Welcome to the Blog for the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled! This is the place to learn about LBPD happenings, the latest accessible technology news, and more! Click here to go to our website.
Audiobook Radio Network
The United Kingdom has an intriguing audio service called Audiobook Radio. This service plays a mixture of audiobook content with modern-day radio dramas. You can access the service by going to www.audiobookradio.net and clicking the listen now option or you can ask Siri or Google Home to play it.
Technology User Group Meeting
On Saturday, June 12, the Technology
User Group will present the topic: Amazon
Prime – More Than Just a Delivery Service.
Many components are included in Amazon Prime, such as Prime Video, Prime
Music, Prime Books, Prime Games, and many more.
Many of these skills can work with Alexa. There are many tips, tricks, and secrets to
learn to take full advantage of these services.
The presentation will be virtual
and may be joined by calling 319-527-4994.
You do not have to RSVP for this event.
The presentation will begin at 10 AM and last about 90 minutes.
We look forward to meeting with
you virtually on Saturday, June 12th, and hope that you will join us for other
exciting events we have planned for 2021.
If you would like to listen to
previous TUG recordings, please click here:
https://www.marylandlibraries.org/Pages/Technology%20User%20Group.aspx
Upcoming TUG Programs:
Saturday, July 10, 10 AM,
Clubhouse, Facebook & Zoom.
Saturday, August 14, 10 AM, What’s
new in iOS 15 & Jaws 2022.
Follow the Maryland State Library
for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD) on:
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MDLBPD/
On Twitter at https://twitter.com/MDLBPD
On our blog at https://mdlbpd.blogspot.com/
And our website at www.lbph.maryland.gov
For more information about the
Technology User Group, please contact Jerry Price at (410) 230-2446 or via
email at assistive.technology@maryland.gov.
Greetings from the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled
On behalf of the staff of the library and as the Director of LBPD, I want to address the most recent wave of issues regarding the delivery of audiobooks, braille books, large print books, and equipment to you, our patrons, across the state of Maryland.
We are hearing from many of you that it has been five or more weeks since you last received materials from us. This is frustrating to us, as I’m sure it is for you who count on our service. We are providing you with access to reading material and information and we work hard to get those audiobooks and braille books out on a daily basis, only to have them not reach you.
I thank you for your understanding during this time. I know that it might not seem obvious when materials don't arrive for you, but LBPD staff have been working and continue to work through the pandemic.
I can assure you that staff has been at our library every day, Monday through Friday, for the past year as always, pulling books to be sent out and checking in the books that we receive back from you. LBPD is closed to public visits to keep staff and patrons safe, but we have not missed a day of pulling books to be sent out in the mail. This is on top of the virtual programming, reference desk services, assistive technology instruction, and textbook conversion that we provide our patrons. And that consistent service continues to this day.
Over the last month, we have actually taken steps that improve the turnaround time on materials. In the last month, we’ve reduced the quarantine time on incoming materials based on the latest safety information from the Maryland Department of Health. This has enabled us to process returns more quickly than over the last several months. Also, more of our patrons are using Books on Demand which means that more patrons are getting multiple books on a single cartridge, which reduces the load on the post office to deliver multiple audiobook cartridges.
In fact, March 2021 and April 2021 were two of the highest months in the circulation of titles to our patrons over the past year. Unfortunately, that increase in circulation and efficiency has coincided with increased challenges with delivery by the United States Postal Service. According to the USPS website, Free Matter materials should be treated as First Class mail, and the delays you are experiencing now are not indicative of that.
If we at LBPD are processing books faster and sending out more books than previous months and you’re still not getting books for five weeks, you should be upset. I know I am.
And if you are getting other mail from the post office in a timely manner, but not mail from the Library from the Blind, you should be upset. I know I am.
Please contact your local post office branch to let them know you are upset. You can find that information at this website - https://tools.usps.com/find-location.htm - or contact our staff to help you find contact information. Please know that I’m contacting our post office liaison here in Baltimore on a regular basis.
Please contact your legislators to let them know you are upset. You can find your congressional representative at house.gov and your senator at senate.gov, or you can contact our staff to help you identify them. Our State Librarian Irene Padilla has sent letters to Senator Chris van Hollen and Senator Ben Cardin expressing our concerns.
And contact us about Books on Demand which will make the delivery of your materials through the U.S. Postal Service more efficient with fewer cartridges to handle.
If you have access to an Internet connection or mobile device, get access to audio and braille downloads through BARD.
Please continue to return items when you’ve finished reading them, both audiobooks and printed Braille books. This ensures that a steady supply of materials keeps coming to you.
The USPS is our partner and is subsidized by Congress to provide you with Free Matter in a timely manner. Let them know that you need them to deliver for you. We hope that the challenges faced by USPS are overcome soon and we can count on their partnership in serving you.
In the meantime, continue to share your book requests, concerns, and successes with us by calling 410-230-2443 or emailing us at reference.desk@maryland.gov. LBPD will continue to do what we have done throughout these challenges: get materials in the mail to you every day so That All May Read.
Thank you,
John Owen
Director
Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled