Braille Book Review

September-October 1998

In Brief

Catalog Survey Coming Soon

Patrons will soon be able to select and order NLS catalogs and bibliographies that will be issued in 1999. A braille order form will be mailed early this fall to patrons who subscribe to Braille Book Review. The form will give patrons the opportunity to order upcoming publications, such as Braille Books 1997-1998 and Cassette Books 1998. Catalogs and bibliographies ordered will be sent directly to patrons when the publications are produced.

NLS Adds New Sports Magazine

Inside Sports, an adult monthly magazine produced in braille, ceased print publication with the July issue. Inside Sports subscribers will now automatically receive the monthly magazine Sport, unless they notify their regional libraries otherwise.

BANA approves new rules for literary braille

The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) recently approved signs and rules for brailling electronic addresses (e-mail addresses and URLs) and filenames in nontechnical contexts. This information is set forth in the newly revised Rule VI, Section 27g, and Appendix C of the BANA English Braille, American Edition, 1994, and is based on the most recent edition of the Computer Braille Code.

Certified literary braille transcribers should find the information in the Appendix C sufficient for brailling electronic addresses and filenames in literary braille and other nontechnical contexts. Computer filenames and e-mail, website, and other Internet addresses will follow the strictures of the Computer Braille Code. The new rules explain how to enter and exit the computer braille code, to transcribe embedded or displayed computer text, to divide a contiguous string of characters between lines, and to use numerals and punctuation, among other aspects of using computer braille in nontechnical contexts. The section provides examples to demonstrate the rules and requires that all computer-braille symbols used in the transcription be listed on a special page. Appendix C also contains a list of the most commonly used computer braille code symbols.

The revised Rule VI, Section 27g, and Appendix C are available at the BANA website at http://edtech.sandi.net/epd/bana.html or from Dolores Ferrara-Godzieba, BANA Chairperson, Associated Services for the Blind, 919 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107; phone (215) 627-0600; fax (215) 922-0692.

In addition, major revisions to the textbook code, including a new title, Braille Formats: Principles of Print-to-Braille Transcription 1997; to the music code, Manual of Braille Music Notation American Edition, 1997; and a new Braille Code for Chemical Notation, 1997 were approved. These documents will be produced and will be available for purchase from the American Printing House for the Blind, P.O. Box 6085, 1839 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206-0085. For more information, contact BANA.

Newsstand

The following announcements may be of interest to readers. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped reserves the right to publish announcements selectively, as space permits. Items mentioned, however, are not part of the NLS program, and their listing does not imply endorsement.

Internet braille course designed for novice transcribers.

Teachers, parents, social workers, and braille transcribers can take advantage of an online braille course developed to help novices improve their skills in braille instruction. Braille through Remote Learning is offered by the Shodor Foundation, Inc., in collaboration with the Governor Morehead School for the Blind and the North Carolina Central University School of Education, Durham, North Carolina (NCCU). It includes three courses: Introduction to Braille, Braille Transcriber's Course, and Specialized Codes in Braille.

Students may opt for no credit, for which there is no charge, or for continuing education (CEU) or university credit. Those who wish to receive formal academic creditthrough the NCCU program or independent study through another institution, however, must pay the associated fees. Students may apply for stipends up to $600 that may be used to offset expenses for the course, including tuition, purchase of braille-producing materials such as a Perkins brailler, and the costs of online services such as monthly fees and purchase of a modem.

For more information contact Robert R. Gotwals Jr., Computational Science Educator, The Shodor Education Foundation, Inc., 923 Broad Street, Suite 100, Durham, NC 27705; voice/TDD (919) 286-1911; fax (919) 286-7876; e-mail gotwals@shodor.org; website http://storm.shodor.org/~gotwals/gotwals.html

New braille music resources available.

The New International Manual of Braille Music Notation documents the latest braille music signs and rules that have been adopted as the international standard by sixteen countries, including the United States and Canada. The publication, however, uses a braille code that is slightly different than the approved BANA code. Previously available only by special foreign order, the print edition (282 pages, published by SVB Amsterdam), the braille edition (3 volumes, published by Braille Press Zurich), and a new interactive multimedia CD-ROM edition are now available from a U.S. distributor, Opus Technologies of San Diego, California.

Prices for the print, braille, and CD-ROM editions are $79, $89, and $249 respectively, plus a $5 shipping and handling fee. Contact Samuel O. Flores, President, for more information at Opus Technologies, 13333 Thunderhead Street, San Diego, CA 92129; phone/fax (619) 538-9401; e-mail: opus@opustec.com; website: www.opustec.com

Releases from the National Braille Press.

Touch the Stars takes young readers on a trip through outer space. It provides tactile images of the phases of the moon, such constellations as the Big Dipper, and other wonders of the universe. The print-braille book was designed and written for ages 8 and up by staff at the Museum of Science and Charles Hayden Planetarium in Boston. It is available for $24, including shipping and handling, from National Braille Press (NBP), 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115; phone (617) 266-6160 or toll-free 1-800-548-7323; fax (617) 437-0456.

How to Do Homework without Throwing Up is also available through NBP. It is a large-print and braille book designed for independent readers age 8-12 and their families. Author Trevor Romain speaks to kids in their language using short text and cartoon-type characters. He walks kids and parents through managing school work. The book is available for $9.95.

The following information is reprinted from Talking Book Topics, September-October 1998.

In Brief

NLS Continues Magazine Program Changes

Beginning in January 1999, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) will offer readers twelve magazines on cassette instead of flexible disc.

These magazines continue a transition to the new cassette format for all audio magazines. NLS plans to continue the change in 2000 with an additional ten or eleven titles moving to cassette and conclude in 2001 when all NLS recorded magazines will be available on cassette.

This improvement to the magazine program is based on the recommendation of an advisory committee composed of program users and librarians. The list of magazines is shown below. Subscribers will automatically receive the magazines on cassette and need not take any action. To start a new subscription to these or any magazines in the program, contact your cooperating library.

Catalog Survey Coming Soon

Patrons will soon be able to select and order NLS catalogs and bibliographies that will be issued in 1999. A large-print order form will be mailed early this fall to patrons who subscribe to TBT. The form will give patrons the opportunity to order upcoming publications, such as Cassette Books 1998 and Braille Books 1997-1998. Catalogs and bibliographies ordered will be sent directly to patrons when the publications are produced.

Newsstand

The following announcement may be of interest to readers. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped reserves the right to publish announcements selectively, as space permits. Items mentioned, however, are not part of the NLS program, and their listing does not imply endorsement.

Shopping Catalogs.

Home Readers offers a variety of popular mail order catalogs on 4-track cassette. The catalogs list products from companies that sell clothing, gifts, music, food, collectibles, cosmetics, pet supplies, and health-related items. The tapes feature descriptions of patterns, styles, and colors that are pictured in the print editions. Prices for the catalogs range from $2 to $5. For more information contact Home Readers, 604 W. Hulett, Edgerton, KS 66021; telephone (913) 893-6939; e-mail Homeread@Qni.com.

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