OTBS LOOK Again SPRING 2023 OTBS Book Friends Mondays: May 1, June 5, & July 10, 1 p.m. To join the call, dial 888-916-5522. No pin or password is needed. May 1: Book Lovers by Emily Henry (DB107926) June 5: The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall (DB105482) July 10: Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng (DB110518) Phoney Friends Book Club Wednesdays: May 17, June 21, & July 19, 1 p.m. To join the call, dial 888-916-5522. No pin or password is needed. (Note: This meeting has changed from the first Wednesday of the month to the third Wednesday of the month.) May 17: Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman (DB110448 ) June 21: Horse by Geraldine Brooks (DB108556) July 19: The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (DB 107433) Dial-In Discussion Club Our dial-in discussion club is taking a break for the summer and will resume in September. If there is a topic relating to low vision you would like to discuss, call 248-650-5681 or send an email to otbs@rhpl.org with suggestions. Self Defense for People with Visual Impairments Wednesday, May 24, 1 – 2:30 p.m Rochester Hills Public Library’s Multipurpose Room Self defense instructor Stephen Handschu will teach techniques designed for people with visual impairments to defend and protect themselves. Registration is required. Space is limited to 15 participants. Call 248-650-5681 to register. Subscribe to Braille Calendar The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled will have two new braille calendars for 2023 – wallsized and pocket-sized. Calendars for 2023 will be available by mid-July. If you want to add a subscription to one or both of these calendars, call 248- 650-5681. Once subscribed, you will automatically receive a new calendar annually when they are published. Mobile Phones for the Blind and Visually Impaired Michigan Braille and Talking Book Library staff recently attended the Assistive Technology Industry Association conference in Florida. Upon their return, the staff shared information about useful products for people living with visual impairments. One product that stood out was the BlindShell mobile phone. Unlike many mobile phones, this one has large tactile buttons instead of a touchscreen. It has many assistive features, inlcuding a magnifier, color identification, and object tagging. It also works with the BARD Mobile app and about 60 other apps, including the Zoom conference call app and several games. Although we have not yet tried this product ourselves, it looks promising for those who don’t need all the bells and whistles of the latest smartphones and want a traditional tactile keyboard. You can find more information at blindshell.com/us or by calling Michigan-based accessible technology experts A.T. Guys at 269-216-4798. A Note from RHPL Director, Juliane Morian Rochester Hills Public Library is pleased to announce that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners pledged continued support for the Oakland Talking Book Service at their meeting on February 16, 2023. The service has been renewed for an additional five years. RHPL hopes to sustain it indefinitely as long as patrons find value in it. In 2022, this service circulated over 100,000 items to nearly 1,000 patrons throughout the county. RHPL staff provided 321 adaptive technology instruction sessions for visually impaired patrons, hosted 26 programs and served 227 patrons who attended those programs inperson or remotely. RHPL thanks the Oakland County Board of Commissioners for continuing to subsidize this essential program. NEW! Ruby® 10 Video Magnifier The Oakland Talking Book Service has recently acquired a Ruby® 10 Video Magnifier. This video magnifier has a 10-inch touchscreen and will magnify written documents and photos. It can also scan and read pages aloud. If you would like a demonstration of this equipment, call 248-650-5681 or send an email to otbs@rhpl.org. We also have several Ruby magnifiers with fourinch screens available for checkout. New NLS Catalog It's easier than ever to find your next great read with the new National Library Service (NLS) Catalog! The catalog is easy to use on both desktop computers and mobile devices. It has advanced search options and direct links to BARD from catalog listings for quick downloads. For the first time, patrons can directly request books to add to our collection! Patrons will also find links to contact a librarian and other resources to get the most out of NLS. Start exploring the catalog here: nlscatalog.loc.gov. Get Your Newsletter by Email If you prefer to receive your newsletter by email or if you would like to receive periodic updates about OTBS news and programs in your inbox, send an email to otbs@rhpl.org. Hours: Mon.-Thurs .............9 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri. & Sat ..................9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun ............................1-6 p.m. *Closed Sundays from June to September* Oakland Talking Book Service @ Rochester Hills Public Library 500 Olde Towne Road Rochester, MI, 48307 248-650-5681/800-774-4542 otbs@rhpl.org FREE MATTER FOR THE BLIND AND HANDICAPPED