CTBL News - Spring 2022

Spring 2022 - Volume 57, No. 2

Table of Contents

Highlighting — Talking Book Topics

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) recently announced: “Due to significant and worsening supply-chain issues and worldwide paper shortages, the large-print edition of Talking Book Topics (TBT) January–February 2022 will not be printed.”

The US Government Publishing Office (GPO) has informed NLS that these problems are expected to continue through the end of 2022, and likely beyond.

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Finding Your Next Book

What are the alternatives to the print TBT? Talking Book Topics is available in six other formats:

If you use BARD, you can learn about the latest titles through the “Recently added books and magazines” link on the BARD website or the “Recently added to BARD” feature on the “Get Books” tab on the BARD Mobile app.

NLS has indicated they will keep libraries informed about the long-term outlook for printing Talking Book Topics. As we learn more, CTBL will share information on our website and Facebook page, as well as in the newsletter.

Reader Advisors

Another good way to find your next book is to contact one of CTBL’s Reader Advisors. These librarians are trained to help you find the books and magazines you want to read. They can select titles by author, genre, series, etc. Let them help you. We often hear from patrons that they don’t want to “bother” us. Reader advisors respond with “Please, bother us.” The reader advisors are here for you.

In addition, reader advisors can put exclusions on your account to eliminate authors, subjects, and titles you don’t like. For example, if you never want Westerns, they can put a tag on your library record to exclude those titles.

Book Lists

Not sure what you want? Maybe a book club or bestseller list could be a place to start. Many titles in the CTBL collection are tagged as bestsellers or as a chosen title in a celebrity book club. If you choose one of the following lists, titles from the list will automatically be added to your preference list. The following are book lists you can choose from.

  • Bestsellers
  • Bestsellers – Fiction
  • Bestsellers – Nonfiction
  • Jenna Bush Hager Book Club
  • Oprah’s Book Club
  • Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club
  • Reese Witherspoon’s Young Adult Book Club

Sometimes finding something to read can be a tricky business. But, at CTBL that’s what we do — we connect you with your next book. It’s our mission.

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From the Director

It’s been a busy few months here at CTBL. Staff and volunteers have made the transition to being back at the library full-time and, as always, are committed to the library’s mission of providing reading materials to the blind and print disabled. As the new library director, I’m happy to continue to be a part of the team.

Before becoming the director, I worked as the Technical Services Librarian at CTBL. It was a job I loved, and it gave me experience with the day-to-day operations of the library. It also gave me valuable insight into how important the library is to our patrons. I’ve heard many times that the library was a lifeline — connecting books and magazines to readers. I know how true that is. My mother was a CTBL patron, and I saw firsthand the incredible impact the talking book program had on her life and well-being.

I’m excited to lead the dedicated, hard-working team who connect CTBL patrons to the books and magazines they love.

Want more CTBL news? Check out the Friends of CTBL Facebook page

Nicolle

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CTBL will be closed on the following days in 2021 - 2022:

  • May 30th
  • July 4th
  • September 5th

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CTBL Community Reads

Fiction Selection
The Preacher’s Son
Author: Patricia Johns
Narrator: Abigail Maupin
Length: 9 hours, 20 minutes
The Amish residents of Bountiful, Pennsylvania, are stunned when preacher Abe Yoder is imprisoned for fraud. To support his sisters, Abe’s son Isaiah takes a job in the Glick family’s book-binding shop. Isaiah’s father’s actions helped drive Bethany’s fiancé to the Englischer world and cost her own father his savings. Isaiah has always secretly loved Bethany, and even though he and his family are now ostracized in the community, his attraction to her warmth and beauty is unrelenting. 2021.
Available in Audio Book (DB102688) and Large Print (PR027496).

Non-Fiction Selection
The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free
Author: Paulina Bren
Narrator: Andix Arndt
Length: 9 hours, 23 minutes
Built at the height of the Roaring Twenties, the Barbizon was New York’s most glamorous women-only hotel whose tenants included Molly Brown, Sylvia Plath, Grace Kelly, Liza Minnelli, Joan Didion, and many others. Arriving in the big city, these ladies did not wish to stay in uncomfortable boarding houses; they wanted what men already had — exclusive residential hotels that catered to their needs. The author describes the impact of the hotel and paints a portrait of the lives of its residents. 2021.
Available in Audio Book (DB103460) and Large Print (PR030783).

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Calling All New Graduates — Service for Life

Congratulations on your graduation! We want you to know that as you start a new chapter in your life, CTBL services will go along with you. Once you become a patron of CTBL you have library service for the rest of your life.

Keep in touch and let us know if you have a new address or a name change. There is a library like CTBL in every state and we can transfer your service to your new state. However, if you are just going to college in another state, CTBL will continue to provide you service. Regardless of where life takes you, CTBL is here for you.

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Tech Talk — Download 24/7 to Your Device

Did you know CTBL patrons can get books and magazines on their favorite smart devices, usually in a matter of seconds? If you didn’t know, don’t worry — you’re certainly not alone.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) recently surveyed patrons and found 56% had never heard of BARD, our Braille and Audio Reading Download service. BARD allows readers to access approximately 109,000 audiobooks at any hour, seven days a week. Web braille readers can select from more than 21,000 braille titles.

To start downloading, all you need is an account, internet access, and a computer or smart device. So, stop waiting days for books to arrive through the mail, and get signed up for BARD today. To set up or modify your account, call a Reader Advisor at (303) 727-9277 or 1-800-685-2136, or email ctbl.info@cde.state.co.us.

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Wanted — Unused playback machines and 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.

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Using Bookshelf to Find Magazines and Book Titles

Locating a magazine or book title on a cartridge containing multiple titles is easy if you use the Bookshelf feature on your digital player. It allows you to navigate back and forth through the cartridge to find the specific title you want to read.

Here are the steps to use Bookshelf:

  1. Insert the cartridge into the player
  2. Hold down the green Play/Stop button until you hear the word “Bookshelf.”
  3. Release the Play/Stop button and tap down on the white arrow-shaped Fast Forward button to the right of the Play/Stop button to move through the titles on the cartridge
  4. To move back through the titles on the cartridge, follow Steps 1 and 2. Then tap down on the white arrow-shaped Rewind button to the left of Play/Stop.
  5. Once you hear the title you want to listen to, push the play button and the books should start playing.

Contact a Reader Advisor if you have any questions by calling 303-727-9277 or 1-800-685-2136, or emailing ctbl.info@cde.state.co.us.

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Volunteers — You and Your Work Make a Difference…

We say this to our fantastic volunteers. It’s a simple sentence that means a lot.

It is so easy to lose sight of why they volunteer. But how they serve matters so very much and that is why we take a week to celebrate our volunteers each spring. We want them to know their work matters regardless of which part of CTBL they work in.

It matters to the patrons who request a book that is not recorded. They would never get a chance to read that book without a volunteer team recording and reviewing it. Or a patron who needs help because their talking book machine isn’t working, and a volunteer needs to fix the machine and get it back into service.

Beepball teams need new equipment to start their season; a crew of volunteers is working to get enough beepballs and bases ready for the season. Where else could they find those beeping bases?

Behind the scenes, people are helping with many clerical jobs, including filing, assembling packets, and addressing letters. Each task a volunteer helps with gives our staff more time to serve our patrons.

Since the pandemic, we have increased the number of volunteers working off-site. About 29% of the volunteers can work from home doing various projects, helping in many areas from beepball to the studio and everything in between.

Everyday volunteers allow CTBL to increase capacity to serve patrons. Our volunteer mission is to help staff provide more books to more people every day. We couldn’t succeed without our volunteers.

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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

  • MD00525 — Tom and Jerry (PG)
  • MD00526 — French Exit (R)
  • MD00527 — Here Today (PG-13)
  • MD00528 — The World To Come (R)
  • MD00529 — Zack Snyder’s Justice League (R)
  • MD00530 — Chaos Walking (PG-13)
  • MD00532 — My Brother’s Keeper (PG-13)
  • MD00533 — Judas and the Black Messiah (R)
  • MD00534 — Supernova (R)
  • MD00535 — Spirit Untamed: The Movie (PG)
  • MD00537 — Luca (PG)
  • MD00538 — Godzilla vs. Kong (PG-13)
  • MD00539 — The Marksman (PG-13)
  • MD00540 — Voyagers (PG-13)
  • MD00542 — In the Heights (PG-13)
  • MD00543 — The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (PG)
  • MD00544 — Land (PG-13)
  • MD00545 — Ahead of the Curve (Unrated)
  • MD00546 — Raya and the Last Dragon (PG)
  • MD00547 — Boogie (R)
  • MD00548 — Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (PG)
  • MD00549 — Best Summer Ever (Unrated)
  • MD00551 — Defending Jacob (Unrated)

Blu-rays

  • MB00132 — The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (R)
  • MB00133 — Judas and the Black Messiah (R)
  • MB00134 — Nomadland (R)

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Featured Audio, Large Print, and Braille Title

Did you catch the first season of the CNN series “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,” where the actor explores the food of Italy? Do you enjoy wry humor and decadent meals?

Then you might enjoy Tucci’s new book, “Taste: My Life Through Food.” This culinary memoir describes growing up in an Italian American family that spent every evening together around the kitchen table. It includes anecdotes from his childhood in New York, his career, and from his home life as a husband and father of five children. Sprinkled throughout are his favorite recipes and food memories. Narrated by the author, the audio book should be especially appealing to fans of the award-winning actor.
Available in Audio (DB105460), Large Print (PR031335), and Braille (BR023963).

If you’d like to add this title to your request list, call the library at: 1-800-685-2136 or 303-727-9277 or email ctbl.info@cde.state.co.us.

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New Large Print Titles

Bestseller Fiction

  • PR030945 — Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
  • PR031428 — Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
  • PR030953 — In the Country of Others by Leïla Slimani
  • PR030984 — Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • PR031047 — Legacy by Nora Roberts
  • PR031470 — Mercy by David Baldacci
  • PR031071 — One By One by Ruth Ware
  • PR031210 — People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry
  • PR031060 — Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
  • PR030981 — Sooley by John Grisham
  • PR031203 — State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton
  • PR031410 — Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand
  • PR031073 — That Summer by Jennifer Weiner
  • PR031445 — The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
  • PR030973 — The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
  • PR030864 — The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
  • PR031344 — The Wish by Nicholas Sparks
  • PR031421 — Thick as Thieves by Sandra Brown
  • PR031074 — We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
  • PR031214 — We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz
  • PR031333 — While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

Bestseller Fiction - Part of a Series

  • PR031429 — A Gambling Man: Aloysius Archer #2 by David Baldacci
  • PR031455 — The Sixth Man: King & Maxwell #5 by David Baldacci
  • PR031408 — Redemption: Amos Decker #5 by David Baldacci
  • PR031413 — Santa Cruise: Meehan & Reilly Christmas #3 by Mary Higgins Clark
  • PR031426 — Fair Warning: Jack McEvoy #3 by Michael Connelly
  • PR031325 — The Book of Magic: Practical Magic #2 by Alice Hoffman
  • PR031404 — Bullseye: Michael Bennett #9 by James Patterson
  • PR031414 — Cold Vengeance: Pendergast #11 by Douglas J. Preston
  • PR031201 — Forgotten in Death: Eve Dallas #53 by J. D. Robb
  • PR031400 — Heaven and Earth: Three Sisters #2 by Nora Roberts
  • PR031069 — Black Ice: Scot Harvath #20 by Brad R. Thor

Bestseller Non-Fiction

  • PR031318 — Countdown Bin Laden: The Untold Story of the 247-Day Hunt to Bring the Mastermind of 9/11 to Justice by Chris Wallace
  • PR030954 — Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most by Greg McKeown
  • PR031340 — Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II by Daniel James Brown
  • PR031335 — Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
  • PR030940 — Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself by Jill Biden
  • PR031099 — Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
  • PR031339 — Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service by Carol Leonnig

General Fiction

  • PR030998 — A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke
  • PR031225 — Dear Miss Metropolitan by Carolyn Ferrell
  • PR030865 — Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel
  • PR031436 — Second Place by Rachel Cusk
  • PR030946 — The Magician by Colm Toibin
  • PR031442 — Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri

Historical Fiction

  • PR031044 — A Duke, The Lady, and a Baby by Vanessa Riley
  • PR030950 — Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
  • PR031207 — Hamnet of the Plague by Maggie O’Farrell
  • PR030923 — Her Heart for a Compass by Sarah, Duchess of York
  • PR031219 — Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman
  • PR030985 — Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez
  • PR030860 — The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
  • PR031341 — To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters
  • PR031328 — Three Words for Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor
  • PR031338 — Sunflower Sisters: Lilac Girls #3 by Martha Hall Kelly

Mysteries

  • PR031403 — Capital Crimes by Faye Kellerman
  • PR031438 — Choose Me by Tess Gerritsen
  • PR031450 — False Witness by Karin Slaughter
  • PR031200 — Hidden by Fern Michaels
  • PR031056 — Survive the Night by Riley Sager
  • PR031070 — The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
  • PR031220 — The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
  • PR031043 — The Shadow Box by Luanne Rice
  • PR031437 — The Unforgiven by Heather Graham

Young Adult

  • PR031432 — Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton
  • PR030947 — Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
  • PR031216 — Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield
  • PR027482 — Nocturna: Forgery of Magic #1 by Maya Motayne
  • PR027483 — Oculta: Forgery of Magic #2 by Maya Motayne
  • PR031209 — Skyhunter by Marie Lu
  • PR031042 — The Black Kids by Hammonds Christina Reed
  • PR031459 — The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

Nonfiction

  • PR031081 — A Course Called America: Fifty States, Five Thousand Fairways, and the Search for the Great American Golf Course by Tom Coyne
  • PR031078 — A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future by David Attenborough
  • PR031021 — Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old by Andrew J. Steele
  • PR030980 — Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage by Anne Lamott
  • PR031306 — Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Understanding by Larry Olmsted
  • PR030995 — Honor Bound: An American Story of Dreams and Service by Amy McGrath
  • PR031308 — On Animals by Susan Orlean
  • PR031085 — Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova
  • PR031307 — Sinatra and Me: In the Wee Small Hours by Tony Oppedisano
  • PR031079 — Stampede: Gold Fever and Disaster in the Klondike by Brian Castner
  • PR031305 — The Doctors Blackwell by Janice P. Nimura
  • PR031087 — The Way Out: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain by Alan Gordon
  • PR030948 — The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore
  • PR031449 — This is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan

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.

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Featured Audio Title — The Long-Awaited New Book in the Outlander Series: “Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone”

Diana Gabaldon’s time-traveling Scottish romance series “Outlander” was first written in 1991, so it’s kept us hooked for over 30 years. Until now, the last novel was written in 2014. Seven years later, we finally have the 9th installment! What happens when the Fraser family is reunited? Will the American Revolution tear them apart?

The bestselling series features a 20th-century married British nurse who unintentionally ends up in 18th-century Scotland. While trying to find a way home, she becomes involved in a romance with a dashing highlander, Jamie Fraser. The series includes magic, adventure, suspense, love, and war. Available in Audio (DB105460).

If you’d like to add this title or the entire series to your request list, call the library at: 1-800-685-2136 or 303-727-9277, or email ctbl.info@cde.state.co.us

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From the Colorado Collection — Audio Books:

Remastered Audio Books

These newly remastered recordings feature books produced at the CTBL studio.

Mythmakers of the West: Shaping America’s Imagination
Author: John A. Murray
Narrator: Sharon Huckins
This book is about the American West — its myths and the people who shaped them. Mark Twain, John Wayne, Zane Grey, and even Willie Nelson make the list of Mythmakers of the West. The book also covers such unexpected topics as Marilyn Monroe, John Denver, the Beach Boys, and the Mormon Tabernacle. 2001. Adult Nonfiction. DBC13279

Shadowcasting: An Introduction to the Art of Flyfishing
Authors: John Dietsch and Gary Hubbell
Narrator: Visvaldis Jaunarajs
An introduction to flyfishing written by two veterans of the sport. Includes the importance of observation, the art of casting, use of dry flies and nymphs, and netting and handling fish. 2001. Adult Nonfiction. DBC13253

Newly Recorded Audio Books

Kickdown: A Novel
Author: Rebecca Clarren
Narrator: Laura Hatch

When Jackie Dunbar’s father dies, she takes a leave from medical school and goes back to the family cattle ranch in Colorado to set affairs in order. But what she finds derails her: the Dunbar ranch is bankrupt, her sister is having a nervous breakdown, and the oil and gas industry has changed the landscape of this small western town. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. 2018. Adult Fiction. DBC13118

A Rush of Wings
Author: Kristen Heitzmann
Narrator: Geri Gingras
When fragmented images and unfocused panic force Noelle St. Claire to flee her wealthy, sheltered life in New York, she gains sanctuary on a ranch in the Rocky Mountains. But as the attentions of two brothers breach the wall she hides behind, the past she yearns to escape becomes a menacing threat from which she can no longer hide. 2003. Adult Fiction. DBC13063

Black Women of the Old West
Author: William Loren Katz
Narrator: Louise Lederhos
This book traces how African American women challenged white bigotry, labored to create new lives, and ultimately helped to transform sparse frontier settlements into thriving western states. It reveals how these pioneers brought culture to the early communities from Ohio, Kansas, and Texas to Oklahoma, Nevada, and California. Some descriptions of sex. 1995. For grades 4 to 7 and older. Juvenile Nonfiction. DBC13166

Retina Boy
Author: Ben Shabeman
Narrator: Shawn Hertel
The boy born without retinas and his girlfriend, unable to walk, were the perfect pair — she was his eyes, and he was her legs. Never did Retina Boy imagine he was from another planet, and they would be called on to save Earth and an alien world of blind inhabitants on the brink of environmental collapse. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2019. For ages 14 and up. Young Adult Fiction. DBC13173

Fighting Blind: A Green Beret’s Story of Extraordinary Courage
Author: Ivan Castro
Narrator: Lee Foreman
When a mortar round struck the rooftop of his sniper’s post in Iraq, Lieutenant Ivan Castro found himself in a battle more difficult than he could have imagined. Among other injuries, one of his eyes had been blown out and the nerve to the other was severed. Castro would find that physical darkness was nothing compared to the emotional darkness of loss and despair. Strong language and some violence. 2016. Adult Nonfiction. DBC13138

Jewish Women Pioneering the Frontier Trail: A History in the American West
Author: Jeanne E. Abrams
Narrator: Hille Dais
Jewish women in the West took advantage of the region’s unsettled nature to “open new doors” for themselves in the public sphere. The author discusses Western Jewish women’s level of involvement at the vanguard of social welfare and progressive reform, commerce, politics, higher education, and the professions. 2006. Adult Nonfiction. DBC13134

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Debbi MacLeod Retires

Debbi and Lori Special, Director, Library Development, Colorado State Library
Debbi and Lori Special, Director,
Library Development, Colorado State Library
Debbi with new Director Nicolle Steffen
Debbi with new Director Nicolle Steffen

After almost 18 years, Debbi MacLeod retired as CTBL’s Director. On December 16th, a few friends and colleagues gathered at CTBL to say “goodbye.” Cupcakes and refreshments were served with tropical themed decorations complete with leis and balloons. Aloha Debbi, and best of luck in your retirement.

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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.

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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.

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AmazonSmileFriends of CTBL Logo

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!

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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
  • Nicolle Steffen, Director, CTBL

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foctbl.org 

Logo for the Colorado State Library Logo for the Friends of CTBLLogo for the Institute for Museum and Library Services

 

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 and was made possible in part by the institute of Museum and Library Services.

Design services provided by State of Colorado/Integrated Document Solutions

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