Braille and Talking Book Library
Annual Report
Fiscal Year 2002
Perkins School for the Blind
175 North Beacon Street
Watertown, MA 02472
1-800-852-3133
617-972-7240
fax 617-972-7363
www.Perkins.org
Braille and Talking Book Library
1 / The Year in Review
4 / Service and Budget Summary
5 / Overview of the Talking Book Program
7 / Consumer Advisory Board Members
8 / The Staff
Annual Report
2002
The year two thousand two marked the second year of our revised five-year long-range service plan. The year's activities focused on expanding outreach activities to unserved or underserved potentially eligible Library users, establishing safe and appropriate mail handling procedures to conform to U.S. Postal Service guidelines, negotiating with the Post Office to pick up and deliver the Library's daily mail, continuing to provide a full range of services to borrowers while experiencing budget cutbacks and a hiring freeze, and continuing to produce recorded and braille titles for the collection.
The Library’s Public Education Plan for FY 2002 called for increased outreach to potential users. The Library participated in the Take A Talking Book Campaign with the Library of Congress / National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Focusing on elders having difficulty reading regular print, the campaign featured television, radio and newspaper public service announcements, and the distribution of information packets about the Talking Book Program to the Commonwealth's Councils on Aging and senior centers. Other awareness activities were directed toward school and public libraries to inform them of the range of services available through the program. The Library continued to provide speakers to groups upon request, exhibited at consumer meetings, and produced one issue of the Library's newsletter, Dots & Decibels.
In the wake of September 11th and in response to concerns regarding mail contamination, the BTBL implemented safety protocols for staff and volunteers handling the Library's large quantity of mail. A process was implemented to minimize possible repetitive motion injuries and maximize safety and mail processing efficiency. After consultation with authorities, Perkins was assured that the Post Office did not feel that the Library was a high risk organization for mail contamination, and advised that a thorough visual check during the initial sort of the 2000 items in the daily mail would be adequate.
Library staff were involved in negotiations with the Post Office to arrange for possible mail pick-up and drop-off for the BTBL. Historically, Perkins was responsible for delivery and pick-up of its own mail, using a Perkins truck and Library staff to make the Post Office trips every day. All other talking book libraries across the country have mail deliveries directly from the Post Office. After many meetings and site visits from Post Office staff, including test visits of large postal trucks to ensure they could fit at our loading dock, actual pick-up and delivery of BTBL mail from the Post Office began on February 11 which will free up an average of 20 hours a week for two shipping staff (approximately two hours per day) that can now be devoted to other Library tasks.
Working hard to continue to provide essential services to Library borrowers, staff struggled with added work loads and job responsibilities as the program experienced a seven percent budget cut midway through the fiscal year. Totaling $121,450 in reductions, a hiring freeze was immediately instituted to compensate for a portion of the cutback. Three positions remained vacant during the year – one shipping clerk, one reader advisor, and the assistant director position.
Collection development activities continued with the addition of new braille and cassette titles to the collection. In-house efforts focused on continued implementation of digital recording capability for the studio. Narrators, monitors, editors, and reviewers all continued to receive training in this new production process that utilizes a computer with a microphone to record sound files, which are then transferred onto CD for duplication onto cassette. Several lighting and cooling enhancements were made to the recording booths to improve temperature conditions for the volunteers and increase productivity through better lighting.
The Library's recording studio is a state-of-the-art facility, with many visitors touring it as a model program to be emulated.
The Board of Library Commissioners continued to work with consumers of the Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library and the Talking Book Library in Worcester to improve the funding level for the Massachusetts Talking Book Program. Consumers and Library staff attended several legislative events at the State House to distribute information about the Talking Book Program and advocate for restored funding.
The Library, together with its Consumer Advisory Board and administering agencies, continued its implementation of the five-year long-range plan. The Consumer Advisory Board and staff attended the second joint meeting of the CAB and the Consumer Advisory Council of the Talking Book Library, held at the Worcester Public Library. This meeting proved very productive in identifying commonalities and issues for ongoing discussion. All of these initiatives continue to help the Library in meeting its core mission of effectively helping patrons pursue lifelong learning, knowledge through self-education, and the joy of reading.
We continued to provide recorded media services to residents of Eastern and Western Massachusetts as well as to loan braille materials, playback equipment and accessories to patrons throughout the state. Sixty-two Telephone Pioneer and G.E. Elfun equipment repair volunteers provided 5311 hours of service repairing cassette machines. This amount is equal to 2.55 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. Their efforts were recognized at several local area luncheons in the communities of the repair groups in April and May.
Ninety-three other in-house volunteers who assist with the inspection and repair of returned books, record and edit studio productions, or perform clerical tasks contributed 5270 hours, equaling 5.07 FTE. These volunteers were honored at our annual Volunteer Banquet in May. One hundred fifty-five volunteers generously donated 10,539 hours to the Library this year.
The Consumer Advisory Board also continued to encourage the activities of the Friends of the Braille and Talking Book Library. The Friends supported the BTBL's Summer Reading Program, Braille Awareness Kits for sighted schoolchildren and classroom teachers, and presented an award to Keith Michael Fiels in recognition of his support for the Talking Book Program during his tenure as Director of the Board of Library Commissioners.
Activities for FY 2002 included:
· Implementation of the second year of the Long-Range Plan for Regional Library Services, Fiscal Years 2001 to 2005
· Working with the Post Office to implement effective mail handling procedures, and establish a delivery and pick-up schedule for the Library's mail;
· Working with the BLC and consumers on legislative advocacy and assisting advocates at the State House to distribute Library information packets;
· Continuing outreach to current users of the Talking Book Program, and participating in the Library of Congress Take A Talking Book Campaign for Senior Adults, and;
· Recognizing Machine Lending Agency and in-house volunteers.
Service Summary FY 2001 FY 2002
Registered Patrons:
Individuals 15,062 14,976
Institutions 1,070 975
Total 16,132 15,951
Book Circulation:
Disc Materials 9,276 4,895
Cassette Materials 463,335 429,629
Braille Materials 9,538 8,053
Total 482,149 442,577
Book Circulation per Patron: 28.7 27.7
Equipment Circulation: 6,859 6,010
Collection Holdings:
Titles 62,371 64,247
Volumes 678,504 746,072
Budget Summary FY 2000 FY 2001
Staffing Costs $1,100,021 1,105,537
Direct Costs 528,410 409,825
Other Costs 121,568 113,188
Total $1,750,000 1,628,550
The Talking Book Program ... is a free national library program of braille and recorded materials for blind and physically disabled persons sponsored by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), a division of the Library of Congress.
Eligibility
Anyone who is unable to read or use standard printed materials as a result of temporary or permanent visual or physical limitations may receive service. Institutions and agencies serving individuals who meet the eligibility requirements may also receive service.
The Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library... has been providing special library services since 1830. It became a founding member of the Library of Congress / National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) network in 1931. Readership statistics indicate that 55% of the Library's current users are legally blind, 22% are visually impaired, and 23% have physical disabilities or are reading disabled.
Services Provided
Patrons may place orders for specific book and magazine titles as well as receive automatic selections based on their reading interests. The Library provides interlibrary loan services for titles available from other NLS network libraries and additional non-print sources. The Lacy Recording studio, located in the Library, records titles of local and regional interest not available in the national collection.
Reference services, customized bibliographies, and internet search services are available without cost to the user. The Library also provides an Online Public Access Catalog and internet email to staff from its web page at www.Perkins.org.
The program's Machine Lending Agency loans cassette players and other specialized accessories needed to read the talking books. The service includes the free loan, replacement and repair of equipment for patrons for as long as they are active members of the program.
Service orders may be placed by phone, fax, email or via print or braille correspondence. Orders are generally filled within two business days. Patrons are also welcome to drop in for service during business hours.
Patron services staff are available Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM except holidays to assist individuals, libraries, and agencies. Patrons may also leave messages evenings and weekends at 617-972-7240 or toll-free at 1-800-852-3133. Email orders or inquiries can be directed to .
Consumer Advisory Board Members
Gerry Boucher, Chair
Blinded Veterans Association, MA Chapter
Carrie Dearborn, Vice-Chair
Bootstraps for Activists
Walter L. Cameron, Jr.
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
Cheryl Cumings
Massachusetts Commission for the Blind
Kathleen Gasper
Bay State Council of the Blind
Gary Hale
Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
Theresa Jeraldi
National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts
Kevin J. Lessard
Perkins School for the Blind
Rev. George S. McDermott
Talking Book Library at Worcester Public Library
The Honorable Steven A. Tolman
Massachusetts State Senate
ex officio
Maureen Killoran, Staff Liaison, BLC
Kim Charlson, Staff Liaison, BTBL
The Staff
Patricia Ahern, Reader's Advisor
Martin Baronas, Shipping/Receiving Clerk
Gloria Bass, Book Inspection Clerk
Jonathan Blake, Studio Manager
Keith Bocock, Tape Technician
Judi Cannon, Braille Services Specialist
Michael Cataruzolo, Volunteer Coordinator
Kim Charlson, Regional Librarian
Jean DiLorenzo, Registration Clerk
Anne Donna, Patron Services Specialist
John Eaves, Shipping/Receiving Clerk
Vicki Fallis, Magazine Specialist
Harriet Franklin, Secretary
Ron Heaton, Warehouse Operations Manager
Thomas Hyde, Equipment Clerk
Joseph Lemieux, Assistant Equipment Technician
Michael LoGerfo, Duplication Assistant
Stephen Magliozzi, Equipment Technician
Eileen Morange, Reader's Advisor
Denise Nichols, Lead Secretary
Shelley Patterson, Collection Librarian
Mark Pennington, Shipping/Receiving Clerk
Marilyn Poindexter, Children's Librarian
Patricia Racheotes, Data Verification Clerk
Linda Rossman, Reference Librarian
Oris Ryan, Shipping/Receiving Clerk
Vicki Vogt, Outreach Services Librarian
Perkins School for the Blind has been committed to serving blind, visually impaired, deaf-blind and multi-impaired individuals since it was chartered as the first school for the blind in the United States in 1829.
8
Distribution List for the BTBL Annual Report
# Copies / Print / Braille / Tape / Disk / Readership ...CAB / 4 / 5 / 1 / 1 / All members and staff liaisons (in the formats usually provided for CAB documents)
Perkins / 17
1
1 / 1
0
0 / 0
0
0 / 0
0
0 / Norma McCormack [Director’s Office] for PSB Trustees
(Steven Rothstein gets one in his CAB packet)
Pauline Donoghue [Business Office]
Jan Spitz [Development Office]
BLC / 9
20
2 / 0
0
0 / 0
0
0 / 0
0
0 / 9 for BLC Commissioners
20 for Lobby area
1 ea for Brian Donahue & Barbara Glazerman
(Rob Maier, Maureen Killoran & Shelley Quezada get in CAB mailing)
SRL / 5 / 1 / 1 / 1 / All in 1 envelope to Jim Izatt along with CAB packet
NLS / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / To include in Annual Survey (store in Denise Nichols’ filing cabinet)
BTBL staff / 4
6
1
10
5 / 1
0
1
1
0 / 0
0
0
0
0 / 1
0
0
0
0 / All supervisors (Kim Charlson gets both braille and disk)
1 for each staff Bulletin Board
1 for routing
11 for Front Desk area
5 for Kim Charlson desktop
Other / 20 / 2 / 5 / 0 / Hold for distribution upon request (store in Denise Nichols’ filing cabinet)
Total / 106 / 9 / 8 / 0 / Total initial copies (additional copies are provided on demand with Kim’s approval)
11 1