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• Contact Information

Wolfner Talking Book and Braille Library
James C. Kirkpatrick
State Information Center
600 W. Main Street
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102

Hours: Monday through Friday
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed for state holidays

Toll-free in Missouri (800) 392-2614
Jefferson City area (573) 751-8720
Toll-free TDD (800) 347-1379

Email address: wolfner@sos.mo.gov

Website: www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner

Online catalog: wolfpac.sos.mo.gov/klasweb/

The mission of Wolfner Talking Book and Braille Library is to provide informational and recreational materials in braille and audio formats free of charge to Missourians who are unable to use standard print materials due to blindness, visual or physical impairment, or a reading disability. Wolfner Library also provides disability-related information to the public.

Wolfner Library is part of the National Library Service for the Blind (NLS). All Wolfner Library materials are mailed free of charge through the U.S. Postal Service as “Free Matter for the Blind and Physically Handicapped,” under Public Law 91-375.

Contact Wolfner Library to request a recorded or braille copy of this manual.

• Serves over 11,000 Missourians
• Provides free reading and video materials to patrons
• Circulates more than 500,000 items yearly
• Sponsors a children’s Summer Reading Club
• Answers blind and disability-related reference and research questions for patrons

Wolfner Services Include:

• Reader Advisory Assistance
• Youth Services
• Reference Services
• Newsletters and e-mail updates
• Braille and Audio Reading Downloads (BARD)

Descriptive Videos and Descriptive DVDs are films, documentaries, and television programs with narration added to describe visual elements, such as settings and character actions. Descriptive Videos and DVDs may be played on any standard VCR or DVD player (provided by patron).

Wolfner Library offers NFB-NEWSLINE®, a touch-tone telephone service for patrons who cannot read a printed newspaper. NFB-NEWSLINE® reads aloud the text from newspapers across the country. This service is available toll-free statewide.

Activity Kits contain programs that encourage reminiscence about a specific era or theme, such as the 1950s or county fairs. Institutions or individuals may borrow one Activity Kit at a time and are responsible for the postage to return it to Wolfner Library.

Patrons with Internet access and braille output capabilities may download braille books by accessing the NLS Web site. Reader Advisors assist patrons with creating NLS Web-Braille user accounts.

Each patron of Wolfner Library has an assigned Reader Advisor. Contact your Reader Advisor if:

• You want to request books, magazines or videos
• You want information about titles, subjects or authors
• You want to read a book series in chronological order
• You have questions about downloading books from WolfPAC or BARD
• You have a question about your service
• You need your User ID and Password
• You stop receiving materials
• Your player does not work properly
• Your player is lost or stolen
• Your name, address, phone number or e-mail address changes
• You wish to have your service put on hold
• You have materials or equipment you are not using
• You wish to discontinue service

The goal of Wolfner Library is to provide you with your preferred reading material on a regular basis. Returning items as soon as you are finished with them will guarantee you a steady flow of books.

• Each new patron is sent seven books. Contact your Reader Advisor if you want to increase or decrease the number of books you receive.
• The standard loan period, not including transit time, for a book is six (6) weeks.
• The standard loan period, not including transit time, for a Descriptive Video or Descriptive DVD is seven (7) days. Shipment Interval Choices
• On Demand
  Materials are shipped to you only upon your request.
• Request List
  You supply us with a list of books and other materials that you would like to receive. Each time you return an item to Wolfner Library, another will be shipped from your list. You may add items to your request list.
• Computer Selection
  You create a specific list based upon your interests and our computer system will automatically send you books deemed compatible with your interests. By telling us what you like and do not like, we are better able to program the computer to send you appropriate materials.

Your list will include favorite genres, favorite authors, and preferences regarding materials that contain sex, violence, and strong language.

• Timed Interval
  A predetermined amount of materials is mailed to you on the same day of:
  • every week
  • every other week
  • every month

Materials from Wolfner Library will arrive with a reversible mailing label located within a label holder on the outside of the container.

• A circular-punched hole will be in the top right corner of the mailing label when you receive an item.
• When you are finished with an item, turn the mailing label over so that the circular punched hole is in the top left corner, replace the label in its holder on the outside of the mailing container, and drop it in the mail.
• Note: please rewind Descriptive Videos and the last cassette of each book.

If an item is damaged or defective when you receive it, or if it becomes damaged while you are using it, follow these steps:

• Notify Wolfner Library immediately. You will be sent another copy of the item if it is available.
• Mark the “Defective Book” box located directly underneath the circular punched hole in the top left corner of the label.
• Replace the label in its holder on the outside of the mailing container so that the circular punched hole is in the top left corner and drop the container in the mail.

Wolfner Library is proud to provide digital players to its patrons. After 30 years of cassette players, NLS created a digital player that is remarkably simple to use. The digital player, easier to use than the cassette player, lighter weight and with top grade sound quality, allows patrons to experience books in the simplest and most rewarding way yet.

Exciting features of the digital player are:

• Single cartridges can hold multiple books to be played in the digital player. The “bookshelf” mode in the player navigates through the titles.
• Books may be downloaded to cartridges from the convenience of your home computer.

Call your Reader Advisor for information about the new player.

To read cartridges with multiple books:

1. Go to “bookshelf” mode
2. Insert cartridge in player
3. Press and hold “Play/Stop” to enter bookshelf mode
4. Press RW/FF to select book

Call your Reader Advisor for information about the new player.

Your Wolfner Library digital player will play downloaded books. BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download)

BARD has over 15,000 digital books and 40 digital magazines! Why wait for the postal service to deliver your books? Download from BARD 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

You will need:

• A high-speed Internet connection
• An e-mail address
• Knowledge of navigating the Web, filling out online forms, downloading large items and unzipping files

As an added incentive, Wolfner Library is offering Missourians a 1GB blank cartridge and a cable to download digital books for the new digital players.

Note: A standard flash drive may also be used to play downloaded books in the digital players.

Patrons may subscribe to the free Wolfner Library e-mail distribution list to receive recommended reading lists, updates from NLS, the quarterly Wolfner Newsletter and other pertinent news. Contact Wolfner Library to subscribe.

Wolfner Library offers several ways to review the materials in its collection:

• Talking Book Topics and Braille Book Review are bimonthly NLS publications distributed to patrons containing information about the most recent books produced by NLS.
• Subject catalogs created by Wolfner Library describe groups of books in genres such as Westerns, Mysteries and Romances.
• Subject catalogs created by NLS describe materials available by genre.
• Reader Advisors are available to assist patrons with requests for particular titles, subjects and authors.
• The Wolfner Library Online Public Access Catalog (WolfPAC) allows patrons to search the collection at any time.

• Patrons may use the Wolfner Library Online Public Access Database (WolfPAC) with their User ID and Password to search online for materials. WolfPAC is accessible through the Wolfner Web site.
• Patrons may download digital books directly from WolfPAC as well as BARD.

Wolfner Library catalogs its materials with individual alpha-numeric codes. The prefix identifies the format of the item. Include the title and author, along with the catalog number, when requesting books to ensure receipt of the correct item.

The following list identifies the format prefixes:

• BR Braille
• DB Digital Cartridge
• LP Large Print. This collection consists primarily of books for children.
• RC Cassettes recorded on four tracks, produced by NLS. Cassettes play for 90 minutes per side.
• WOD Cassettes recorded by Wolfner Library volunteers or NLS libraries, recorded on four tracks. Cassettes play for 90 minutes per side.
• WOC Cassettes recorded on two tracks, produced commercially. Cassettes play for 60 minutes per side.

All Wolfner Library patrons must understand and agree to the following:

• The texts embodied in the braille and recorded materials supplied by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, are reproduced and distributed in specialized formats exclusively for use by blind and other persons with disabilities under the authority of 17 U.S.C. section 121 or with permission of the copyright owner(s). Any further reproduction or distribution of the braille or recorded materials may constitute infringement of copyright.
• Use of NLS-produced materials is limited to eligible NLS readers and institutions. Access to the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download web site outside the United States, except by eligible American citizens, is not permitted.
• Downloaded files or any files generated from them may not be distributed or sold under any circumstances. Transferring original or modified files to anyone is prohibited. User IDs and passwords may not be shared with anyone. The Library of Congress actively monitors the NLS system to protect against this, which includes maintaining records of the identity of persons downloading materials from this web site.
• Readers engaging in or facilitating further reproduction or distribution of NLS-produced materials may have their privileges under the National Library Service program suspended or revoked, may be required to surrender the federal property in their possession, and may be subject to other penalties, including criminal penalties, afforded under federal law.

Director

Reader Advisors

Youth Services Librarian

Special Services Librarian

Public Services Manager

Volunteer Services

Circulation Staff

Machines Coordinator and Staff

Duplication Staff

The Wolfner Patron Manual is published by Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, the Missouri State Library, and the Wolfner Talking Book and Braille Library. December 2009.