Episode Transcript
[00:00:17] Speaker A: Greetings, readers. Welcome to the first June edition of Library News. June welcomes the start of summer, a season full of possibility, exploration, and maybe a little extra time to enjoy a good book. In this episode, we discuss summer programming, Bard top 10 nonfiction, and much more.
Another youth summer reading program is upon us and we are very excited. This year's theme is Unearth a Story. Unleash your inner explorer. Programs will be conducted virtually on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 1:45pm beginning June 8.
Join Denise Bean, our Youth Librarian for Arts on Mondays, investigation on Wednesdays and STEM Fridays.
For more information, go to IowaLibrary blog.
[00:00:59] Speaker B: Also this summer is Thrive Thursday Career Lab series where real talk meets real connections. Running from June 11 through August 6, this series is designed specifically for young adults ages 14 through 21. Whether you join us in person at the library or tune in virtually via Zoom, you'll spend your Thursdays from 2 to 4pm building a personal career toolkit. Enjoy guest speakers as they talk about their careers In June. Participants will learn about culinary arts, wellness and therapy, and entrepreneurship. For more information, go to IowaLibrary blog.
[00:01:35] Speaker C: The library is proud to announce that there is a finalist from Iowa competing in the Braille Challenge finals. Khan T is a finalist in the sophomore group. He has been invited to compete at the national finals later this month at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Participants from the 2026 season represent students from 37 US states and six Australia, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, and the United Kingdom and the United States.
Highlighting the continued global growth of the program, these students earned top scores among the 2,000 competitors who took part in this year's Braille Challenge season. Congratulations to Khan.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: The fifth stop in our 2026 Peekabox journey was London, England. London is the only city to host the Summer Olympics three times in 1908, 1948 and 2012.
Most recently, the 2012 Summer Olympics brought the world together for an unforgettable celebration of sport, culture and history.
The 2012 games Blended tradition with modern flair, from historic venues to newly built stadiums in East London.
The opening ceremony, directed by Danny Boyle, highlighted British history, creativity and humor featuring everything from the Industrial Revolution to a memorable appearance by James Bond and Queen Elizabeth ii.
Do you want to learn and read all about Olympic coast cities? It's not too late to get signed up for Peekabox. Call the library to get signed up today or go to IowaLibrary blog now
[00:03:07] Speaker B: for top 10 nonfiction books downloaded from Bard How I Lost My Vision But Found My Voice DB13 4008 by Molly Burke from social media star and change maker Molly A vulnerable, honest and darkly humorous memoir on navigating the challenges of being a blind woman in a sighted world When Molly Burke was four years old, she was diagnosed with retinous pigmentosa, a rare degenerative eye disease that leads to eventual blindness, forcing her to see the world through new eyes. Literally. Growing up disabled didn't stop her from playing sports, becoming a rock climbing instructor, or winning a beauty pageant, but other people's narrow perceptions of her held her back.
Years of relentless bullying, toxic work environments, a rodent infested apartment, and life's lowest moments were juxtaposed with red carpets, first class flights, and personal and professional achievements.
Throughout her life, Molly has learned to appreciate the duality and most importantly, she's learned the beauty of being unapologetically yourself and standing up for what you truly believe in and Unseen, Molly chronicles her journey as a disabled woman, entrepreneur and entertainer, illuminating what her experiences have taught her and what she hopes others can learn from her hardship and success.
Part memoir, part rallying cry for a more compassionate and empathetic world, Unseen recounts Molly's life and experiences fighting against the expectations society set for her, and in doing so helps readers find their own voice, inner strength and self acceptance.
Windows Screen Reader Primer all the Basics and more 3rd Edition DB 121117 by David Kingsbury this book is meant to help beginning and intermediate jaws, NVDA and Windows narrator users work more efficiently with the most important PC applications like Microsoft Office, email clients, and web browsers. These applications include the Windows operating system, the four primary Office Suite applications, Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint, and the three most commonly used web browsers, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive for desktop, the three most popular cloud based file sharing programs are also covered.
So too is Adobe Acrobat Reader for accessing PDF files and participating in scheduling and hosting Zoom meetings, appendices including a list of keystrokes, a glossary of over 100 definitions of computer related terms, academic style guide requirements for formatting Word documents, and a set of practice exercises.
New topics since the second edition include a chapter on using the most popular Google workspace applications, an introduction to artificial intelligence, and audio and video editing.
When I Fell from the sky the True story of one woman's miraculous survival DB 134795 by Julianne Koepka she was 17 years old on a Christmas Eve flight 40 years ago to join her father for Christmas when the unimaginable happened. The Lockheed L188A Electra, on the way from Lima to Pucalipa flew directly into a thunderstorm. A strike of lightning left the plane incinerated and Julianne Diller Kopika, still strapped to her plane seat, fell through the night air two miles above the earth.
Her survival is unimaginable and considered a modern day miracle.
Her mother was among the 91 dead and Julianne the sole survivor.
For 11 days she crawled and walked alone through the jungle, fighting for her survival again with hunger and despair, her only companions as maggots ate their way into her wounds. Julianne ultimately survived and went on to live an inspiring life as a scientist, continually drawn back to the terrain that threatened to take her. On the 40th anniversary, she shares not only the private moments of her survival and rescue, but but her life in the wake of the dramatic truth Story
[00:07:38] Speaker C: Ain't Nobody's fool the Life and Times of Dolly Parton DB 134275 by Martha Ekman Ain't Nobody's fool is a deep dive into the social, historical and personal forces that made Dolly Parton one of the most beloved and unifying figures in public life and includes interviews with friends, family members, schoolmates, Nashville neighbors, members of her band, studio musicians, producers and many others.
It also features never before seen photographs and unearthed documents shedding light on her family's hardscrabble life.
More than anything, Martha Ekman's fresh and animated new book proves Dolly Parton knows just who she is and she ain't nobody's Fool.
The the Story of a Band on the Run DB 134456 by Paul McCartney and Edward L. Widmer an engrossing oral history of a band that came to define a generation, Wings the Story of a Band on the Run tells the madcap story of Paul McCartney and his newly formed band from their humble beginnings in the early 1970s to their dissolution barely a decade later.
Drawn from over 500,000 words of interviews with McCartney, family and band members and other key participants, Wings recounts now with a half century's wisdom, the musical odyssey taken by a man searching for his identity in the aftermath of the Beatles breakup.
Soon joined by his wife, American photographer Linda McCartney, on keyboard and vocals, drummer Denny Sewell and guitarist Denny Lane McCartney sowed the seeds for a new band that would later provide the soundtrack of the decade.
Organized chronologically around McCartney, Ram and the Nine Wings albums, the narrative begins when a 27 year old superstar rumored to be dead, fled with his new wife to a remote sheep farm in Scotland amid a sea of legal and personal rows. Despite the harsh conditions, the Scottish setting gave McCarty time to create, and it was here where this new band emerged. Winx then follows the group as they play unannounced shows at university halls, tour in sheared off double decker busts with their children, survive a robbery on the streets of Nigeria, and eventually perform blockbuster stadium shows on their world tour, all while producing some of the most enduring music of the time.
With extraordinary recollections collected by Oscar winning director Morgan Neville and edited into a genre defining oral history by Ted Widmer, Wings transports the reader as if on a magic carpet to the grit and glamour of the 1970s.
Much Ado About Nothing a BBC Radio Shakespeare production DB134778 by William Shakespeare Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1600. It is likely to have been first performed in the autumn or winter of 1598-1599, and it remains one of Shakespeare's most enduring and exhilarating plays on stage.
Stylistically, it shares numerous characteristics with modern romantic comedies, including the two pairs of lovers, in this case the romantic leads Claudio and Hero and their comic counterparts Benedick and Beatrice.
The Cowboy and the Senorita A Biography of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans DB131873 by Howard Kazigian, Chris Ence and Roy Rogers Roy Rogers and Dale Evans ruled the west from the silver screen as the King of Cowboys and the Queen of the West.
Off screen, this husband and wife duo raised a family and lived the code of the West.
Now, in this new biography, named for their first feature film as a pair, the Rogers family shares the inside story of these beloved Western icons, detailing their personal struggles and rise to stardom, the lives of their children, the tragedies that befell their family, and their memories of Roy and Dale and Trigger and other sidekicks on the silver screen and behind the scenes.
[00:12:03] Speaker A: How to Test Negative for Stupid and why Washington Never Will DB 133873 by John Kennedy One of the most distinctive and funny politicians, Senator John Kennedy, the one from Louisiana, hailed by Politico as America's most quotable senator, offers his perspective and hilarious takes on the ridiculousness of political life and the scathingly witty takedown of Washington and its elite denizens.
How to Test Negative for Stupid offers the Senator's tongue in cheek guidebook through Washington, punctuated by his thoughts on various issues and humorous stories about life from Louisiana politics and inside the Senate.
Nobody's a memoir of surviving abuse and fighting for justice DB 133461 by Virginia Roberts Giuffre the world knows Virginia Roberts Giuffre as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's most outspoken victim, the woman whose decision to speak out helped send both serial abusers to prison, whose photograph with Prince Andrew catalyzed his fall from grace. But her story has never been told in full in her own words, until now.
In April 2025, Giuffre took her own life. She left behind a memoir written in the years preceding her death and stated unequivocally that she wanted it published. Nobody's Girl is the riveting and powerful story of an ordinary girl who would grow up to confront extraordinary adversity. Here, Giuffre offers an unsparing and definitive account of her time with Epstein and Maxwell, who trafficked her and others to numerous prominent men. She also details the molestation she suffered as a child, as well as her daring escape from Epstein and Maxwell's grasp. At 19, Giuffre remade her life from scratch and summoned the courage to not only hold her abusers to account but also advocate for other victims.
The pages of Nobody's Grill preserve her voice and her legacy forever.
53 Days on Starvation island the World War II Battle that Saved Marine Corps Aviation DB 134796 By John R. Bruning On August 20, 1942, 12 Marine Dive bombers and 19 Marine fighters landed at Guadalcanal. Their mission? Defeat the Japanese Navy and prevent it from sending more men and supplies to Starvation island, as Guadalcanal was nicknamed. The Japanese were turning the remote jungle covered mountain in the South Solomon Islands into an air base from which they could attack the supply lines between the US And Australia.
The night after the Marines landed and captured the partially completed airfield, the Imperial Navy launched a surprise night attack on the Allied fleet offshore, resulting in the worst defeat of the US Navy suffered in the 20th century, which prompted the abandonment of the Marines on Guadalcanal. The Marines dug in and waited for help as those 31 pilots and 12 gunners flew against the Japanese, shooting down 83 planes in less than two months while the dive bombers carried out over 30 attacks on the Japanese fleet. 53 Days on Starvation island follows Major John L. Smith, a magnetic leader who became America's top fighter ace for the time Captain Marion Carle, the Marine Corps first ace and one of the few survivors of his squadron at the Battle of Midway.
He would be shot down and forced to make his way back to base through 25 miles of Japanese held jungle and Major Richard Magrum, the lawyer turned dive bomber commander whose inexperienced men wrought havoc on the Japanese Navy.
[00:15:33] Speaker B: This month the State Library of Iowa is holding virtual author visits with the three authors of the All Iowa Reads selections for 2026.
These are free and open to the public, but but registration is required. First up is Kate Messner on Tuesday, June 9th at 1:30pm she is the author of the kids selection the Trouble with Heroes.
Next is Alan Eskins, author of the adult selection the Quiet Librarian. He will give his Talk on Tuesday, June 16th at 6:30pm and last but not least is TL Simpson on Wednesday, June 24th at 3:00pm he is the author of Strong like the teen selection for 2026.
All sessions will be held via Zoom and each author will be joined by a moderator to discuss their books, creative process and hear questions from attendees. Attendees will have the option to submit a question ahead of time when registering or may include a question in the chat during the event. To register for these events, go to the State Library of Iowa website at.
[00:16:51] Speaker C: The library had a great time at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market last month. Thanks to all those who stopped by to say hello. It was a great morning of spreading awareness about our library, Braille, literacy and more.
In conjunction with our Summer Reading program, our partners at the National Library Service, NLS and the Braille Institute are hosting their own virtual program with more content and guests for teens and adults wanting to unearth a story from June 15 to August 11, 2026.
If you want to take your summer reading a step further, we highly recommend adding this program to your calendar. It's an incredible opportunity to attend live Zoom webinars with authors, artists and national park rangers and other compelling voices. Plus, they are dropping immersive narrated soundscapes every other week so you can audio travel through national parks. To learn more and add this to your summer reading program journey, go to www.brailleinstitute.org summer-reading-program
[00:17:59] Speaker A: the National Library Services Many Faces of Bard program will be held Thursday, June 11th at 6pm NLS's Smart speaking to the Smart speaker will be held Thursday, June 18th at 6pm and that all May eRead will be held Tuesday, June 23rd at 6pm all programs are held via Zoom and the topics for each have not been released yet. Contact the library to get more information or go to www.loc.govnlS.
please don't hesitate to contact the library with any questions or comments at 515-281-13, 2, 3 or by email at library at Blind State IA US the library is open Monday through Friday, 8aM to 4:30pM Happy ready.
