[Athen] FW: House Subcommittee Vote Could End Books fortheBlind.

[Kestrell]

John,

You can find multiple documents on the NLS development  fo their DTB 
players/format here
http://www.loc.gov/nls/digital.html
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Gardner" <john.gardner at orst.edu>
To: "'Access Technologists in Higher Education Network'" 
<athen at athenpro.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 2:56 AM
Subject: Re: [Athen] FW: House Subcommittee Vote Could End Books 
fortheBlind.



> 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,118989.shtml

>

>

>

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