Collection Highlights

 

Collection Highlights

Contributed by Jordan Farinelli, Collection Development Librarian

July 2021

Documentary films have been created in many formats, but have steadily grown in popularity. With the advent of social media, documentaries have become more accessible both for producers and consumers. Check out this new title that covers the history of documentaries, from the 19th century to today.

History

DB 102910 – Screening Reality: How Documentary Filmmakers Reimagined America, by Jon Wilkman

A filmmaker looks at the history of documentary films in America, from the nineteenth century to the present. He underscores the importance of looking at the motivations of documentarians as they tell the truth of the world as they saw it, and highlights important works of the genre. Unrated.

Please note that this book is available for download on BARD and can only be mailed on a Books on Demand (BOD) cartridge. To have this book sent to you, please contact the reference desk. BOD, our new circulation system, significantly decreases the wait time for new books. For more information about BOD, see here: https://mdlbpd.blogspot.com/2021/03/books-on-demand-update.html or, send an email to reference.desk@maryland.gov. 

Marylandia Update: July 2021

 

Marylandia Collection: Update

Contributed by Jordan Farinelli, Collection Development Librarian

Learn more about the Chesapeake Bay in this short overview of the largest estuary in the United States.

Nature and the Environment

DBC 12563 – The Life & Death of the Chesapeake Bay, by J. R. Schubel, narrated by Pat Higgins Adelhardt

In 1966, Congress passed the National Sea Grant College Program Act to promote marine research, education, and extension services in institutions along the nation's ocean and Great Lakes coasts. In Maryland, a Sea Grant Program -- a partnership among federal and state governments, universities, and industries -- began in 1977, and in 1982, the University of Maryland was named the nation's seventeenth Sea Grant College. The Maryland Sea Grant College focuses its efforts on the Chesapeake Bay, emphasizing the marine concerns of fisheries, seafood technology, and environmental quality. This graceful overview joins geological, biological, and political perspectives of the Bay. The Bay we see today, Schubel notes, is only one of a long succession of estuaries, each with its own character. Descriptions of the past, present, and future dwell not only on social and geological changes but also on politics, which, as Schubel makes clear, have a definite effect on how man studies and manages a resource like the Chesapeake Bay.

 

Director's Corner

Contributed by John Owen, Director

The Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled building at 415 Park Avenue is now open, as of July 8, for visits by our patrons!

We welcome you for walk-in visits, book pickup and returns, computer use, and browsing in our patron area.  

The library building's hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.  At this time, the LBPD building will remain closed on the second Saturday of each month.

Like the Technology User Group scheduled for this Saturday, July 10, many programs will continue to meet by teleconference or other virtual formats only.  Please pay close attention to future programming or meeting announcements as to whether the scheduled program is virtual, in-person, or a hybrid program.

For our volunteers, please wait for information from our volunteer coordinator and staff working in your specific work area before assuming that shifts are scheduled.

As always, we will continue to mail items to you, as well as be available by phone (410-230-2443) and email (reference.desk@maryland.gov).   

We are happy to be able to resume in-person service!

Thank you.

John Owen 

Director's Corner: Update from the Library for the Blind and Print Disabled

 Director's Corner

Contributed by John Owen, Director

To all of our patrons, families, and stakeholders,

Governor Hogan has lifted the state of Emergency across the state of Maryland as of July 1.

What does that mean for the Library for the Blind and Print Disabled?

1)  The whole of our staff will be returning to the library building as of July 1.  As you know, we've had a core group of staff members at the library on a daily basis throughout the pandemic making sure books and materials were sent out and returns processed, and we handled our reference desk, programming and other functions remotely.  Now staff that were working remotely will be returning to the library building on a regular schedule.

2)  We are covering our reference desk live once again.  A librarian will be available by phone between 9 AM and 4 PM to take your calls.  If your call goes to our voicemail, please leave a message.  Our librarians are on other calls and will get back to you as soon as they can, usually the same day.  And you can continue to email us also.

3)  We anticipate opening for patron visits around July 8.  We have arranged the common areas to allow for safe distancing as necessary.  Computer use will be available, as well as walk-in service for materials.  Please wait for an announcement from us.  

4)  Library hours will be Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM.  For the next few months, the library building will remain closed on the second Saturday of the month. Look for further news on that scheduling in the future.   

 

4)  If you still prefer, you can use our curbside service to pick up or drop off materials during library hours.  

5)  Technology User Group will continue to meet by teleconference only at the pre-scheduled dates and times.  The format has proved quite successful over the last year with the opportunity for larger attendance of patrons from a wide geographical range. 

6)  Downloads of audiobooks and electronic books are available through BARD any time of day as usual. Bookshare subscribers through our library also have access to that collection too.

You can contact us by calling the reference desk at 410-230-2443 or emailing reference.desk@maryland.gov.  

Please let us know if you have any questions and concerns as we move forward to the next stage of our service.  

Thank you.

John Owen

 

MAT Program: Accepting Materials

Contributed by Joseph Beckett, Program Coordinator for MAT

The Maryland Accessible Textbook program, like much of the country, was, for the Fall 2020 semester, wandering through a maze of unknowns. Covid-19 had dominated the headlines, emotions, and hearts of most of the world, paralyzing normal existence, changing how we live our lives, and extinguishing our peer interactions. The effects from this ‘new normal’ produced creative processes for the Maryland Accessible Textbook Program. Surprisingly, we experienced unexpected successes; assisting colleges and students with hard-to-find textbooks and supplemental materials, registering new students, consulting, and providing expedited services for students needing immediate conversions. Maryland State Library and the Library for the Blind and Print Disabled were instrumental resources, providing support and materials to ensure that there were no issues with our service. 

As we begin the process of returning to the office, adjusting to the structured environment, and processing the once normal changes, we are perhaps better prepared for the upcoming semester than we were initially aware. We look forward to continuing to providing top service to our clients and are excited to be back on the grounds of LBPD.