Talking Times, Fall 2019 - Section 1

"No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting." Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

Talking Books Library Member Survey

Inside this issue of the Talking Times Newsletter, you will find the Taking Books Library member survey. This survey provides important feedback on our services and lets us know how well we are meeting your needs. The survey is anonymous and just 12 short questions.

Please return your completed survey by January 16, 2020. TBL members or caregivers on behalf of members may complete the survey online. To submit the paper version, fold and mail the survey to the return address postage free or fax the survey to 401-574-9320. You may also call 401-574-9310 to complete the survey by phone. TBL staff are available to provide assistance to callers Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:00 pm (closed weekends and major holidays).

2020 Census

Libraries are advocating for a fair and accurate count to ensure that every person in the state is counted in Census 2020, including those who are blind, visually impaired and disabled. Next year's census data will be used to determine how more than $675 billion in federal funds will be distributed to support states, counties and local communities. Rhode Island alone receives nearly $4 billion annually in federal funds for services such as Medicare, highway repair, education and more. Census figures are used to fund or make policy decisions on housing, education, transportation, employment, healthcare and public policy. Census data also determines the number of members each state has in the United States House of Representatives and provides the basis for redistricting. The 2020 Census is the first census that will be conducted primarily online, although households will still have the option of responding by mail or phone. It will also be fully accessible, utilizing large print, braille, Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) technology and non-English instruments and materials.

Marrakesh Treaty Becomes a Reality

According to the World Blind Union (WBU), more than 90 percent of the world's published materials cannot be read by people who are blind or have a print disability. The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or otherwise Print Disabled, went into effect in the United States on May 9, 2019, and offers an exception to domestic copyright law for eligible people with disabilities. This allows individuals and organizations to create and distribute accessible versions of books and other materials without first having to ask permission from publishers. The Treaty requires "member nations to modify their national copyright law to allow for production of accessible materials for people with disabilities and establish rules for the exchange of accessible materials with other member nations."

Reading Across Rhode Island (RARI)

The Reading Across Rhode Island, One Book, One State community read program for 2020 encourages everyone to read the Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore by Elizabeth Rush (DB92695). Sixteen essays highlighting coastal communities facing the ecological impact of rising sea levels. Includes communities in Maine, Rhode Island, Florida, New York, Louisiana, Oregon, and California. Discussions focus on climate change, housing development, disaster recovery, academic research, and advocacy efforts. This is the 18th year of the program sponsored by the Rhode Island Center for the Book, a statewide organization devoted to promoting personal and community enrichment. RARI will kick off on Sunday, February 26, 2020 from 2 - 4 pm at Save the Bay, 100 Save The Bay Drive, Providence, R.I. 02905. For more information and events schedule, go to Rhode Island Center for the Book.