Spring 2021 - Volume 56, No. 2
- Highlighting — Outlook for the Summer and Fall
- Calendar - CTBL will be closed on the following days
- From the Director
- Reminder to Patrons - Contacting CTBL Staff
- CTBL Community Reads
- Wanted — Unused playback machines & finished audio books
- CTBL Remodel
- 90th Anniversary History
- Tech Talk - Go Go Grandparent
- Story of Interest
- Resource of Interest
- Volunteers - The Longest Road
- Collection News - Suggestions from New Additions
- Legacy Gifts
- Contributions to the Friends of CTBL
- Amazon Smile
- How to Reach Us
Highlighting — Outlook for the Summer and Fall
With vaccinations happening efficiently in Colorado, and increased vaccine supply at the federal level, it looks like by early summer whoever wants a vaccine will have them. This will result in steps towards opening up from our current mostly closed state. We do have COVID variants in the US and CO and we don’t quite know what this means for the long term. Will the vaccines be effective against them? It seems yes for some and for others we don’t yet know.
I can say that we will not have a Patron Open House again this year. This is sad news since it is the 90th anniversary and it would have been fun to celebrate in person. But we can celebrate in 2022 when, I hope, there will be an in person open house again.
We will be watching how the summer plays out and hoping that we will again be able to see patrons and volunteers in person at sometime during the fall. Watch the Fall newsletter for more information.
During last summer we dealt the air quality issues in the building and installed needlepoint bionic ionizers in the HVAC system. This will help with aerosols and they address many illnesses not just COVID.
CTBL will be closed on the following days in 2021:
- May 31st
- July 5th
- September 6th
From the Director
By sending personalized audio cartridges to patrons, we no longer need the physical audio collection housed in our stacks. We have been in the process of sending cartridges back to NLS for reuse. This frees up a lot of space and part of my long-range plan is to move the State Publications Library into that space. SPL is another of my responsibilities. The physical collection lives in the basement at CDE where there are water issues. It will be great to have it out of harms way. The move will take place at the beginning of June. If you come to the building, you will see new signage indicating the new home of the library and staff in Tyler’s former office. Tyler moved to the former duplication room.
Check out the Friends of CTBL Facebook page or follow on Twitter.
Debbi
@DebbiMacLeod 
Reminder to Patrons — Contacting CTBL Staff
We are still sending calls directly to voicemail. Messages are generally picked up every two hours and sent to the appropriate staff.
In these days of spam calls many of us are not answering calls from numbers we do not know. If you have left a message, please include a time that staff can call you back. Please be alert for a call back in the next day or two and try to answer the call. Many times, the CTBL phone number will come up as something else. There has been a lot of telephone tag lately.
If you have email, this is an efficient way to send your message to the library. ctbl.info@cde.state.co.us
CTBL Community Reads
Fiction Selection
The Silent Patient — DB093996 & PR029213
Author: Alex Michaelides
Narrator: Jack Hawkins
Length: 8 hours, 46 minutes
LibraryReads Favorite: 2019
Alicia Berenson — a famous painter happily married to a fashion photographer — lives in a grand house in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening after her husband returns home late from a fashion shoot, Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. A therapist becomes dangerously obsessed with uncovering the truth about what prompted the murder. Commercial audiobook. Some strong language, some violence. Bestseller. 2019.
Non-Fiction Selection
Stillness is the Key — DB097258
Author & Narrator: Ryan Holiday
Length: 6 hours, 58 minutes
All great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes, and visionaries share one indelible quality. It enables them to conquer their tempers, to avoid distraction, and discover great insights. To achieve happiness and do the right thing. Ryan Holiday calls it stillness — to be steady while the world spins around you. The author shows why slowing down is the secret weapon for those charging ahead. Commercial audiobook. No exclusions. 2019.
Wanted — Unused playback machines & finished audio books
If you have a player that you are not using, please send it back to the library so we can pass it on to another patron. Call the library if you need a post-paid mailing label. Please send back old audio books as you finish them.
What We Have Been Doing During the Building Closure
This last summer and into the fall we had lots of work done to the building, including a much-needed new roof and exterior painting. There was also a general refresh done in the interior of the building with a fresh coat of paint and some new cubicles. We can’t wait to invite patrons and volunteers back to the library, we hope this fall, to see the new clean, spiffy CTBL. In the meantime, here are a couple of photos for preview:
Technical Services Area
90th Anniversary History - Did you know?
In 1931, Denver already had a dedicated special collection for the blind at the Denver Public Library, Civic Center branch. Miss Dorothy Ayers was the current librarian when the NLS program officially began in Denver in 1932. Charlotte Washer followed soon after as the next librarian for the blind collection. Located in downtown Denver made it easy for blind patrons to come to the library via trolley. Courtesy of https://theblindhistorylady.com/
Tech Talk — Go Go Grandparent
Need Uber or Lyft but uncomfortable using the app?
Go Go Grandparent is a service available for individuals uncomfortable with or unable to see or use a smartphone. Founded by Justin Boogaard — a millennial interested in helping his grandmother become more independent — Go Go Grandparent connects potential riders with Uber and Lyft drivers using a touch tone phone.
Go Go Grandparent also offers assistance with meal, grocery and medicine deliveries through DoorDash, Instacart and others. The service is available 24/7 in any city using these services.
To learn more or to sign up, visit their website at www.gogograndparent.com or call 1-855-464-6872 and Press 2.
Story of Interest - How Area Agencies on Aging Help Seniors
To Weld County resident Agnes, the world looks a little different. Born blind, she’s overcome countless challenges in day-to-day life that many take for granted. She learned braille as a child before going on to pursue graduate studies at the University of Northern Colorado.
Today, at an older age, she continues to live an impactful life. But she doesn’t do it alone. Like many older adults in Weld County, she has the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) in her corner.
“AAA has helped open up a whole new world for me,” Agnes said.
It’s a world that includes many adaptive aids to increase her independence, including a braille wristwatch, scanner and handheld media player, all purchased with assistance through AAA’s Dental, Vision and Hearing and Visually Impaired Program.
“I’ve worked really well with the staff at AAA to meet my needs,” Agnes said. “My new scanner is so much better than my old one for reading printed materials out loud. I especially love my handheld media player, which lets me access helpful information online and download books from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled website, plus podcasts and radio stations from around the world.”
Just as the adaptive aids have assisted Agnes in her personal life, they’ve also enabled her to give back. Agnes uses the media player to volunteer with the Colorado Talking Book Library. She provides ratings on unrated books giving readers advice and guidance, the digital equivalent of flipping through a physical book at a local library.
The assistance Agnes receives is just one example of how AAA helps older adults. Programs like AAA’s senior nutrition program delivering nutritious lunches to older adults are designed to help maintain independence.
90% of adults aged 65 and older say they hope to stay in their homes for as long as possible. But to make sure older adults like Agnes can age in place safely and successfully, they must have access to a support system, which is what AAA provides.
This is no small feat. By 2034, adults aged 65 or older are projected to outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history.
“This person-centered care is the backbone of what AAA stands for,” Darby explained. “With our partners, we can provide home-delivered meals, nutrition programs, in-home assistance, elder abuse prevention and legal services, just to name a few of the many available free services.”
While Agnes’ world may continue to look different than most, she plans on continuing to conquer new challenges and make a positive impact — aspects of a bright future made possible by AAA.
By permission of Megan Garziano,
Weld County Communications Specialist
Resource of Interest - Area Agencies on Aging
There are 17 AAA’s in Colorado covering the entire state. If you would like the contact information for the one in your area, call the library or email ctbl.info@cde.state.co.us
The list is too long to put into the newsletter.
Volunteers — The Longest Road
Did your family take long car trips to visit relatives, see the National Parks, or explore other parts of the country? Perhaps, like me, you remember those trips with a mix of feelings. Sometimes the long ride was filled with eager anticipation to see grandparents or favorite cousins, and the time passed quickly. Other times, the road seemed long and intolerable. The scenery was dull and repetitive, and your siblings were annoying and fussy. Pretty soon, everyone was asking, “Are we there yet?”
This long road out of COVID has felt that way to us. We have reached the point in the trip when the car games are boring, the books are not holding your attention, and the driver will not take any more breaks. The destination seems just across the horizon but remains elusive. If only we could just get there faster.
By the time you read this article, we will have passed many of the COVID milestones. We masked-up and isolated. We mastered the art of buying food and necessities online. Most of us will have received the long-awaited vaccinations. The end of this long and lonely trip is coming into view.
We appreciate each of you who have waited out this virus, saving time in your schedule for CTBL, and will soon be able to volunteer again. We are eager to see you again!
Are we there yet?
Collection News — Suggestions from New Additions
New DVDs with Descriptive Video
These videos have audio descriptions embedded in each disc. You can turn on this feature by following the directions starting at the disc’s main menu. Additional titles are available, please contact the library for more information.
DVDs
- MD00498 — Irresistible (R)
- MD00499 — Military Wives (PG-13)
- MD00500 — Out of My Head (Unrated)
- MD00501 — Emperor (PG-13)
- MD00502 — High Note (PG-13)
- MD00503 — The King of Staten Island (R)
- MD00504 — Resistance (R)
- MD00505 — Trolls World Tour (PG)
- MD00506 — Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan ; Season One (TV-MA)
- MD00507 — Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan ; Season Two (TV-MA)
- MD00508 — Weathering With You (PG-13)
- MD00509 — El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (TV-MA)
- MD00510 — Save Yourselves! (R)
- MD00511 — The Secret Garden (PG)
Blu-rays
- MB00126 — The King of Staten Island (R)
- MB00127 — Trolls World Tour (PG)
- MB00128 — El Camino : A Breaking Bad Movie (TV-MA)
Featured Audio and Large Print Title
Are you enjoying the Netflix series “The Crown?” Are you an old school royal watcher? You might enjoy “Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown” by Anne Glenconner. A close member of the royal circle and lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, Glenconner was a friend of Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth II since childhood. This bestselling memoir describes her experiences witnessing landmark moments in royal history and shares intimate stories from her time as Princess Margaret’s closest confidante.
Narrated by the author, the audio book is particularly engaging for the Anglophile. DB098917 audio book and PR030543 large print book
If you’d like to add any of these titles or series to your book list, call the library at: 800-685-2136 or 303-727-9277 or email ctbl.info@cde.state.co.us
New Large Print Titles
Bestseller Fiction
- PR030453 — The Exiles: A Novel by Christina Baker Kline
- PR030454 — Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
- PR030492 — The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
- PR030490 — The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
- PR030592 — The Dirty South: Charlie Parker Series #18 by John Connolly
- PR030469 — The Return by Nicholas Sparks
- PR030474 — 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
- PR030594 — Total Power: Mitch Rapp Series #19 by Kyle Mills
Bestseller Non-Fiction
- PR030605 — Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld
- PR030607 — A Promised Land by Barack Obama
- PR030424 — Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad
- PR030543 — Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner
- PR030662 — Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion
- PR030618 — The End of Alzheimer's Program: The First Protocol to Enhance Cognition and Reverse Decline at Any Age by Dale E. Bredesen
- PR030422 — John Adams Under Fire: The Founding Father’s Fight for Justice in the Boston Massacre Murder Trial by Dan Abrams
- PR030465 — Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World by Chris Wallace
Cozy Mystery
- PR030479 — Game of Dog Bones: Melanie Travis #25 by Laurien Berenson
- PR030521 — Bitter Alpine: Emma Lord #28 by Mary Daheim
- PR030582 — Mimi Lee Gets a Clue: A Sassy Cat Mystery by Jennifer J. Chow
- PR030478 — Marshmallow Malice: Amish Candy Shop Mystery #5 by Amanda Flower
Chick Lit
- PR030562 — Not Like the Movies: Waiting for Tom Hanks Series #2 by Kerry Winfrey
- PR030578 — Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella
- PR030510 — The Transatlantic Book Club: Finrarran Peninsula #5 by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
- PR030572 — Eliza Starts a Rumor by Jane L. Rosen
Mystery & Detective Fiction
- PR030526 — The Holdout by Graham Moore
- PR030506 — Moonflower Murders: Magpie Murders Series by Anthony Horowitz
- PR030570 — Hidden in Plain Sight: William Warwick Series #2 by Jeffrey Archer
- PR030558 — Fortune and Glory: Tantalizing Twenty-Seven: Stephanie Plum #27 by Janet Evanovich
- PR030565 — The Sicilian Method: Inspector Montalbano #26 by Andrea Camilleri
- PR030440 — Troubled Blood: Cormoran Strike #5 by Robert Galbraith
Non-Fiction
- PR030460 — Growing Old: Notes on Aging with Something like Grace by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
- PR030542 — A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings: A Year of Keeping Bees by Helen Jukes
- PR030615 — Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace by Carl Safina
- PR030601 — Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie Chambers
- PR030604 — When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father’s War and What Remains by Ariana Neumann
- PR030464 — The Luckiest Man: Life with John McCain by Mark Salter
- PR030608 — His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life by Jonathan Alter
- PR030461 — The Writer’s Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives by Nancy Pearl
- PR030407 — The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
- PR030617 — Planted with a Purpose by T. D. Jakes
Romance & Love Stories
- PR030388 — Whirlwind: The Champions by Janet Dailey
- PR030410 — The Magnolia Sisters by Michelle Major
- PR030508 — Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim
- PR030496 — The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs
Science & Fantasy Fiction
- PR030447 — Peace Talks: Dresden Files #16 by Jim Butcher
- PR030392 — Zed by Joanna Kavenna
- PR030573 — Elsewhere by Dean R. Koontz
- PR030577 — Providence by Max Barry
Short Stories
- PR030626 — So We Can Glow: Stories by Leesa Cross-Smith
- PR030487 — Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance by Zora Neale Hurston
- PR030475 — Unrestricted Access: New and Classic Short Fiction by James Rollins
Young Adult
- PR030402 — Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
- PR030534 — Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
- PR030535 — The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa De La Cruz
- PR030391 — Almost, Maine by John Cariani
- PR030532 — The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert
- PR030404 — We Are Here to Stay: Voices of Undocumented Young Adults by Susan Kuklin
Need more ideas for which large print book to read next? You can find more large print book lists on the CTBL website or you can request the latest lists by calling the library at: 800-685-2136.
Featured Colorado Mysteries
In March, author Mark Stevens and narrator Karen Cranford, who reads Stevens’ popular Allison Coil mystery series, were speakers at an online book talk celebrating CTBL’s 90th anniversary. Featuring a Colorado-based hunting outfitter, the Alison Coil series appeals to readers who like a bit of outdoor adventure in their mysteries. Currently CTBL has three books available.
- DBC03085 — Antler Dust: Allison Coil Mystery #1
- DBC03189 — Buried by the Roan: Allison Coil Mystery #2
- DBC13014 — Trapline: Allison Coil Mystery #3
Stevens also edits and publishes the Asphalt Warrior mystery series featuring the fictitious Denver-based taxi driver Brendan “Murph” Murphy. The series narrator Mark Hintz also participated in the book talk in March and discussed the author, Gary Reilly, and the books’ Denver roots. So far, CTBL has recorded seven of the books in the series.
- DBC00656 — The Asphalt Warrior: Asphalt Warrior #1
- DBC03075 — Ticket To Hollywood: Asphalt Warrior #2
- DBC03174 — The Heart of Darkness Club: Asphalt Warrior #3
- DBC03268 — Home for the Holidays: Asphalt Warrior #4
- DBC03297 — Doctor Lovebeads: Asphalt Warrior #5
- DBC12945 — Dark Night of the Soul: Asphalt Warrior #6
- DBC13045 — Pickup At Union Station: Asphalt Warrior #7
From the Colorado Collection — Audio Books:
Trapline. Allison Coil Mystery #3
Author: Mark Stevens
Narrator: Karen Cranford
A chewed-up corpse high in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area leaves Colorado hunting guide Allison Coil mystified. Obvious signs suggest the dead man is the victim of a mountain lion attack, but Allison’s instincts tell her otherwise. Miles away in downtown Glenwood Springs, a controversial candidate for U.S. Senate is shot during a campaign stop as newspaper reporter Duncan Bloom watches, dodging the long-range gunfire. Soon the two investigations collide, exposing the dark depths of human indifference. Some strong language and some violence. 2014. Adult Fiction. DBC13014
Song of the Jayhawk: Or, The Squatter Sovereign
Author: Jack Marshall Maness
Narrator: Patricia Jonietz
In 1850s Kansas, two young families struggle with rattlesnakes, tornadoes, ice-storms, childbirth, and morality in a war-torn land. A growing love between them, built over holiday ham and whiskey, is threatened as they are drawn into the territory’s cycle of political violence. They must ultimately decide if they are friends or foes. Colorado Book Award winner. 2014. Adult Fiction. DBC13030
Croutons on a Cow Pie: Volume II
Author: Baxter Black
Narrator: Nelson Grabenstetter
Baxter Black's poetry about cowboys and how they are surviving into the twentieth century. A world where cruise control, cohabitates with cow manure. Written affectionately but with respectful irreverence. 1992. Adult Non-Fiction. DBC13220
Nisei Naysayer: The Memoir of Militant Japanese American Journalist Jimmie Omura
Authors: James Matsumoto Omura; Arthur A. Hansen
Narrator: Bob Serkowski
In 1941, journalist James Matsumoto Omura had developed a reputation as an adamant critic of the Japanese American Citizens League. When the JACL leadership acquiesced to the mass incarceration of American-born Japanese, he refused to remain silent. In 1944, Omura was indicted, arrested, and forced to stand trial. Some strong language. 2018. Adult Non-Fiction. DBC13043
Pickup At Union Station. Asphalt Warrior; #7
Author: Gary Reilly
Narrator: Mark Hintz
On a rainy night in Denver, cab driver Murph picks up a shady character at Union Station. His name is Zelner and he’s worried that the police might be following him. When Murph reaches his passenger’s destination, Zelner is dead. Murph, who never wants to get involved in the lives—or deaths—of his fares, is about to be swept up in international intrigue. 2015. Adult Fiction. DBC13045
The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve
Author: Edward G. Griffin
Narrator: Nelson Grabenstetter
Where does money come from? Where does it go? Who makes it? This book unveils the money magicians’ secrets and the cogs and wheels that create the grand illusion called money. The book reads like a detective story. 1998. Adult Non-Fiction. DBC13224
The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
Author: Ryan Holiday
Narrator: Phillip Cannon
Drawing from the stoicism, the author offers a guide for turning each new obstacle into an opportunity to get better, stronger, and tougher. The author cites examples of how some of the most successful people in history have applied stoicism to overcome difficult situations. Some strong language. 2014. Adult Non-Fiction. DBC13054
Ambush. Sydney Rose Parnell Mystery #3
Author: Barbara Nickless
Narrator: Margo Goodwin
Railway cop and former Marine Sydney Parnell is on the hunt. So is a killer she knows only as the Alpha. They’re in a race to find Malik, an eleven-year-old Iraqi boy with secrets. From the dark alleys of Mexico City to the streets of Denver, Sydney and her K9 partner, Clyde, use their wits and determination to chase down the ruthless killer. Strong language, violence, and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2019. Adult Fiction. DBC13055
A Tortilla Is Like Life: Food and Culture in the San Luis Valley of Colorado
Author: Carole Counihan
Narrator: Norine Domenico
Between 1996 and 2006, anthropologist Counihan collected food-centered life histories from nineteen women from the small town of Antonito in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. The interviews focus on southern Colorado Hispanic foodways. Three lines of inquiry are framed: feminist ethnography, Latino cultural citizenship, and Chicano environmentalism. Some strong language. 2009. Adult Non-Fiction. DBC13058
Legacy Gifts
Legacy gifts to the Friends of CTBL are a vital way to ensure ongoing support for all the services the library provides to patrons. The Friends have established Eyes to the Future that honors and recognizes the generosity and vision of patrons, families and friends who have chosen to leave a legacy through their estates or other deferred gifts.
We invite you to become a member of Eyes to the Future. Enrollment in this honorary group is simply a matter of advising us about your plans to make a legacy gift, such as a bequest in a will or living trust, or designating The Friends of CTBL as beneficiary of an individual retirement plan, 401k or life insurance policy. The Friends of CTBL is a public 501 c 3 charity and the tax ID is 23-7243950.
Contributions to The Friends of the Colorado Talking Book Library and The Colorado Talking Book Library
An additional way to contribute to either the Friends or to CTBL is through a charitable bequest as part of a will or through life insurance. You do not have to rewrite your current document but can add a written amendment called a codicil. Such a bequest only becomes irrevocable at your death. Giving to the library helps support the programs and service we provide to our patrons and helps to secure the future.
AmazonSmile
The AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to charitable organizations. If you make purchases through Amazon, try AmazonSmile and designate The Friends of CTBL as a recipient of charitable donations. Several patrons have already done this. Thanks!
How to Reach Us:
Colorado Talking Book Library
180 Sheridan Blvd.
Denver, CO 80226
303-727-9277—metro Denver
1-800-685-2136—outside Denver
www.myctbl.org
- Katy Anthes, Commissioner of Education
- Nicolle Davies, State Librarian
- Debbi MacLeod, Director, CTBL
Social Media:
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The Colorado Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or age, in access to, employment in, or provision of any of CDE’s programs, benefits, or activities.
This newsletter was published with funding from the Friends of CTBL.
