Welcome to InfoLink Online!


Welcome to the online supplement to InfoLink. A PDF version of the full newsletter is available for your printing convenience. At any time, please feel free to contact us at infolink@simmons.edu. Enjoy!

Feeling nostalgic? Take a look at the Infolink Online Archives.

September 2007

This month's InfoLink casts a spotlight on the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library and the great work the staff (many of whom are GSLIS alums) are doing there. We also profile new adjunct professor, Rob Wolfe.

In InfoLink Online:

>> Learn more about the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library: Cool technology
>> Behind the Scenes at Perkins: Who Does What?
>> Media and government spotlights on the Haskell Free Library and Opera House
>> New GSLIS students' favorite books
>> Links from this issue



Learn more about the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library: Cool technology page top

From pages 1 & 3

Perkins librarians stay on the cutting edge of technology in order to benefit their patrons and themselves. Here's a look at some of the innovative technology they use:

Behind the scenes at Perkins: Who does what? page top

From pages 1 & 3

Deputy Director and Outreach Librarian: Lana Thelen
Lana ThelenLana (at left) is the sole Outreach Librarian for the entire state. A 2006 GSLIS grad, she says she's glad she doesn't live in Texas—she can't imagine being the outreach librarian for a state that big! Even so, Lana says it's hard to get to everyone in Massachusetts. She spends a lot of time on the road, traveling to meetings and conferences to spread the word about Perkins' services. Lana tries to be very organized and focused about outreach by targeting one section of the population at a time. She finds her job exciting, noting, "There is always work to be done, and you can see immediately what a difference you make to even a small number of people." It's an unconventional job in many ways, which she loves because she didn't know exactly what she wanted to do when she graduated.

As one of her longer-term projects, Lana is looking to start a volunteer ambassador program. Another of her long-term goals to create a DVD of her outreach speech that she can send to people when she can't get there in person. She's looking for film students at a local college to help her. If you know of anyone, give Perkins a call and let Lana know.

Foreign Language Librarian: James Gleason
A 2005 grad of GSLIS, James speaks Spanish, French, Italian, and German. In his job, he helps patrons track down books in foreign languages and services in foreign countries. He said that the most-often requested language is Spanish—Perkins has more than 230 Spanish-speaking patrons and more than 1500 in-house titles in Spanish. The second most popular language requested is Russian. Overall, Perkins has talking books in about 13 languages.

Braille Services Specialist: Judi Cannon
Judi Cannon began at Perkins as a student. These days, she handles Braille correspondence for the library. People e-mail her Word documents, which she converts to Braille using special software and prints on the large Braille embosser in her office. Judi creates labels for the talking book cassettes in micro-Braille—a condensed format that allows the title and author information to fit on the cassette label (a tight fit!).

Perkins produces not only talking books, but also Braille books related to New England. Judi, the resident Braille expert, is in charge of the Braille book process—she has done five books so far. She works with a contact at the Norfolk County Correctional Center. Prisoners there scan the book files and proofread them, and then she puts the files into Braille.

Judi uses many types of assistive technology, jumping between them very quickly. She uses Braille translation software, a refreshable Braille display, a CCTV, her Braille Sense, and a screen reader (but she can read Braille much faster than her screen reader can speak the page out loud). Judi sees a direct link between working and reading Braille. She noted that of the employable blind population, only 30% work. She said, "There are many reasons for this, but I find it significant that of that 30%, 93% are Braille readers." Judi is one of 100 people in a pilot program to test out the new digital talking book format. She finds the transition to a digital format "excessively exciting" and loves the "absolutely wonderful" quality of the digital books.

Library Director: Kim Charlson
Lana Thelen, Kim Charlson and Jubilee.Kim Charlson (far right, with Lana and her guide dog Jubilee) entered the field of LIS in order to champion the cause of access—which no one was doing when she started library school. She said it was "unusual to be blind in the library world because it's such a print-based field." She has been leaving her mark on the field, though, by working tirelessly to increase awareness and access. She has worked at Perkins since 1984 and served as Perkins Library's director for the past 6 years. She said of Perkins patrons, "People [who can't read traditional books] like feeling that they have a local public library because they often don't feel welcomed or included at their local library . . . The important thing is to provide information in a format that works for patrons."

Children's and Young Adult Librarian: Rachel Gould
Rachel, a 2005 GSLIS grad, said that her favorite part of the job was "all of it. I love making information accessible." Rachel works with more than 1700 children across the state. She just finished running the Summer Reading program, with a "Catch the Beat" theme. She used IM and email to keep in touch with the kids, who wrote in to report on the books they were reading. Some even faxed or mailed book reports to her. The Perkins patrons used the same theme and database as sighted patrons across the state. It was the first year for the state-wide database, and Rachel has many ideas for how to make it more accessible for her patrons next year.

Rachel was also in charge of a Harry Potter release party, which she coordinated with the Watertown Public Library. It was quite a party, including about 250 patrons from Perkins and the Watertown Library, an enormous cake designed to look like the Harry Potter cover, music, and volunteers from the Celtics reading chapters from the book. (The son of one of the Celtics goes to Perkins, so the Celtics often volunteer their time.)

Media and government spotlights on the Haskell Free Library and Opera House page top

In InfoLink's summer issue, we asked people to tell us about unusual libraries they had visited. One of the libraries mentioned was the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, which straddles the border between Stanstead, Quebec, and Derby Line, Vermont. In recent months, the Haskell Library has been getting attention from the media—and in bigger publications than InfoLink. The New York Times, the Boston Globe, and even NPR have done pieces on the library.

It is a very interesting and historical library—but why all the recent attention? Government officials on both sides of the border have become concerned that the streets surrounding the library are unguarded border crossings. They're talking about blocking off the streets to prevent illegal immigration—they say that smugglers are taking advantage of the ease with which you can cross.

Residents of both towns are concerned and upset about the street closures; they have always enjoyed the benefits of both towns. The library represents this: it's mostly in Canada, but the entrance is in the U.S. The stacks are in one country, but the circulation desk is in the other. There's a big black line on the floor marking the border—but most people don't pay attention to it.

To read the articles, visit:

New GSLIS students' favorite books page top

From page 4

At Fall Advising Day, new GSLIS students were given the opportunity to share the title of their favorite book, or the book that initially "hooked" them onto reading. Here is the full list!

UpFront: Making a Difference At the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library page top

—Pages 1 & 3—

Snapshot Profile: Rob Wolfe page top

—Page 2—

Additional Links from Throughout the Issue page top

For questions or comments on InfoLink, contact the editorial staff at infolink@simmons.edu. For technical problems with this page, such as broken links, please contact the GSLIS webmaster at gslisweb@simmons.edu.

Check out the back issues of InfoLink Online >>