men and women from across the state were formally charged with witchcraft. Eleven were hanged. Through newspaper clippings, court records, letters and diaries, author Cynthia Wolfe Boynton uncovers the dark history of the Connecticut witch trials.
Download Connecticut Witch Trials: The First Panic in the New World from BARD.
Albert Hopper, Science Hero: Worming to the Center of the Earth! by John Himmelman. DBC29979
Albert Hopper, Science Hero is on a mission: to travel to the center of the earth! With his wormlike ship Wiggles and the help of his niece and nephew, trusty Junior Science Heroes Polly and Tad, Hopper is ready to go where no frog has gone before. Thick layers of rock and rubble, tunnels of lava, and temperatures of 6,000 degrees stand between our heroes and their prize in this funny and informative adventure.
Download Albert Hopper, Science Hero: Worming to the Center of the Earth! from BARD.
Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson. DBC02503
A bustling little city by the seashore, totally dependent upon money spent by tourists, Atlantic City’s popularity rose in the early 20th century and peaked during Prohibition. Author Nelson Johnson traces Atlantic City from its humble beginnings as a quiet seaside health resort, through the notorious backroom politics and power struggles, to the city’s astonishing rebirth as an entertainment and gambling mecca where just about anything goes.
Download Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City from BARD.
Savin Rock by Edith Reynolds and Suzanne Peter Reynolds. DBC06246
From colonial farmland to popular seaside tourist attraction known as the Savin Rock Amusement Park after the Civil War, this West Haven shoreline area fell towards disrepair over the next century. In 1964, when President Lyndon B. Johnson imagined a Great Society and declared a War on Poverty, West Haven took advantage of federal money to reclaim Savin Rock, creating a mix of business, residences, and public space. Yet that transition eliminated locally owned park concessions, displaced long-standing businesses, and uprooted residents. When plans came up to reconstruct the shoreline for residential housing, a local citizen’s grassroots effort worked to keep the shore open to the public. Consequently, West Haven is home to Connecticut’s largest stretch of free public beach used by thousands every summer.
Download Savin Rock from BARD.
Popular Books on BARD
Note: The books listed below are the most popular fiction and nonfiction books on BARD within the last thirty days. All titles are available on BARD and can be sent on a Talking Book Cartridge.
Most Popular Fiction Books on BARD
- Ironwood by Michael Connelly. DB137790
- 26 Beauties: A Women’s Murder Club Thriller by James Patterson. DB137550
- The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. DB138089
- Hope Rises by David Baldacci. DB136934
- Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth. DB137144
Most Popular Nonfiction Books on BARD
- Best Kept Secrets for Travelers with Sight Loss by Lynn Jensen. DB136908
- Narrated Soundscape: Everglades National Park by NLS Summer Reading Program 2026. DB137778
- Narrated Soundscape: Cape Cod National Seashore by NLS Summer Reading Program 2026. DB137779
- Navigating Life with Low Vision: Essential Knowledge, Tools, and Strategies for Independence by Patrick J. Fischer. DB135650
- The Odyssey by Homer. DB88961
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) Updates
Meet the DA2 Talking Book Machine
The free DA2, or Digital Advanced 2, is the newest talking book player from NLS. The DA2 includes new features such as built-in Wi-Fi and storage enabling users to connect and download books directly from BARD onto the player.
The DA2 is ideal for CT LAB patrons who:
- Are BARD users.
- Have challenges using other download methods, such as the BARD website or mobile app.
- Listen to a lot of books before finding one they like.
CT LAB has DA2 units available right now. If you have the original Talking Book Machine, you can keep that one and also receive a DA2. For more information about DA2 machines call CT LAB at (860) 704-2220 or toll free for in-state callers at (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.
Get program details, login information, and recordings of previous programs at the Many Faces of BARD web page.
That All May eRead Program
NLS presents a monthly program called That All May eRead on Zoom. This program, scheduled monthly for the last Tuesday night of each month, focuses on using the NLS Braille eReaders. Each session begins with a brief demonstration of a feature or use case. The rest of the hour is spent answering patron questions about any aspect of the Zoomax or HumanWare Braille eReaders. Get program details and access recordings of previous programs at the That All May eRead web page.
Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker
NLS presents a monthly program called Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker. This program, held on the third Thursday of each month, focuses on assisting patrons using the My Talking Books skill on their smart speaker. Get program details and access recordings of previous programs at the Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker web page.
From CT LAB Community Partners
Connecticut Virtual Statewide Blind and Low Vision Support Group
UR Community Cares is excited to introduce a new Connecticut Virtual Statewide Blind & Low Vision Support Group, created to bring people together from across Connecticut who are blind, experiencing vision loss, or supporting someone who is. Whether you are blind, losing your vision, living with low vision, a caregiver, family member, or someone who simply wants to connect with others and learn more, you are welcome.
- Begins Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
- Meets the 2nd Wednesday of every month from 5:00 to 6:30 PM.
- Meets virtually so you can join from anywhere in Connecticut.
For more information or to learn how to participate, contact UR Community Cares at (860) 430-4557.
Connect with CT LAB
Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
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
Monday, September 7, 2026 – Labor Day
Monday, October 12, 2026 – Columbus Day/ Indigenous Peoples’ Day
