Vol. 38, No. 3
Fall 2008
VOLUNTEER NEWS
Volunteer From Your Home
We are seeking several new volunteers
to help with home review. If you
are a patron or family member, this is a
way to lend a hand without leaving
home. Home reviewers listen to locally
recorded books and report on technical
and narrative quality. If you are interested
call Jeanie at 602-255-5578.
New Sound, New People, New Booths
The recording studio at BTBL has
been in transition for a year. Volunteers
and staff are excited about the future.
Volunteer
Ron D. tries a new headset while he directs with a reader. Analogue equipment
in background will soon be gone. |
We are enjoying the fruits of the fund raising activities and generosity
of Friends of Talking Books. They have made a tremendous effort to outfit
the Romano Digital Recording Studio and move us forward. The goal is to
have all local recording ready to migrate to the new Talking Book format
that we expect from the National Library Service in 2009.
In July, Maria
Pina became Studio
Director in
Phoenix. |
Former Studio Director
Carol Watson had
to take long term
disability following
back surgery.
Maria has a BS degree in broadcasting and communication from
ASU. She was hired by BTBL last fall to fill the duplicating position left
vacant by the retirement of Don Farnsworth. In the duplication area Maria learned
the back end of book production first. When Maria moved from duplication to
the studio, Christine Marquez moved from magazine circulation to duplication.
Maria is getting her feet on the ground
in the studio, stepping into 25 book projects,
8 magazines a month, tracking
books recorded at the Sun City and Mesa
studios, learning the technology and
meeting and scheduling the studio
volunteers.
She has trained the magazine readers
so that all our magazines are digitally recorded.
Only one book project needs to
be finished in analogue then the remaining
analogue equipment in the studio can
be relegated to state surplus.
By the time this newsletter is printed,
three new recording booths will be delivered.
This goal was reached much more
quickly than expected when funds raised
by the Friends of Talking Books were
combined with federal funds available
through a grant.
We thank the Friends for their continuing
commitment and hard work. We thank
all studio volunteers for their patience and
fortitude. |
Volunteer Pam F. practices using the digital software to record Saturday
Evening Post |
Thanks for giving your time and talent to help provide Talking Books!
Garth Andrews – director, reader/Phoenix
Teresa Ariza – duplication
Jane Ehrlich – reader, director/Phoenix
Pam Fisher – self-monitor, reader/director/Phoenix
Nancy Garrard - director, RRRB
Susan Kagan - RRRB
Alice Lauer – book duplication, studio review
Carrie Schaffer – book inspection
Larry Wolf – machine repair/Phoenix
Target Volunteers - Many Hands Make Light Work
On September 18, four employees from the Target Call Center in Tempe volunteered to help move books at BTBL
- not a glamorous job but very much needed. We continue to consolidate old books with low circulation and condense our collection to make room for new titles.
The Target volunteers worked with mailroom staff and moved thousands of books during their two hour project. Target encourages employees to volunteer in the com¬munity. A lot of their employees take that message to heart. In addition to this group project Target recently made a do¬nation to the Friends of Talking Books silent auction. We thank them for their support.
Mesa Welcomes Machine Repair Volunteers From The Springs
In the end of May we received word that the machine repair group which had met for five years at the Springs, an assisted living home in East Mesa, would have to move or shut down. We are most appreciative that The Springs generously allowed the machine repair volunteers to use space there for five years free of charge. But the company needed the space for a new program they were implementing for their residents.
The four consistent vol¬unteers in this group, Madge Farkas, Carolyn Farkas, Carol Petzold and Ted Hulett were very productive. They did not want to stop repairing nor did BTBL want to loose the dozens of machines they were repairing each month.
In late July, these volunteers were welcomed by The City of Mesa Public Library. Ted was already familiar with the location because he had volunteered both at the Springs and in Mesa for several years. The four volunteers from the
Springs have their own day, Wednesday, in Mesa.
Special thanks go to David Clark who has been the lead vol¬unteer for the Mesa machine repair group for many years. David oversaw the transition and makes sure the Wednesday volunteers have what they need
and that all the volunteers are following the same repair procedures.