Greetings from Tampa,

I've a brief story to tell...
I run the Books-by-Mail program here at Tampa Public.  We mail books to
customers who, due to physical disability, cannot come to the
library.  One of those customers is moving to Texas.  He is a stroke
victim and cannot speak easily.  He communicates with me via e-mail and
orders his own books by dialing into our library database.

I contacted the Library Director in the small town in Orange County
where he will be living.  I was given a litany of reasons why they have no
comparable service...shortstaffed, not on line, small town, new on
job...etc.  She had no comment when I mentioned the ADA.

I contacted the Books-by-Mail program at Houston Public Library.  Their
service costs $40.00 a year (ours is free to our patrons).  I then talked
to a reference librarian in order to get a web address (of course, as soon
as I mentioned to word "disabled", he quickly tried to transfer me back to
Books-by-Mail - who gave me the reference librarian's number in the first
place!).  So he can dial in and search, but not place reserves (??)

It looks like my customer will be able to have library service after a
fashion.  It took me 7 phone calls and quite a bit of searching online to
find it.

My motives for telling you all of this are:
1.  I'm frustrated (and more than a little angry at the small town
librarian who refused to help.
2.  I'd like any advice the group can give me on what my customer can do
next.
3.  Anybody out there from Texas with knowledge of this type of service?
4.  It just helps to vent to like-minded folk sometimes!

(P.S.  I just read Mike Gunde's eloquent response to the Music by Mail
question and forwarded it to my customer.)

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*  Leigh Johnston Myers            *  Tampa Talking Book Library        *
*  Library Services Specialist     *  900 Ashley Drive North            *
*  (813) 273-3609, fax: 273-3641   *  Tampa  Florida  33602-3704        *
*  [log in to unmask]      *  "That All May Read"               *
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