[Athen] FW: House Subcommittee Vote Could End Booksfor theBlind.

[Terry Thompson]

The NLS Current Strategic Business Plan for the Implementation of Digital
Systems (September 2006) may offer some insights: 
http://www.loc.gov/nls/businessplan/businessplan2006.html

Terry

Terry Thompson
Technology Specialist, DO-IT
University of Washington


> -----Original Message-----

> From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org 

> [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Ron Stewart

> Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 4:37 AM

> To: 'Access Technologists in Higher Education Network'

> Subject: Re: [Athen] FW: House Subcommittee Vote Could End 

> Booksfor theBlind.

> 

> They have developed a proprietary reader that uses smart card 

> technology.

> It does however use the DAISY format for materials.  I can 

> not find the link on the new reader right now, busy getting 

> ready for a trip to Arizona

> 

> Ron Stewart

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org 

> [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On Behalf Of John Gardner

> Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 2:56 AM

> To: 'Access Technologists in Higher Education Network'

> Subject: Re: [Athen] FW: House Subcommittee Vote Could End 

> Books for theBlind.

> 

> Perhaps somebody could point me to info about NLS 

> developments.  My understanding is that they are developing a 

> flash-based/downloadable distribution system instead of CD's 

> but otherwise are using standard DDAISY.

> Is this wrong?  

> 

> John

> 

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org 

> [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Marks, Jim

> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 3:32 PM

> To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network

> Subject: Re: [Athen] FW: House Subcommittee Vote Could End 

> Books for theBlind.

> 

> There's a real danger that the National Library Service of 

> the Library of Congress will go away if it does not get 

> funding to improve its technology for talking books.  

> However, like you, Ron, I share the feeling that the current 

> crisis is, at least in part, a self-inflicted wound due to 

> the technology development choices that NLS leaders made.

> I wish NLS decided to work with the rest of the world in the 

> development of talking book technology.  But they did not, 

> and now we have a crisis on our hands.  Personally, I plan to 

> support Congress's funding NLS fully, but I wish we could get 

> NLS to pursue more open technology than they have.  It's a 

> real shame that it has come to this, and one can only hope 

> that all will do the right thing.  Congress should fund NLS 

> well, and NLS should get on board with what other alternate 

> format libraries are doing.  It will be interesting to see if 

> these conditions can co-exist.

> 

> 

> Jim Marks

> Director of Disability Services

> University of Montana

> jim.marks at umontana.edu

> http://www.umt.edu/dss/

>  

> -----Original Message-----

> From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org 

> [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Ron Stewart

> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 3:26 PM

> To: 'Access Technologists in Higher Education Network'

> Subject: [Athen] FW: House Subcommittee Vote Could End Books 

> for the Blind.

> 

> I have a tendency to stick my foot into sticky things and I 

> also know that if I respond on any of the blindness lists I 

> would be tarred and feathered.

> 

> 

> Based on my understanding from a recent trip to Washigton DC 

> and a couple of conversations with legislative types, the 

> number one issue for the funding is the fact that the NLS did 

> not use off the shelf technology or work with any of the 

> exsisting commercial solutions to build this reader.  This 

> has been an issue throughout the development process on this 

> reader, and to be honest I am not surprised by this at all.  

> It is becoming more and more of an issues with federal 

> funding of projects when the project goes off and reinvents 

> the wheel like this.

> 

> Anybody want to help me become better informed on the whys 

> and werefores of this.

> 

> Ron Stewart

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: blindnews-bounces at blindprogramming.com

> [mailto:blindnews-bounces at blindprogramming.com] On Behalf Of 

> BlindNews Mailing List

> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 4:43 PM

> To: Blind News

> Subject: House Subcommittee Vote Could End Books for the Blind.

> 

> House Subcommittee Vote Could End Books for the Blind.

> 

> 

> PressRelease

> Author : National Federation of the Blind Earthtimes.org - 

> USA Thu, 07 Jun 2007.

> 

> 

> On Wednesday, June 6, the House of Representatives 

> Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee voted to 

> substantially underfund the Books for the Blind program of 

> the Library of Congress. 

> 

> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,

> said:

> "Since 1931, Congress has consistently supported on a 

> bipartisan basis a national program of audio and Braille 

> books for the blind, operated by the Library of Congress. The 

> blind of America are shocked and disappointed that a House 

> subcommittee has callously disregarded our literacy needs 

> since literacy leads to independence. By appropriating only 

> $7.5 million of the

> $19.1 million needed for transition from antiquated analog 

> cassette tape technology to digital technology, the 

> subcommittee has effectively voted to shut down the only 

> public library available to blind Americans. The audio books 

> produced by the Library of Congress will be useless unless 

> the digital playback technology is provided for readers. The 

> Talking Book program is at a crossroads because the analog 

> tape used for the past thirty-six years has become obsolete 

> and must be replaced for the program to continue. Virtually, 

> all government programs, except Books for the Blind, have 

> converted to state-of-the-art digital communication 

> technology at a cost of billions of dollars to the taxpayers. 

> Leaving the Books for the Blind program behind is 

> unconscionable. Since it is early in the appropriations 

> process, however, Congress still has time to correct this 

> grievous error. We therefore urgently appeal to the full 

> House Appropriations Committee, the members of the House of 

> Representatives, and the United States Senate to provide the 

> full $19.1 million requested by the National Library Service 

> for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of 

> Congress to begin production of digital talking books and players." 

> 

> The Talking Book program serves over 750,000 blind Americans, 

> including blind children and an ever-increasing number of 

> older Americans who are losing vision. The incidence of 

> blindness is expected to increase as the baby boom generation 

> reaches retirement age. Therefore, the need for this 

> essential program will only increase. 

> 

> CONTACT: John G. Pare Jr., Director of Public Relations of 

> the National Federation of the Blind, +1-410-659-9314, 

> extension 2371, Cell:

> +1-410-913-3912, jpare at nfb.org

> 

> Web site: http://www.nfb.org/ 

> 

> http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,118

> 989.shtml

> 

> 

> 

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