“I’ve always been curious about Braille. Do you have anything for sighted people to look at or to feel?” Over the years others, such as students and scouts, have asked this question of the Newton Falls Public Library staff.
The Braille cell contains six raised dots which are numbered vertically: 1, 2, and 3 are arranged from top to bottom in the first column; 4, 5, and 6 are in the second. Letters, numbers, punctuation, music, and music symbols are created by using various combinations of these cell dots. For example the letter A contains only dot 1, B contains dots 1 and 2, and C is made up of dots 1, 3, and 4. Dot 6 placed before a letter signifies that it is a capital letter. Patrons may borrow sheets of Braille which have these raised cells to both feel and see.
Also available to be taken home are Expectations: a gift for blind children from Braille Institute (The Little Engine That Could in Braille), The Constitution of the United States, and The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana FarÃa. This last item encourages readers to imagine living without sight. The illustrations are done with raised lines and descriptions of colors based on imagery. There are Braille letters with the illustrations and a full alphabet for sighted readers to help them read along with their fingers.
Patrons interested in this subject may also be curious about sign language. There are books, films, and kits available to teach signing to adults, children, and infants. Sign Language Interpreting: a basic resource book by Sharon Neumann Solow would be a good place for adults to begin. Parents might want to consider examining Teach Your Tot to Sign: the parents' guide to American Sign Language by Stacy A. Thompson and Baby Sign Language for Hearing Babies by Karyn Warburton.
library heading
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
How Can My Dog Be Trained To Be A Therapy Dog?
“I’m interested in having my dog be able to visit hospitals, nursing homes, and other places. Where can I find information on how to do this?” Newton Falls Public Library staff members have also wondered if some of their pets would be useful as therapy animals, and looked forward to discovering the answer.
Where the Trail Grows Faint: a year in the life of a therapy dog team by Lynne Hugo is about the experience of having a dog used for therapeutic use, but doesn’t have a list of resources. We continued the search online as our patron needed to know where or how to train his dog.
We found two groups which certify therapy dogs. The Delta Society [http://www.deltasociety.org/] has a local chapter, K9s for Compassion [http://k9sforcompassion.tripod.com/] in Hubbard, Ohio. “Delta Society registers dogs and cats as well as other domesticated animals such as rabbits, goats, horses, miniature pigs, birds etc.” Therapy Dogs International [http://www.tdi-dog.org/]. Therapy Dogs International has links to an informational packet and testing dates in our area. The brochure lists eleven steps or tests which the dog must complete:
1. Accepting a friendly stranger
2. Sitting politely for petting
3. Appearance and grooming
4. Out for a walk (walking on a loose leash)
5. Walking through a crowd
6. Sit and down on command/staying in place
7. Coming when called
8. Reaction to another dog
9. Reactions to distractions
10. Supervised separation
11. Say hello
Both of these groups have local contacts listed on their websites.
The certification requires that the dog be very well trained and the library has an extensive collection of dog training books and videos, including Drool School: family dog training [a DVD], The Loved Dog: the playful, nonaggressive way to teach your dog good behavior by Tamar Geller [both the book and DVD] and Cesar's Way: the natural, everyday guide to understanding and correcting common dog problems by Cesar Millan. Our patron was also given the contact information for All-Breed Training in North Jackson, Ohio, a local training facility to see if they had information about therapy training.
Where the Trail Grows Faint: a year in the life of a therapy dog team by Lynne Hugo is about the experience of having a dog used for therapeutic use, but doesn’t have a list of resources. We continued the search online as our patron needed to know where or how to train his dog.
We found two groups which certify therapy dogs. The Delta Society [http://www.deltasociety.org/] has a local chapter, K9s for Compassion [http://k9sforcompassion.tripod.com/] in Hubbard, Ohio. “Delta Society registers dogs and cats as well as other domesticated animals such as rabbits, goats, horses, miniature pigs, birds etc.” Therapy Dogs International [http://www.tdi-dog.org/]. Therapy Dogs International has links to an informational packet and testing dates in our area. The brochure lists eleven steps or tests which the dog must complete:
1. Accepting a friendly stranger
2. Sitting politely for petting
3. Appearance and grooming
4. Out for a walk (walking on a loose leash)
5. Walking through a crowd
6. Sit and down on command/staying in place
7. Coming when called
8. Reaction to another dog
9. Reactions to distractions
10. Supervised separation
11. Say hello
Both of these groups have local contacts listed on their websites.
The certification requires that the dog be very well trained and the library has an extensive collection of dog training books and videos, including Drool School: family dog training [a DVD], The Loved Dog: the playful, nonaggressive way to teach your dog good behavior by Tamar Geller [both the book and DVD] and Cesar's Way: the natural, everyday guide to understanding and correcting common dog problems by Cesar Millan. Our patron was also given the contact information for All-Breed Training in North Jackson, Ohio, a local training facility to see if they had information about therapy training.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Have You Heard of the Obama Phone?
“Have you heard of the Obama phone? It’s a program to give free phones to people who cannot afford them.” The Newton Falls Public Library staff had not heard of this program. We began looking online as this is a question that requires current information.
Our search brought us first to the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau [www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/lllu.html]. The background section states that “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress recognize that telephone service provides a vital link to emergency services, government services, and surrounding communities.” There are two programs here:
• “Link-Up America helps income-eligible consumers initiate telephone service.
• Lifeline Assistance provides discounts on basic monthly telephone service at the primary residence for qualified telephone subscribers.”
There was no application form at this site, so we kept looking. From the FCC site, we were directed to http://www.lifelinesupport.org/. Lifelines Support deals primarily with landlines and our patron was looking for cell phone assistance. If she had been interested in a phone for her home, she could have completed the application process here.
We continued the search to the website of SafeLink Wireless [www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx]. There is a great deal of information at this site, giving the history of the Lifeline program. It is inaccurate to call it the Obama phone, since the program actually began in 1984, during the Reagan Administration. SafeLink has now made this program available for cell phones. “SafeLink Wireless was created by TracFone Wireless, Inc. when the . . . FCC . . . approved the company to offer Lifeline . . . SafeLink Wireless applies the Universal Service Fund subsidy to an allotment of free airtime minutes and TracFone provides the wireless handset at the company’s expense.” Ohio residents who meet the qualifications receive a free wireless phone and a plan which gives them 68 minutes every month. Our patron looked at the application and found it to be simple to complete. Since it required personal information, we checked the Better Business Bureau’s website [http://www.bbb.org/] and confirmed that it is legitimate.
Our search brought us first to the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau [www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/lllu.html]. The background section states that “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress recognize that telephone service provides a vital link to emergency services, government services, and surrounding communities.” There are two programs here:
• “Link-Up America helps income-eligible consumers initiate telephone service.
• Lifeline Assistance provides discounts on basic monthly telephone service at the primary residence for qualified telephone subscribers.”
There was no application form at this site, so we kept looking. From the FCC site, we were directed to http://www.lifelinesupport.org/. Lifelines Support deals primarily with landlines and our patron was looking for cell phone assistance. If she had been interested in a phone for her home, she could have completed the application process here.
We continued the search to the website of SafeLink Wireless [www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx]. There is a great deal of information at this site, giving the history of the Lifeline program. It is inaccurate to call it the Obama phone, since the program actually began in 1984, during the Reagan Administration. SafeLink has now made this program available for cell phones. “SafeLink Wireless was created by TracFone Wireless, Inc. when the . . . FCC . . . approved the company to offer Lifeline . . . SafeLink Wireless applies the Universal Service Fund subsidy to an allotment of free airtime minutes and TracFone provides the wireless handset at the company’s expense.” Ohio residents who meet the qualifications receive a free wireless phone and a plan which gives them 68 minutes every month. Our patron looked at the application and found it to be simple to complete. Since it required personal information, we checked the Better Business Bureau’s website [http://www.bbb.org/] and confirmed that it is legitimate.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Horn & Hardart Spoon
“I found this spoon in a drawer at home. It was gray and I thought it was stainless steel, but after polishing it with silver polish it looks like silver. The front of the handle has PROPERTY OF HORN & HARDART CO pressed into the metal and the back has W and HORN & HARDART CO. Can you help me to find any information about it?” Some of the staff of the Newton Falls Public Library had heard of the Horn & Hardart Automats in New York City, and thought perhaps that the spoon may originally have come from there.
We began searching through the library’s antiques and collectibles books, including Antiques Traders Antiques & Collectibles 2009 & 2010 price guides and The Kovels' Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2010 by Ralph and Terry Kovel. While these resources have a great deal of interesting information, we were unable to locate any about Horn & Hardart collectibles.
Continuing our investigation online, we first began researching Horn & Hardart Automats. A book, The Automat: the history, the recipes, and allure of Horn & Hardart's masterpiece by Lorraine B. Diehl and Marianne Hardart was found at www.theautomat.net. The restaurants opened in the early twentieth century and were also located in New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Customers received their freshly made food by opening the small doors in self serve vending machines. In the FAQ section of the website someone had posted a question about the value of Horn & Hardart silver spoons, and was followed by the suggestion to check on EBay. Several spoon offerings were listed at that site.
According to National Geographic [http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/new-york-recipes], the last Horn & Hardart closed in the 1990s. Internet searching even revealed a blog posting about one of the spoons which was found in yard in Hawaii [http://bradaptation.com/2008/05/01/old-spoon/comment-page-1].
The Automat: the history, the recipes, and allure of Horn & Hardart's masterpiece is available through our shared TiPL (Trumbull Independent Public Libraries) catalog. Our patron requested the book and is eagerly looking forward to learning more about this early fast food restaurant, which served its food on china with silverware
We began searching through the library’s antiques and collectibles books, including Antiques Traders Antiques & Collectibles 2009 & 2010 price guides and The Kovels' Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2010 by Ralph and Terry Kovel. While these resources have a great deal of interesting information, we were unable to locate any about Horn & Hardart collectibles.
Continuing our investigation online, we first began researching Horn & Hardart Automats. A book, The Automat: the history, the recipes, and allure of Horn & Hardart's masterpiece by Lorraine B. Diehl and Marianne Hardart was found at www.theautomat.net. The restaurants opened in the early twentieth century and were also located in New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Customers received their freshly made food by opening the small doors in self serve vending machines. In the FAQ section of the website someone had posted a question about the value of Horn & Hardart silver spoons, and was followed by the suggestion to check on EBay. Several spoon offerings were listed at that site.
According to National Geographic [http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/new-york-recipes], the last Horn & Hardart closed in the 1990s. Internet searching even revealed a blog posting about one of the spoons which was found in yard in Hawaii [http://bradaptation.com/2008/05/01/old-spoon/comment-page-1].
The Automat: the history, the recipes, and allure of Horn & Hardart's masterpiece is available through our shared TiPL (Trumbull Independent Public Libraries) catalog. Our patron requested the book and is eagerly looking forward to learning more about this early fast food restaurant, which served its food on china with silverware
Friday, July 16, 2010
Can My Dog See Colors?
“My puppy seems to prefer toys that are bright lime green. He goes wild when I hold up his stuffed green elephant; so I was wondering, can dogs see colors?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff enjoys answering these types of questions, as it often helps us to understand more about our own family pets.
The book, Inside of a Dog: what dogs see, smell, and know by Alexandra Horowitz has a chapter, Seen by a Dog with information about dog gazing and attention. Nothing is there about whether or not they suffer from colorblindness. Examining the index, we located pages about color vision. On pages 128-129, in the chapter Dog-Eyed and the section entitled “Go get the green ball!” we found a possible answer to our patron’s question. Because a dog has two kinds of photoreceptors, as compared to the three in humans, it seems that canines may be most sensitive to the colors blue and greenish-yellow, thus they experience color most strongly in the blue and green ranges. According to the author, other colors such as red, yellow and orange might look different to them only in degrees of brightness. For people this would compare to how colors appear at dusk, immediately before nightfall.
A veterinary clinic employee we spoke with said to remind our patron that the feel in the pet’s mouth and the smell have strong effects on their selection of a toy. The clinic employee suggested that we look also at the website of Veterinary Vision Inc. Animal Eye Specialists [www.veterinaryvision.com]. The site has a page titled What Do Dogs and Cats See? Here it says that new behavioral studies reveal that dogs may be able to distinguish the color blue, but have trouble differentiating between red and green.
Though the information from these two sources was somewhat conflicting, our patron found it to be interesting and is planning on presenting different colored toys to her dog to see if he truly has a color preference. Library staff members thought they would have to try this with their own dogs to see if they would respond strongly to specific colors.
The book, Inside of a Dog: what dogs see, smell, and know by Alexandra Horowitz has a chapter, Seen by a Dog with information about dog gazing and attention. Nothing is there about whether or not they suffer from colorblindness. Examining the index, we located pages about color vision. On pages 128-129, in the chapter Dog-Eyed and the section entitled “Go get the green ball!” we found a possible answer to our patron’s question. Because a dog has two kinds of photoreceptors, as compared to the three in humans, it seems that canines may be most sensitive to the colors blue and greenish-yellow, thus they experience color most strongly in the blue and green ranges. According to the author, other colors such as red, yellow and orange might look different to them only in degrees of brightness. For people this would compare to how colors appear at dusk, immediately before nightfall.
A veterinary clinic employee we spoke with said to remind our patron that the feel in the pet’s mouth and the smell have strong effects on their selection of a toy. The clinic employee suggested that we look also at the website of Veterinary Vision Inc. Animal Eye Specialists [www.veterinaryvision.com]. The site has a page titled What Do Dogs and Cats See? Here it says that new behavioral studies reveal that dogs may be able to distinguish the color blue, but have trouble differentiating between red and green.
Though the information from these two sources was somewhat conflicting, our patron found it to be interesting and is planning on presenting different colored toys to her dog to see if he truly has a color preference. Library staff members thought they would have to try this with their own dogs to see if they would respond strongly to specific colors.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Are There Statistics of Shootings by People With Concealed Carry Permits?
“A group I belong to is discussing whether or not to allow people who have concealed carry permits to carry their weapons in our building. Are there any statistics of shootings by people while carrying concealed?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff is aware that the process and regulations for getting a permit are quite strict; they are not readily familiar with incidences of misuse.
To find the most current information, we began our search online. The MSNBC article, Record numbers licensed to pack heat. Millions obtain permits to carry concealed guns by Mike Stuckey [www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34714389/ns/us_news-life], says there “are a record 6 million” licensed concealed-gun carriers. The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action’s Fact Sheet Right-to-Carry 2010 [www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?id=18&issue=003] is filled with information about the right to carry. It includes a link to Florida Division of Licensing, Monthly Statistical Report that states that “Florida has issued more carry permits than any state (1.7 million), but revoked only 167 (0.01 percent) due to gun crimes by permit-holders.”
Further searching took us to the Ohio Attorney General’s website, www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Enforcement/Concealed-Carry/Concealed-Carry-Statistics. This site has a wealth of information about the topic including annual and quarterly concealed carry statistics. In 2009 199,423 people had permanent licenses and an additional 11,989 were issued in the first quarter of 2010. Licenses may be suspended if the bearer is arrested or charged with certain offenses or subject to protection orders. The licenses may be reinstated if the charges are dismissed or if the owner is found not guilty. In 2009, 596 were suspended; first quarter 2010, 172 were suspended. Licenses are revoked if the holder moves out of state, dies, decides not to hold the license any longer, commits and is convicted of a disqualifying crime, or becomes subject to the law’s restrictions on mentally ill people or those considered drug or alcohol dependent. In 2009, 378 were revoked; first quarter 2010, 52 were revoked. The reports do not specify if any of the suspensions or revocations were due to incidents of shootings.
The Violence Policy Center’s website, www.vpc.org/ccwkillers.htm, has statistic and “vignettes describing the circumstances for each killing, listed by state.” Nationwide from May 2007 to June 30, 2010 there were 9 law enforcement officers and 166 private citizens killed by concealed handgun permit holders. There have been 10 cases in Ohio involving the shooting of 16 people. Pending cases include one negligent homicide, one involuntary manslaughter, and two cases of murder. Convictions were given in one voluntary manslaughter, the murder of a police officer and the murder resulting in three deaths and two individuals wounded. There was also one suicide and two murder/suicides.
Our patron felt he had enough information for their group to make an informed decision.
To find the most current information, we began our search online. The MSNBC article, Record numbers licensed to pack heat. Millions obtain permits to carry concealed guns by Mike Stuckey [www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34714389/ns/us_news-life], says there “are a record 6 million” licensed concealed-gun carriers. The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action’s Fact Sheet Right-to-Carry 2010 [www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?id=18&issue=003] is filled with information about the right to carry. It includes a link to Florida Division of Licensing, Monthly Statistical Report that states that “Florida has issued more carry permits than any state (1.7 million), but revoked only 167 (0.01 percent) due to gun crimes by permit-holders.”
Further searching took us to the Ohio Attorney General’s website, www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Enforcement/Concealed-Carry/Concealed-Carry-Statistics. This site has a wealth of information about the topic including annual and quarterly concealed carry statistics. In 2009 199,423 people had permanent licenses and an additional 11,989 were issued in the first quarter of 2010. Licenses may be suspended if the bearer is arrested or charged with certain offenses or subject to protection orders. The licenses may be reinstated if the charges are dismissed or if the owner is found not guilty. In 2009, 596 were suspended; first quarter 2010, 172 were suspended. Licenses are revoked if the holder moves out of state, dies, decides not to hold the license any longer, commits and is convicted of a disqualifying crime, or becomes subject to the law’s restrictions on mentally ill people or those considered drug or alcohol dependent. In 2009, 378 were revoked; first quarter 2010, 52 were revoked. The reports do not specify if any of the suspensions or revocations were due to incidents of shootings.
The Violence Policy Center’s website, www.vpc.org/ccwkillers.htm, has statistic and “vignettes describing the circumstances for each killing, listed by state.” Nationwide from May 2007 to June 30, 2010 there were 9 law enforcement officers and 166 private citizens killed by concealed handgun permit holders. There have been 10 cases in Ohio involving the shooting of 16 people. Pending cases include one negligent homicide, one involuntary manslaughter, and two cases of murder. Convictions were given in one voluntary manslaughter, the murder of a police officer and the murder resulting in three deaths and two individuals wounded. There was also one suicide and two murder/suicides.
Our patron felt he had enough information for their group to make an informed decision.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Is My Home a 'Kit' House?
“I believe my home on Broad Street is a ‘kit’ house. I don’t think it is an Aladdin, Craftsman, or Montgomery Ward home. Do you have any information about kit homes built in Newton Falls in the 1920s?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff had also heard that some homes in town were this type.
The books Houses by Mail: a guide to houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company by Katherine Cole Stevenson, H. Ward Jandl and Small Houses of the Twenties: the Sears, Roebuck 1926 house catalog are interesting and may be borrowed through our shared TiPL (Trumbull Independent Public Libraries] catalog, but unfortunately do not list where all the homes were built.
A general online search resulted in listings of some of the numerous companies that manufactured kit homes. The names the library staff found are: Aladdin, Bennett, Brick, E.W. Stillwell, Fenner, Garlinghouse, Gordon-Van Tine, Harris, Henry Wilson, Hodgson, J. W. Lindstrom, Jud Yoho, Lewis/Liberty, Lustron, Montgomery Ward, National, Pacific, Radford, Sears Roebuck, Standard, Sterling, Wardway, and Ye Planry.
Sears Catalog Homes -- Hudson Valley NY How to Identify a Sears Kit House [www.inspectapedia.com/SearsHouses.htm] has valuable information of what details to look for to determine if it is a Sears Roebuck home. There is also a list of some of the other prominent kit home manufacturers. The Arts and Crafts Society [http://www.arts-crafts.com/] has a great deal of information as well, including a forum involving people seeking to identify kit homes and an article Do You Have a Sears Kit Home? Tips for Identifying Sears Catalog Houses. Antique Home [http://www.antiquehome.org/] is also a useful resource featuring some homes which are quite large with beamed ceilings, wainscoting, and built in china cabinets. Examining some of the plans on this website, it appears that the foursquare style is similar to many of the older homes in Newton Falls.
In our Local History Room, where there is an interesting display of home building tools formerly belonging to early 20th century local contractor Mr. Nicholas Risko, we spoke with our volunteer who contacted the Risko family. None of the Newton Falls homes he built were kits. At present we only have information about two kit homes in town, neither of which is on Broad Street and both were manufactured by Montgomery Ward. Anyone having information about kit homes in our community, please contact Carol Baker at the library or by email carolbaker@newtonfalls.org. We would love to assist our patron as well as preserve the history of these homes in Newton Falls.
The books Houses by Mail: a guide to houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company by Katherine Cole Stevenson, H. Ward Jandl and Small Houses of the Twenties: the Sears, Roebuck 1926 house catalog are interesting and may be borrowed through our shared TiPL (Trumbull Independent Public Libraries] catalog, but unfortunately do not list where all the homes were built.
A general online search resulted in listings of some of the numerous companies that manufactured kit homes. The names the library staff found are: Aladdin, Bennett, Brick, E.W. Stillwell, Fenner, Garlinghouse, Gordon-Van Tine, Harris, Henry Wilson, Hodgson, J. W. Lindstrom, Jud Yoho, Lewis/Liberty, Lustron, Montgomery Ward, National, Pacific, Radford, Sears Roebuck, Standard, Sterling, Wardway, and Ye Planry.
Sears Catalog Homes -- Hudson Valley NY How to Identify a Sears Kit House [www.inspectapedia.com/SearsHouses.htm] has valuable information of what details to look for to determine if it is a Sears Roebuck home. There is also a list of some of the other prominent kit home manufacturers. The Arts and Crafts Society [http://www.arts-crafts.com/] has a great deal of information as well, including a forum involving people seeking to identify kit homes and an article Do You Have a Sears Kit Home? Tips for Identifying Sears Catalog Houses. Antique Home [http://www.antiquehome.org/] is also a useful resource featuring some homes which are quite large with beamed ceilings, wainscoting, and built in china cabinets. Examining some of the plans on this website, it appears that the foursquare style is similar to many of the older homes in Newton Falls.
In our Local History Room, where there is an interesting display of home building tools formerly belonging to early 20th century local contractor Mr. Nicholas Risko, we spoke with our volunteer who contacted the Risko family. None of the Newton Falls homes he built were kits. At present we only have information about two kit homes in town, neither of which is on Broad Street and both were manufactured by Montgomery Ward. Anyone having information about kit homes in our community, please contact Carol Baker at the library or by email carolbaker@newtonfalls.org. We would love to assist our patron as well as preserve the history of these homes in Newton Falls.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)