Update ISSN 0160-9203 October-December 1995, Vol. 18, No. 4 National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped The Library of Congress Machine-repair program gets a boost In response to needs identified by machine-repair volunteers and machine-lending agencies and confirmed by a recent study conducted by NLS contractor ManTech, NLS has begun a series of initiatives to improve the quality of machine repairs and ensure a continuing strong corps of volunteers. Work on the Volunteer Repair Project began in the fall of 1993, when then-acting chief of the NLS Materials Development Division (MDD) Lois Mandelberg developed a plan to gather recommendations from volunteers, machine-lending agencies, and NLS staff and incorporate them into a set of standards and requirements that would, for the first time, provide a national standard for what constituted a repaired machine. In addition to instituting the repair standards, NLS has taken steps to improve training for volunteers, expand communication with volunteer groups, recruit new volunteers, and provide greater recognition for volunteer service. "We expect a great deal of success in this project," says NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke, "because repair volunteers usually make a long-term commitment and bring years of experience to the task." Repair standards initiated Working directly with representatives of the volunteer repair groups and with network librarians, NLS has developed a "check-off sheet" and acquired equipment that will enable volunteers to verify the performance of each machine going back into service. MDD staff provide special training to prepare volunteers to use the standards. "The volunteers have indicated for some time that standards were needed," says Al Lakomyj, equipment and materials maintenance coordinator. NLS has piloted the repair standards in five areas and plans, depending on the progress of the pilot, to begin general implementation in 1996. See the accompanying article for details on this program. "Train the trainer" planned Using a "train the trainer" approach, NLS will provide a series of twelve workshops throughout the country to prepare volunteers to train others not only in quality assurance, but also in the three most common repair problems: heads, drive kit/torque, and speed control. At the day-long sessions, participants will work in three-person teams--trainer, trainee, and observer--and the trainers will receive feedback on their techniques. Structured lesson plans, standards for the common repairs, and equipment for performing repairs and tests will be provided so that participants leave equipped to begin training volunteers back home. Projected sites for 1996 training sessions are: Daytona Beach, Florida; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Los Angeles, California; Columbus, Ohio; Trenton, New Jersey; Worcester, Massachusetts; Atlanta, Georgia; Denver, Colorado; St. Louis, Missouri; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Sacramento, California; and Phoenix, Arizona. Communications channels expanded One requirement for better communications between NLS and machine-repair groups has always been information about the location--or even the existence--of all repair groups. In September 1994, NLS conducted a survey that identified almost three hundred repair sites across the United States. With information gleaned in the survey, NLS hopes to set up a mailing list and database for regular communication with the sites. NLS also plans to expand its visibility at Telephone Pioneer regional conferences and with other sponsoring organizations and to explore the use of teleconferences and public-access cable television--possibly interactive--to field questions and communicate information to machine-repair volunteers. Staff will also consider using automation to provide access to information databases and "fax on demand" responses to volunteers' questions. In addition, NLS plans to produce new, more detailed technical and instruction manuals, to mail informational articles to repair groups, and to start a repair section in _Update_. Recruitment, recognition stepped up NLS will seek to work directly with Telephone Pioneer chapters and regions and with Elfuns and other sponsoring groups to help recruit their members as machine-repair volunteers. Staff will also explore the use of infomercials to recruit from the general public. Recruitment efforts will emphasize diversity among repair volunteers--including young adult members-and will address support personnel as well as technicians. NLS is encouraging receptions for Telephone Pioneers (which may be tied to the training sessions) and will seek to increase media coverage of machine-repair volunteers' activities. NLS will also provide awards, including plaques and baseball hats. Work on this five-part project is expected to intensify during 1996. MDD and the Research and Development Office are planning the program and working with the standards. The equipment and materials maintenance coordinator and assistant, and members of the Quality Assurance Section will conduct the workshops. (photo caption: Kevin Watson, left, NLS, demonstrates machine testing to, clockwise from left, Cary Marriott, Fred Hicks, Mac Schneider, and an unidentified Pioneer, participants in Montgomery, Alabama, training session.) (photo caption: Pioneers Fannie Pinkard, left, and Barbara Cline analyze machine problems at Montgomery, Alabama, training session.) ### Repair standards pilot launched NLS staff presented workshops in five areas this fall to pilot newly developed machine-repair standards, according to Brad Kormann, chief of MDD, who is in charge of the project. "We hope to find out how well the standards work," says Robert Kost, head of NLS's Quality Assurance Section. "We will formalize the standards after we find out what works in the pilots." Mr. Kost, NLS equipment and materials maintenance coordinator Al Lakomyj, and other members of MDD held workshops in Pittsburgh in July, San Antonio in August, Charleston, West Virginia, in September, and Wichita and Denver in October. The standards were compiled by MDD staff using recommendations gathered from repair volunteers, regional libraries, and NLS staff. Volunteers help develop standards "We wanted the machine-repair standards to be written by the people who repair machines, not just by people in Washington," says Lois Mandelberg, the then acting head of MDD. Three Telephone Pioneer representatives and one Elfun volunteered to help develop the standards, and MDD staff assembled the standards into a draft checklist. The draft was circulated to repair volunteers and network librarians, who sent responses and suggestions that were incorporated into subsequent drafts. The current standard is the sixth such draft, and it will be further refined based on the findings in the pilot workshops. Check-off list verifies repairs The draft standards are presented in a check-off list that verifies nearly fifty aspects of machine performance. These aspects range from a clean case and no missing parts to correct speed of play and good sound quality. The check-off list requires the initials of the technician and the inspector. "Ideally, each group will have one person who does the check-off, and that will not be the person who did the repairs," says Mr. Kost. "That way checks will be uniform for that group, and repair volunteers will be able to improve their work by receiving feedback from the quality checker." NLS provides more equipment In addition to commenting on the standards, many volunteers voiced their needs for equipment. NLS responded by developing a kit for performing the quality checks. The kit includes meters, torque cassettes, visual aids and a tape for measuring frequency response and head alignment, and a strobe disc that can be used to check the speed on a cassette machine. In the pilot workshops, NLS technicians show participants how to use the standards and perform the quality checks. Participants begin implementing the quality checks, and NLS technicians then examine the machines approved by volunteer quality checkers to determine how well the procedure works. NLS staff also observe how the process affects the repair operation. "We have to caution libraries not to put pressure on the volunteers to speed up their repairs while they are implementing the quality standards," says Al Lakomyj. Libraries can expect to save time in the longer run, he adds, because they will not have to return machines for additional repairs. Approximately twenty volunteers attended each pilot presentation. Standards to be extended in 1996 Although current plans call for extending the use of the standards in 1996, general implementation will depend on the outcome of the pilots. (photo caption: Bob Henderson, Pittsburgh Pioneer, ponders draft repair standards.) ### Indiana thanks Telephone Pioneers for thirty years of dedicated service The Indiana State Library Special Services Division hosted Telephone Pioneers and their guests at an April 26 luncheon celebrating thirty years of service by the Shadeland Chapter 77 of the Telephone Pioneers. As he addressed the group, Paul Sholders, a machine-lending agency technician who has worked closely with the Pioneers, stated, "This group's loyalty and dedication to the machine-repair project is an excellent example of volunteerism carried to a very high degree. Thanks to their expert work, thousands of people are enjoying a better quality of life." The Pioneers received certificates of appreciation signed by Frank Kurt Cylke, director of NLS. In addition, each volunteer received a pen and a lapel pin bearing the inscription: "Volunteers--Changing the Future." Matt Sherlock, repair group leader of the Shadeland Chapter, was presented with a letter from C. Ray Ewick, director of the Indiana State Library, in which Mr. Ewick expressed the appreciation of the people of Indiana for the Pioneers' repairing and reconditioning of talking-book machines and cassette players. The celebration was organized by machine-lending agency staff members Ron Rose and Paul Sholders. (photo caption: Left to right: Indiana Pioneers Miles Plzak, Virginia McLerron, Oscar Word, Robert Zike, Wally Krug, Jim Millholland, Matt Sherlock, agency technician Paul Sholders, Pioneers Andy Brand, Harry Ham, Clyde Gaskins, Hal Sargent, and Emil DeBoo.) ### Braille authority Alice Metz Mann dies Alice Metz Mann, eighty-two, an international authority on braille, died September 28 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, after a brief illness. "Mrs. Mann was a true pioneer in the area of braille transcription, and she gave of her time, talent, and expertise selflessly," says NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke. "We at NLS are immensely appreciative of her contribution to braille and her spirit of service to others." Mrs. Mann joined the National Braille Association (NBA) in 1955 and became its first life member in 1974. She served on the NBA board of directors from 1967 to 1988. She was vice president from 1971-73 and secretary from 1974-77, and she also chaired the mathematics and science committee, the literary braille committee, and the site-finding committee. In 1958 Mrs. Mann received NBA's Distinguished Service Award after accumulating more than 24,000 hours of volunteer service. This award requires that a recipient be an NBA member for one full year and have amassed five thousand hours of volunteer service. NBA honored her again in 1993 with its Continuing Service Certificate for thirty-five years of ongoing volunteer service. In keeping with her zest for service to others, Mrs. Mann established the Alice Mann Trust to benefit NBA. In 1987 Mrs. Mann received international recognition for her expertise in braille transcription when she was the only volunteer named to the Braille Authority of North America (BANA), where she assisted in the development of the official braille codes. She was an active member of the BANA board and chaired BANA's textbook-format braille technical committee. Mrs. Mann began her volunteer career serving visually impaired persons in 1953 when she earned her Library of Congress certification in literary braille through the Johanna Bureau for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Chicago. She continued her affiliation with the Johanna Bureau, serving on its board of directors and as braille chairperson until her death. She received certification in braille mathematics in 1960. Mrs. Mann was the widow of a prominent Chicago attorney, Ferdinand J. Mann. ### Florida loses computer expert Harold L. Pinnell, seventy-four, a volunteer computer programmer for the Florida Braille and Talking Book Library, died July 27 at his home. Mr. Pinnell began volunteering at the library in 1976 and served continuously until two weeks before his death. He operated the library's first computer and wrote all of the programs. "At that time the library had no budget to hire anyone, and the staff had no training in computers," says librarian Donald John Weber. "He was our miracle. He was jovial, dedicated, and fun to work with." At first, Mr. Pinnell volunteered full-time at the library. Later he took a job as a computer systems analyst and came to the library in the evenings but was always on call. "He was the only volunteer to have a key to the library," Mr. Weber says. Mr. Pinnell eventually recruited another volunteer computer operator, who was later employed by the library. An Air Force veteran of World War II, Mr. Pinnell was a flight engineer for twenty-two years before retiring in 1962. He navigated thirty-seven flights over the North Pole. He was also a member of the Polar Bear Club. Most recently he worked as a computer systems analyst for Bass and Swaggerty in Daytona Beach. Mr. Pinnell was born in Bakersfield, California, and came to Port Orange, Florida, in 1965. Survivors include his wife of fifty years, a son, two daughters, and three grandchildren. (photo caption: In this 1976 photo, Harold Pinnell, right, demonstrates IBM 310 to John Kast, library computer operator.) ### Nominate volunteers for president's awards The Points of Light Foundation invites your participation in nominating excellent volunteers for the 1996 President's Service Awards, formerly known as the President's Volunteer Action Awards. To request nomination forms or for further information on deadlines, contact Points of Light Foundation, 1737 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 or call (202) 223-9186, ext. 787; fax (202) 223-9256; TDD (202) 659-9229. ### NBA announces braille refresher course The National Braille Association announces the availability of _Literary Braille Refresher Course for Teachers and Transcribers_ by Connie Risjord. This three-hundred-page book of exercises, self-tests, and up-to-date rule summaries is a comprehensive review of literary braille. The course was produced for people who already know braille and want to enhance their skills. It is designed for independent study with or without an instructor. An answer section shows correct braille for all exercises and gives answers for all tests. The cost of the course is $25 plus postage for members and nonmembers. The course is not available in braille at this time. For more information or to place an order, contact National Braille Association, Three Townline Circle, Rochester, NY 14623-2513, telephone (716) 427-8260, fax (716) 427-0263. ### Braille student-instructor dialog The Braille Development Section (BDS) receives numerous questions concerning a variety of problems in braille transcribing. BDS has selected some of them to address in this article. The dialog format is intended to help present the questions and answers clearly. Student: I am about ready to submit for evaluation Exercise Twelve from the _Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing_, but I have one format question. Should a blank line be left both before and after the heading _School Day_? Instructor: Yes. Even though the format for transcribing centered headings is not presented until Lesson Eighteen, a blank line should be left before and after the heading _School Day_, as shown in print. Student: Also in Exercise Twelve, I am still confused about how to transcribe the two-letter combinations _ei_ and _ie_. Instructor: You are not alone. The letter sign is required when a combination of letters standing alone can be confused with a short-form word. Therefore the letter sign should be used in the two-letter combination _ei_. (See Section 12a3 of the official code, _English Braille American Edition 1994_.) However, the letter combination _ie_ does not stand for a short-form word, and the letter sign is not required. Student: I realize that because the letter sign is used in the two-letter combination _ei_, the quotation marks that appear with it in print ("ei") are omitted in braille. However, should the quotation marks be retained in the quoted two-letter combination _ie_ ("ie")? Instructor: Yes. If a letter combination is written in quotation marks and it does not represent a short-form word, the quotation marks should be retained. Student: Sometimes I still have trouble understanding the rule concerning the use of short-form words when they form parts of common words in proper names. For instance, should the short-form word _good_ be used in _Goodwill Games_? Instructor: No. Short-form words must not be used to form parts of common words contained in proper names, such as _Goodwill Games_; in the name or title of a person; or in the name of a place, a ship, or the like. But common words do not become proper names just because they appear in titles. In these cases, short-form words should be used as usual. For example, the short-form word _good_ should be used in the book title _Good-bye, Mr. Chips_. ### Volunteers master new skills During the months of July, August, and September 1995 certificates in braille transcribing were awarded to fifty-two persons. Of these, forty-four were awarded in literary braille transcribing, four in literary braille proofreading, three in mathematics braille transcribing, and one in music braille transcribing. LITERARY BRAILLE TRANSCRIBERS Alabama Elizabeth M. (Liz) Gray, Northport Alaska Vicky D. Dearth, Anchorage Arizona Stephen Bishop, Florence Kevin A. Gibbins, Phoenix Arkansas Charles W. Jones, Jr., Wrightsville California Marianne Y. Barnes, Sacramento Tomiko Fumoto, Huntington Beach Alice M. Johnson, Lafayette Linda J. McGovern, Huntington Beach Dorothy Stenstedt, Lafayette Colorado Rodney E. Hammond, Colorado Springs Connecticut Lina Calabrese, Waterbury Alexandro Romero, Cheshire Florida Sandi Driben, Jacksonville Rose Marie LeBlanc, Orlando Illinois Amy Dvorak, Batavia Iowa Carol E. Cather, Davenport Maryland Karen L. Gregory, Frederick Michigan Ned Brian Westveer, Jackson Missouri John J. O'Dell, Park Hills Nevada Eric Chappell, Indian Springs James Cruse, Indian Springs Mary Beth Ferreira, Reno George Ronnie Garcia, Indian Springs New Jersey Sylvia Anne Borkowski, Medford VerJean Busath, Summit Clara Chen, Florham Park Alison Gerega-Brooks, Maplewood Lynn C. Lawlor, New Providence Sherry Sahn Sloane, Verona Myrthia Stomp, Summit Deborah Ward Timpson, Short Hills New York Gloria Simotti Di Domenico, Pittsford Alberta E. Mietus, Rochester Ohio Maaja H. Washington, Pepper Pike Oregon Susan J. Hickey, Gold Hill Pennsylvania Barbara Finkelstein, Bala Cynwyd Naomi M. Fisher, Westchester Anna Gontaryk, Upper Darby South Dakota Bryan Edgington, Yankton Scott A. Hampe, Yankton Texas Jeongmee Yu, College Station Washington Nadine M. Buston, Auburn Raynette Yarbrough, Kent LITERARY BRAILLE PROOFREADERS Susan Hennessey, Hopkins, Minnesota Lynn O'Boyle, Orland Hills, Illinois Terri Watson, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania David Wright, Brilliant, Alabama MATHEMATICS BRAILLE TRANSCRIBERS Thora F. Dumont, S. Deerfield, Massachusetts Joan E. Meyer, Walnut Creek, California Robert Earl Montgomery, Wrightsville, Arkansas MUSIC BRAILLE TRANSCRIBER Karla Hodgson, Circle Pines, Minnesota ### Meetings National Braille Association (NBA) Friday, April 26-Sunday, April 28, 1996, spring regional meetings and workshops, Airport Marriott Hotel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Friday, October 25-Sunday, October 27, 1996, fall meetings and workshop, Ramada Plaza, Minnetonka, Minnesota. Thursday, April 24-Saturday, April 26, 1997, twentieth National Conference, Wyndham Hotel, Austin, Texas. For information on these meetings, contact National Braille Association, Three Townline Circle, Rochester, NY 14623-2513; (716) 427-8260. California Transcribers and Educators of the Visually Handicapped (CTEVH) Thursday, March 28-Saturday, March 30, 1996, CTEVH XXXVII Annual Conference, Princess Hotel, San Diego, California. For information about this meeting, contact CTEVH Office, 741 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029; (213) 666-2211. ### Florida volunteers get Penney Award Volunteers of the Pinellas Talking-Book Library received the J.C. Penney Company's annual recognition for exceptional volunteer services in the Tampa Bay Area. Volunteer Myrtle Wells accepted $250 on behalf of all library volunteers at the award luncheon on April 21. Library volunteers were chosen for the award because of their outstanding commitment to community service. The J.C. Penney Company sponsors the Golden Rule Award annually to honor outstanding individuals or groups for exemplary service to the community. Seven counties in West Central Florida and more than two hundred entries were represented in this year's program, according to Ms. Wells. The forty-five library volunteers perform a variety of tasks, including cassette-tape rewinding, book sorting, stamping, reshelving, machine reconditioning, shelf reading, braille proofreading, and assisting readers with book selection. "We have a diverse group of volunteers including high school students and seniors," noted talking-book librarian Greg Carlson. "Several volunteers are also talking-book readers. Our task would be impossible without the volunteers," he added. Volunteers have logged thousands of hours since the library opened in May 1993. Reader registration has grown, and volunteer contributions have increased in value and significance. For the fiscal year ending September 1995, the library expects to have circulated more than one hundred thousand book copies to its readership. "The best part of preparing the nomination/grant application was reflecting on the wonderful attitude and energy our volunteers bring to the program," said Martha Forbes, assistant talking-book librarian and volunteer coordinator. (photo caption: Volunteer Myrtle Wells accepts the J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award for the Pinellas group.) ### Correction In the July-September issue of _Update_, two photographs in the article "Western volunteer coordinators hold first-ever preconference" were incorrectly identified. Donna Kennedy is the volunteer coordinator at the California (Sacramento) regional library, and Donna Johnson is the volunteer coordinator at the Colorado regional library. ### _Update_ is published quarterly by: National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Library of Congress Washington, DC 20542 Correspondence should be addressed to Publications and Media Section. Coordinating editor: Freddie Peaco Publication editor: Ruth Nieland Braille student-instructor dialog: John Wilkinson *** 12/29/95 (gft) *** Comments to: lcmarvel@loc.gov