Adventure Awaits: Enter the OPAC

 

Adventure Awaits for You!

[Video on loop: Knight pulls sword from sheath while surrounded by flags and fog.]

Enter the OPAC:

​​​​​For over 70 years, LaTanya was a peaceful place that thrived under King Mighteous.   But one day the lives of its inhabitants were forever changed.  Will you be the savior of LaTanya? Several challenges await you in this epic adventure.  The game will be open to all participants from ages 10-19.  Registration closes at 20 seats or on April 4th. 

How to Register:

If you are interested, please request the "Enter the OPAC" link using a valid email address.  

Round 1:  April 5th - April 11th

• Registration closes on April 4th.  Registration will close at 20 participants, so register now!  
• The link will be released on April 5th to all participants who register. 
• The first to finish with 100% accuracy by April 7th wins the "Grand" prize.  
• All other entries that are complete and accurate will be placed in a gift card raffle to be drawn on April 12th. 
• All participants will be notified of his or her results and prize standing by email. 

  

Round 2:  April 19th - April 25th 

• Registration will open on April 12th and close on April 18th.  Registration will close at 20 participants.
• The link will be released on April 19th to all participants who register. 
• The first to finish with 100% accuracy by April 21st wins the "Grand" prize.  
• All other entries that are complete and accurate will be placed in a gift card raffle to be drawn on April 26th. 
• All participants will be notified of his or her results and prize standing by email. 
• Participants who register for Round 1 will not be allowed to participate in Round 2.    

 Join now... and Enter the OPAC!​

Guest Post: Consumer Advisory – Cost of COVID-19 Vaccine

 

Shared Information from the Maryland Insurance Commissioner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/23/2021	FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT: Craig Ey, 410-468-2488 (O) 443-604-9599 (C)
Consumer Advisory – COVID-19 Vaccinations
​BALTIMORE – Maryland Insurance Commissioner Kathleen A. Birrane reminds all Marylanders that they cannot be billed for COVID-19 vaccinations regardless of which vaccine they receive. While the Maryland Insurance Administration has not seen evidence of attempts by providers to bill individuals for vaccine administration in Maryland, we are aware that in other states individuals have been charged for the administration of the more recently approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine. As set forth in the Commissioner's December 15th Consumer Advisory, health insurance issuers must cover the administration of vaccines authorized by the FDA for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 without charge regardless of which vaccine you receive.  The cost protections ordered by the Hogan Administration are broader than those afforded under the federal CARES Act, because they apply to all health plans that include vaccination coverage that are issued by health insurers in Maryland, not only the non-grandfathered ACA plans referenced under federal law. Doses of the vaccine that are purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be provided at no cost.  Vaccination providers are eligible to be reimbursed from an insurer or from the federal government when they administer the vaccine, but may not charge individuals. As the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated: All organizations and providers participating in the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program: must administer COVID-19 vaccine at no out-of-pocket cost to the recipient; may not deny anyone vaccination based on the vaccine recipient’s coverage status or network status; may not charge an office visit or other fee if COVID-19 vaccination is the sole medical service provided; may not require additional medical services to receive COVID-19 vaccination; may seek appropriate reimbursement from a program or plan that covers COVID-19 Vaccine administration fees for the vaccine recipient, such as: - vaccine recipient’s private insurance company - Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement - HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program for non-insured vaccine recipients may not seek any reimbursement, including through balance billing, from the vaccine recipient. If anyone attempts to charge you for a vaccination, please notify us immediately at 800-492-6116 or file a complaint online at: https://enterprise.insurance.maryland.gov/consumer/ConsumerPortalWelcomePage.aspx.   For more information, visit the Maryland Insurance Administration’s COVID-19 Resource Center at https://insurance.maryland.gov/COVID-19/Pages/default.aspx. Additional information about the Federal CARES Act can be found at https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/cares.

Books on Demand Update: Bookshelf Mode

 

Books on Demand Update

Contributed by Mary Ramos, Assistant Director

BOOKS ON DEMAND:  BOOKSHELF MODE

We have talked before about the easiest way to use the new Books on Demand (BOD) cartridges by simply playing the books in the order they appear on the cartridge. As you know, BOD cartridges are customized cartridges downloaded according to the preferences and requests of each individual patron, so the easy way to listen to your books is to play them in the same sequence that they were downloaded. This only requires patrons to tap one button, the PLAY/STOP button, to advance from book to book.

Some patrons, however, would prefer to hear the titles of the books on the cartridge before they begin to read and want the opportunity to jump to different books on the cartridge rather than necessarily playing them in order. This can be done by entering the player’s Bookshelf mode. Although using Bookshelf mode is not quite as simple as the easy method of listening to books, it is not at all difficult. In addition to the PLAY/STOP button, patrons will also use the REWIND and FAST FORWARD buttons. All the buttons mentioned in the following instructions to Bookshelf mode are located on the face of the book player.

1. If you wish to review all the titles on the cartridge before reading, you may opt to use the player’s Bookshelf mode. To move to a different book on the cartridge, press and hold the PLAY/STOP button until you hear “Bookshelf” and release the button. (The green, rectangular PLAY/STOP button is located in the front and middle of the player, closest to the cartridge slot. It is the largest and most conveniently placed button on the player.) Once you hear “Bookshelf,” you will have entered Bookshelf mode. You will hear how many books you have and your current position.
2. To move to the next book, tap the FAST FORWARD button once (this is the white arrow button to the right of the PLAY/STOP button). Do not hold the button down. To move to a previous book, tap the REWIND button once (this is the white arrow button to the left of the PLAY/STOP button). Again, do not hold the button down. Continue tapping forward or backward until you find the book you wish to read.
3. When you hear the title of the book you want to read, tap the PLAY/STOP button once to begin playing that book.
4. Once you reach the end of a book, you will hear: “End of book. Press PLAY/STOP to go to the next book.”
5. When you remove the cartridge to stop reading for a while, your player will remember your reading position. When you return, you may continue listening to the same book or enter the Bookshelf mode by following the steps above to choose a new book to read from your cartridge.

To recap, the easiest way to listen to your BOD multi-book cartridge is to simply play the books in the order they appear on the cartridge. At the end of each book, you will hear: “End of book. Press PLAY/STOP to go to the next book.” Again, the green, rectangular PLAY/STOP button is located in the front and middle of the player, closest to the cartridge slot. Tap the PLAY/STOP button once and the player will proceed to the next book on the cartridge. If you wish, you may also use the REWIND and FAST FORWARD buttons (white arrow buttons to the left and right of the PLAY/STOP button) to move to other books on the cartridge; however, you may miss out on some very good books!

And if you want to hear the book titles before you begin to read, then enter Bookshelf mode. Try using Bookshelf mode for yourself. It is not hard to do. Again, it is not necessary to use Bookshelf mode to read your books, but it is a nice option.

There is nothing more to it than that. We hope you enjoy your new customized multi-book cartridges through Books on Demand!

Tech Tips: Playing mp3 Material on an Alexa Device

 

Tech Tips: Voice OCR Document Reader

Contributed by Jerry Price, Assistive Technology Coordinator 

Did you know that you can play mp3 files on your Alexa device? All you need is a Dropbox account and an Alexa device.

1.  Ask Alexa to enable Sound Stream.

2.  Go into your Alexa app and connect it to your Dropbox account.

3.  Go into your Dropbox app.  You will have a folder called Apps and in this folder will be Sound Stream.

4.  Any file you want your Alexa device to play should be moved to the Sound Stream folder.

5.  Ask Alexa to open Sound Stream.  Then ask for a file that is in your Sound Stream folder.

This is an easy way to play Bookshare audiobooks, Librivox audiobooks, lecture notes, or family recordings.  You can even add content remotely for someone who doesn't own a computer or who doesn't have the skills necessary for this activity.

Books On Demand Update: Updating Your Player

 

Books on Demand Update

Books on Demand Update

Contributed by Mary Ramos, Assistant Director

UPDATING YOUR DIGITAL BOOK PLAYER

Many of our Maryland LBPD patrons are now beginning to see their audiobooks delivered through Books on Demand (BOD). Books on Demand, as you know, is LBPD’s new circulation system where we create customized, multi-book cartridges that are downloaded according to the preferences and requests of individual patrons. We will soon discontinue sending out cartridges that play only one book.

While patrons seem to be pleased with their BOD multi-book cartridges, there are some things you need to know to help you successfully use your first cartridge. The first time you insert a BOD cartridge into your book player, the player will most likely need to perform an update to its software. This will not occur for all of our patrons, but for the vast majority of our patrons, the software update will be necessary.

While updating your player’s software may sound intimidating, it really isn’t. Will you need any technical expertise to complete the update? No. Do you need to be familiar with any technical terms to complete the update? No. Will you need to press any buttons to complete the update? No. In essence, you do not need to have any special skills whatsoever to successfully complete the player’s software update. The update will simply begin when you insert a BOD cartridge for the first time and will continue to run until it is finished.

So how will you know that the update is running? The book player will beep throughout the update process. This process usually takes about ten minutes to complete. All you need to do is be patient to allow the software update to run its full course. It is very important that you do not remove the cartridge while the software is updating. It is also very important that you do not press any buttons while the software is updating. Just be patient. Once the software update is complete, the first book on your BOD cartridge will begin to play.

That’s all there is to it. We hope you enjoy your new customized multi-book cartridges through Books on Demand!

Books on Demand Update

Contributed by Mary Ramos, Assistant Director

CURRENT PATRONS NOW TRANSITIONING TO BOOKS ON DEMAND

March is here, and Spring is just around the corner. At the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD), we are excited about this time of renewal and change. LBPD’s most significant new endeavor is our switch to a new circulation system called Books on Demand (BOD). Many of our patrons are already enjoying customized BOD multi-book cartridges for their audiobooks and digital braille books.

This month, we will be transitioning many of our patrons to multi-book cartridges through Books on Demand. We will not be able to individually inform patrons beforehand, so you may be surprised to receive a new BOD multi-book cartridge instead of the singular book cartridges you currently use. If you receive a BOD cartridge this month, consider yourself lucky! You will now join the ranks of patrons who no longer have to wait for the books they want to become available or be resigned to reading series books out of order. Those problems will be a thing of the past.

You may have some questions about the Books on Demand circulation system. Here, we will try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

Why are we making this switch?

All network libraries of the National Library Service (NLS) are transitioning to this new model of service. Soon, NLS will discontinue distributing individual books for us to circulate to our patrons. All circulation will be performed through customized cartridges downloaded according to the preferences and requests of each individual patron.

What is the benefit to me?

Patrons will no longer have to wait for physical copies of books to become available at the Library. If the book has been recorded, we can download it for our patrons.
If they wish, patrons may receive all the books in a series on a single cartridge (unless it is a very long series).

Do I need any special equipment?

No. Patrons will use the same book player they currently have. It will probably need a software update, though. You do not need any special computer skills to complete the update. It only requires two things that patrons already know how to do:

1. Insert a BOD cartridge into the player. BOD multi-book cartridges look and feel exactly the same as the cartridges you usually play.
2. Be patient, as the update may take close to 10 minutes. The player will beep continuously while it is updating and will begin to play the first book once the update is complete. Patrons need to be patient and allow the update to run its course. You should not remove the cartridge or press any button on the player while the update is in progress. That is all you need to do to prepare your player to read BOD multi-book cartridges.

How will I read my books?

The easiest way to listen to your BOD multi-book cartridge is to simply play the books in the order they appear on the cartridge. At the end of each book, you will hear: “End of book. Press PLAY/STOP to go to the next book.” The green, rectangular PLAY/STOP button is located in the front and middle of the player, closest to the cartridge slot. It is the largest and most conveniently placed button on the player. Tap the PLAY/STOP button once and the player will proceed to the next book on the cartridge.

It really is that simple. We hope you enjoy your new customized multi-book cartridges through Books on Demand!

 

Marylandia Collection: Update

Contributed by Jordan Farinelli, Collection Development Librarian

The official start of spring is around the corner! When the winter chill leaves the air

and the sun stays up longer, we’ll find ourselves outside more often and ready for adventure.

Until those warmer days are here, check out this title that explores the Chesapeake Bay

from the eyes of Chester the chipmunk and his friends.

Animal stories

DBC 12543 – Chester the Chipmunk: a Chesapeake Bay Adventure, by Cindy Freland

Narrated by Sabrina Dames

"Let's play," said Chester the Chipmunk. But his friend, Carly, had plans to find a new home

and she needs his help. Follow Chester, and his friends, Carly the Chipmunk,

Jasmine the Blue Jay, Luther the Squirrel, and Mister Big the Grumpy Frogas they help each other and experience a day of adventure near the pond at

Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. A charming story about

unselfishness, trust, being helpful and brave, and learning patience. Includes fun facts

about chipmunks, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and the Bay.