Salt Lake Paralympic Games March 9, 2002, Snow Basin ski resort

Right…right…right…right…       Left..left…left…left….

Those words rang out to the 114 blind kids and their parents or family members at the Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic Games at Snow Basin Ski Resort on March 9, 2002. All of the children had a reading disability that prevented them from reading regular-sized print. Some had been blind from birth, others had some vision, yet not enough to make reading a regular-sized print book work out. All were from Utah or Wyoming and some had come in from very long distances.

It was just so great that the kids that needed it the most–those that may be able to participate in the Paralympic games in the future–were able to attend. They experienced being there when others who were also blind were speeding downhill. The right..right…right…left…left…left…were the instructions that the coach to a blind skier said as they guided their Paralympic star down the steep course.

Sure, the kids couldn’t see the event, or at least not very well by most standards, but then, neither could the blind skiers. Still, there was much they could do. The parent(s) could describe what was happening. They could feel the chill and the excitement in the air. They could share with others from all over the world in their same circumstance, some much worse (or better) than themselves. They could hear what was happening, experience the moment when winners stood on the stands as the crowds roared in approval. They could be a regular part of the Games experience. They could plan, they could scheme, they could dream.

How did they get this rare opportunity? They read. Either in braille, by recorded book (in those days on cassette), or in large print. I should say they read and they read and they read. They all got to attend because they’d worked so hard for it.

All of the Utah children that participated in the Utah State Library for the Blind’s Summer Reading program in 2001 were invited to attend. Those that completed their reading goals received the free tickets. Free to them, that is. Two tickets were donated by a community sponsor to each child that completed their reading goals; the Salt Lake Olympic Committee worked hard to make that work out for the kids. That was one ticket for the child with a visual disability, one for a parent or family member.

They attended the Women’s blind division downhill racing as well as the Men’s downhill racing events. The day was crisp and clear. The crowds were excited. They were all experiencing things they had never seen before. It was just that great.

Paralympic torch run March 7, 2002, Liberty Park

Because of his outstanding efforts at reading during the Summer Reading Program, Quinn Price, a 12-year-old patron of the Library for the Blind, was invited to be a torch runner at the opening of the Paralympic games, on March 7, 2002, at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. His father and grandfather ran with him: behind him, so they could give directions and encouragement, but he could be the one in the front of the pack. Quinn was an outstanding student and did an exceptional job of meeting his reading goals during the previous summer.

An unexpected surprise: some of the children that participated in the Summer Reading Program were invited to the groundbreaking of the All Abilities Play Park at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. The children got to dig a shovel of dirt and meet some of the paralympic heroes at the event. Two of them were Chris Waddell, winner of 5 Olympic Gold medals, and Lacey Heward, United States Paralympic monoskier, who has gold, silver, and bronze medals, and won two bronze medals in the 2002 Salt Lake Paralympics.

The Utah State Library for the Blind serves residents of Utah and Wyoming, no matter what their age, as long as they qualify. They need to be unable to read regular-sized print. It includes people with blindness, visual impairments, physical impairments that exclude them from being able to read regular-sized print (can’t hold the book, turn the pages, etc.). It also includes people with learning disabilities. Read more about the program on their website: http://blindlibrary.utah.gov.

Today I practically stumbled upon something so massive it’s amazing I didn’t bump into it earlier. The Digital Book Index is a meta-indexing project that provides links to over 165,000 full-text digital books, the vast majority of them free, though some come with a fee.

Some of their key topics are:

Arts:   Art & graphic arts, architecture, dance, decorative arts, costume, theatre & drama, music, photography, film & video
Children’s Books:   Contemporary & classic children’s books and stories
History:   American, English, Irish, European, Asian, African, local and regional histories
Law:   US Constitutional history, state constitutions, treaties, state statues & laws, legal ethics rules, copyright, and consumer information.
Literature:   Ranging from Chaucer & other medieval texts to modern, contemporary fiction
Math & Sciences:   Mathematics, astronomy, biology, botany & zoology, genetics, chemistry, physics, engineering, electronics, & computer science
Medicine & Health:   For professionals and patients including anatomy, radiology, infectious diseases, surgery, oncology, dentistry, and more
Philosophy and Religion:   Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, Taoism, etc.
Reference:   Dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, style guides, etc.
Social Sciences:   Anthropology, sociology, Psychology, Folklore, Mythology, Economics, Politics

It searches more than 1800 publishers, universities, and private sites including:

• Boston Public Library
• Chicago Historical Society
• Cornell University
• Duke University Library
• Google
• Gutenberg Project
• Harvard University Library
• Internet Archive
• Library of Congress
• National Library of Canada
• NetLibrary (OCLC)
• New York Public Library
• U.S. National Park Service
• University of Utah
• Wiley Interscience
• Yale University

And…

•  Approximately 200 University Presses
• Several hundred commercial publishers including Bantam Books, MacMillan, Random House, and Simon & Schuster

Yea, this is digital reading at its finest hour.  Pick up your Nook, your Kindle, your iPad, or all three, and enjoy.

People have been asking for instructions on using a kindle to check out eBooks from their public library through OverDrive, courtesy of Pioneer: Utah’s Online Library.  Well, here you go.

Instructions:

1. Visit your Utah public library’s website and click on the link to Overdrive. Or, go to http://pioneer.utah.gov and click on OverDrive.
2. Check out a Kindle book (library card required).
3. Click on “Get for Kindle.” You will then be directed to Amazon.com to redeem your public library loan. You may be required to login to your Amazon.com account — or create a new account — if you’re not already logged in.
4. Choose to read the book on your Kindle device, free reading app, or Kindle Cloud Reader.

Note: Public library books require an active Wi-Fi connection for wireless delivery to a Kindle device. Library books will not be delivered via your Kindle’s 3G connection. If trying to send to a Kindle device and do not have an active Wi-Fi connection, you may instead choose to load your library book via USB. Both Mac and Windows users can manage Kindle content through a USB connection.

I went to the Springville Public library open house last Friday night. Pam Vaughn, the Library Director, spoke, as did the mayor. There was a live band, the highlight of the evening for me. People were able to mingle, tour the new building, and celebrate the day. There is a stream running on one side of the property and from upstairs, one can look down and see the stream and the trees.  Some of the highlights of the building:

• The entry is breathtaking
• Lots of vibrant colors throughout
• Computer area with large screens
• Colorful children’s area with huge mobiles overhead
• Comfortable space for storytime/ events
• Teen area with lots of books and resources, right by the computer area
• Huge reception area upstairs, with room to grow for the library
• Very comfortable and cool staff area

My biggest takeaway: This is a beautiful library that will be an important community asset for many years to come. It shows that Springville City is committed to an informed, educated citizenry.

The Utah State Library sponsored the most useful, most fun class in September, at both the Provo Library and the State Library. Traci Lesneski of Meyer, Scherer, and Rockcastle Ltd. came and presented on “Placemaking at your Library.” She was so great! She has tons of insight into what makes the interior of libraries more patron friendly. Here are the slides she presented.

Here’s what she talked about:

• Changing expectations of library users and its impact on library design
• Principles of Placemaking and how it relates to a library user’s experience
• 10 Steps to a better library interior
• Recent library projects and what people are doing now

Attendees brought photos and floor plans of their libraries to re-design their own library spaces. They came away with ideas for what to do. I even came up with a way to redesign our library space here!

Some of the things that really made me think:

• There has been a decrease in print materials per person in the community in the past few years
• There has been an even steeper decrease in reference materials
• Audio and video materials are on the rise, and e-books are skyrocketing
• The public can’t get enough computers or technology

The shift is from:

Housing resources –> connecting to resources

Print centric –> user centric

Solitary –> solitary/collaborative (some solitary space is still needed, but so is collaborative space)

Mono-task –> multitask

Introverted –> extroverted

Fixed –> adaptable

And, finally, I really liked her 10 steps (make that 12 ??)

My very best takeaway seems to be: embrace color.

Thanks, Traci Lesneski, for the enlightening discussion. See you soon, I hope!

Colleen

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I’m going to share a nifty new application called BookMyne that, at least for Utah, may allow you to find documents in seconds. If you’re a state employee, the State Library will even have them delivered to your office.

In this example, you’re assisting a committee member to understand the original intent of Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act and you need access to the original guide to the Act produced by the Utah Attorney General’s Office in 1992. It’s not on current websites though some of the later revisions including the 2005 edition are in Utah Government Publications Online. For this exercise you just need to know that nearly all print state publications back to the 1970s are physically available at the Utah State Library and that all state employees are eligible to receive a library card to check out materials.

You didn’t know that? Yes, it’s true, and the card can be used to access all the Public PIONEER databases from your home or wherever you may be. For that reason, my USL library card is one of the few cards that I keep in my wallet to accompany me wherever I travel. To get yours, simple call or email Ruthanne Hansen at the Utah State Library (801.715.6758).

The next step (you only need to this once) is to download and install BookMyne from the Apple App Store. It is a free iPhone/Ipod Touch application from SirsiDynix that also works on the iPad. SirsiDynix is the company that provides the library cataloging software for dozens of academic and public libraries in Utah including the Utah State Library. The app installs automatically without any configuration needed. If your using an iPad, click the 2X button to enlarge the app to the full size of the device.

BookMyne uses your current location to list for you all the SirsiDynix libraries within a range of up to 300 miles. You can move a slider to reduce this range down to ten miles. Here’s the simple procedure:

1) From the list of libraries select USL Government Publications and touch the star under its name to select it as the current library. You’ll need to enter the number on your card in the space labeled Library Card Number. Unlike the web catalog access, you only have to enter this once and the application remembers it. Leave the Nickname field empty.

2) Click the search button and enter your keywords. In this example I’m simply enter the words Government Records Access and Management.

3) Click the radio button opposite titles of interest in the result list or click the title to read the full catalog record.

4) Click the Save button to email the record(s) to any email address, place a hold, or to save it to a personalized list. In this case, click Place a hold.

5) Choose whether you want to pick it up at the library or have it mailed to you (via state mail) and click Confirm. That’s all there is to it. If you choose to have it mailed, you’ll have it at your office in two business days.

The application also allows you to view your account to review your check outs, cancel holds, and pay overdue fines. You can click the Libraries button to easily backtrack to add other libraries where you might have library privileges. This includes the BYU, Utah State, UVU, and many other Utah academic and public libraries. Click on the Suggested button and easily link to Goodreads to get suggestions for books in your local library that might interest you.

BookMyne is much easier and faster to use than logging on to the Web to use a library catalog. Since it supports multiple libraries (limited to SirsiDynix Symphony connections at present) there’s all the more reason to use it if your library is supported. In any case, you know that the Utah State Library is, and now you know now, too, how to get quick access to all those older state publications that have not yet been digitized.

Ray Matthews is the state library’s Government Information Coordinator and administrator of Utah Government Publications Online