OPAL Announces October Programs!
OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries) is pleased
to announce the following online web-based programs
for October.  Check the website at
http://www.opal-online.org/programs.htm for further
information and links to these programs.  All programs
are free and no pre-registration is necessary.  To
participate in a program, all you need is an Internet
connection, sound card and speakers.  You can interact
with others in the online meeting rooms with a pc
microphone or text chat.  For more information on
programs, contact:  Tom Peters, OPAL Coordinator at
[log in to unmask] or Lori Bell at
[log in to unmask]
·       Wednesday, October 13, 2004 beginning at 8:00 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time, 7:00 Central, 6:00 Mountain,
and 5:00 Pacific:
The Meting of the Minds Online Book Discussion Group
will be discussing the book To America: Personal
Reflections of An Historian by Stephen Ambrose. In
this 2002 bestseller Ambrose intersperses his personal
story with reflections on American history. His topics
include the transcontinental railroad, World War II,
Native Americans, Vietnam, civil rights, and women's
rights. Also describes well-known persons such as
Washington, Lincoln, Lewis and Clark, Nixon, and
Eisenhower.
RC 55747, 2 cassettes, read by John Polk.
·       Tuesday, October 19, beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Daylight Time, 1:00 Central, noon Mountain, and 11:00
a.m. Pacific:
T.S. Eliot's "Four Quartets". Join the LBPH Poetry
Group for a casual poetry discussion and readings from
"Four Quartets." This program is part of the LBPH
Cyber-Dialogue Series sponsored and conducted by the
Cleveland Public Library's Library for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped. Note: This program will last
approximately two hours.
·       Wednesday, October 20, beginning at 2:00 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time, 1:00 Central, noon Mountain,
and 11:00 a.m. Pacific:
Sounds of LC. Leaves are rustling, ghosties and
goblins are about, speeches are being made, and music
is always in the air! Join Library of Congress tour
guides for a sampling of the rich audio collections on
the web site. NOTE: This program requires RealMedia
and Windows Media Player.
·       Thursday, October 21, beginning at 11:00 a.m.
Eastern Daylight Time, 10:00 Central, 9:00 Mountain,
and 8:00 Pacific:
George Orwell's "1984". Join LBPH for an online book
discussion of George Orwell's "1984." Retired John
Carroll University Professor and "futurist" Dr. Mary
K. Howard will provide an introduction to kick-off the
discussion. For those Ohio residents needing a copy of
the book, contact LBPH at 216-623-2911 or
1-800-362-1262. This program is part of the LBPH
Cyber-Dialogue Series sponsored and conducted by the
Cleveland Public Library's Library for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped. Note: This program will last
approximately two hours.
·       Tuesday, October 26, 2004, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Eastern Daylight Time, 10:30 Central, 9:30 Mountain,
and 8:30 Pacific:
The Aging Eye. Expert guest Dennis Cioni, RN, BS, COT,
explains that is is important to understand changes
that naturally occur to our eyes and our vision as we
mature. It is equally important to be aware of changes
that might signify a more serious eye problem that
should be discussed with a qualified ophthalmologist.
This program is part of Project HEALTHY, which
provides consumer health programs of interest to
senior citizens. Project HEALTHY programs are offered
online, on CD, and on cassette for talking book
readers.
·       Wednesday, October 27, 2004 through Saturday,
October 30:
Talking Communities and OPAL are co-sponsoring a
Distance Learning Extravaganza. This live, online
education trade fair will allow you to connect to and
interact with experts in online education and virtual
librarianship. The latest technology products and
online distance education programs will be
highlighted. The Presenters and Schedule of Events
will be online as they become available.
·       Wednesday, October 27, beginning at 11:00 a.m.
Eastern Daylight Time, 10:00 Central, 9:00 Mountain,
and 8:00 Pacific:
TextHelp Workshop. Learn more about how computers and
adaptive technology can help people with learning and
reading disabilities. This program is part of the LBPH
Cyber-Dialogue Series sponsored and conducted by the
Cleveland Public Library's Library for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped. Note: This program will last
approximately two hours.
·       Wednesday, October 27, 2004 beginning at 4:00 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time, 3:00 Central, 2:00 Mountain,
and 1:00 Pacific:
eBookWorm Online Discussion Group. Our featured guest
this month will be Lori Bell, Director of the
Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center. Lori Bell is very
active in a number of innovative digital talking book,
virtual reference, and online programming initiatives
for blind and visually impaired individuals, including
MIDTB, Project HEALTHY, Project Unabridged, and
others.
The following libraries are participants of the OPAL
library cooperative programming initiative:  Alliance
Library System, Chicago Public Library Talking Book
Center; Cleveland Public Library for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped; Fondulac District Library;
Illinois State Library; Illinois State Library Talking
Book and Braille Service: Johnson County Public
Library; Library of Congress; Maine State Library
Outreach; Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center; Minnesota
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped;
Southern Illinois Talking Book Center; TAP Information
Services; and Washington Talking Book and Braille
Library




__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete - You start. We finish.
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html