&4TURD:... .._. .,.1958_.THE.MICHGAN'DAIL 'P LG, PRINTED WORDS TO SOUND: Electronic Reader New Aid for Blind r ar I s * * * Camp By EVA SIMON A new world of literature is be- ing opened for the blind by the S electronic pencil, which translates printed words into sound. No larger than a woman's hand- bag,tthe compact, portable instru- ment may enable the blind to read printed matter that is not avail- able in Braille or on records. The pencil was designed three years ago by Vladimir K. Zwory- kin, who also invented the tele- vision tube. The Bureau of Psy- chological Services of the Univer- sity Institute for Human Adjust- ment has been doing psychologi- cal research on it since November, 1948; at the request of the Com- mittee on Sensory Devices of the National Research Council. Ten of the readers have been built. Two are now behind the Iron Curtain, another in England, a and the remaining seven in the United States, according to Mrs. Wilma Donahue, research psy- chologist of the Institute for Hu- man Adjustment. The instrument is operated by holding a pencil-like stylus, with a light at the tip, over the printed letter. The vertical lines of print are picked up by the stylus and transformed into sound. The sound is heard by means of a small earphone, similar to a hearing aid. * * * LETTERS are identified by the pitch of the sound, which varies according to the part of the light affected by the print. Each letter has its own pitch pattern, somewhat like a code sig- nal, which the blind person must learn to identify. The main drawback of the elec- tronic pencil is that its speed at present is limited to 40 to 50 five- letter words a minute. This pre- cludes the possibility that it will replace Braille in the foreseeable future, Mrs. Donahue pointed out. Though the average person who uses Braille reads no faster than 60 to 70 words a minute, she ex- plained, the potential speed of a Braille reader is much higher. Band Concerts Will Continue Today at Hill The parade of top-flight bands- men will continue at the second Symphony Band concert at 8 p.m. today, Hill Auditorium. Highlighting the current four- day American Bandmasters Asso- ciation convention will be the ba- ton wielding of such favorites as Edwin Franko Goldman and Per- cy Grainger. Songs by the University Choir, under the direction of Prof. May- nard Klein, are also on the pro- gram. a * DR. GOLDMAN, a legendary figure in the field of band music both as composer and conductor, has more than 90 marches and 42 years of conducting to his credit. His famous "Goldman Band" is a perennial favorite for its New York "concerts-in-the- parks." In tonight's performance, Dr. Goldman will direct the Symphony Band and the University Choir in "Apotheosis from Grand Sympho- ny for Band." J. J. RICHARDS, conductor of the Long Beach, Calif., Municipal Band, will be on the podium for the concluding number - Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever." The concert is free of charge and open to the public. Typewriters For Grad Use Graduate students who need to use a typewriter, but don't own one, are welcome to use those now placed in the ante-room of the Graduate School Office, Mrs. Lois M. Beltran, house director of Rackham Building, announced yesterday. They will be available from 8 to 12 a.m. and from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. every weekday, according to Mrs. Beltran. The Graduate School Council has obtained .these typewriters on a loan from Dean Sawyer, she ex- plained. "If the demand is great enough, Graduate Council will buy its own typewriters for student use," she said. Theatre Trip Time Buses for the Michigan Union theatre trip to Detroit today will leave the side of the Union at 12:30 p.m., according to staffman Jim Callison, '50. * * * * -Daily-Alan Reid READING AURALLY-Jack Wilcox, Grad., reads a children's story, using the electronic pencil, while Mrs. Ruth Kelly, psycholo- gist, checks his accuracy. Jack began learning to read more than a year ago, and has been practicing about three or four hours a week. He can read 45 words a minute with 100 per cent accuracy, which is the approximate speed limit of the instrument. * * * * 'oko Present Buildinr Houses 800,000 Usefu Volumes Not just a place to get out of the rain - as public opinion would have it - the General Library is really a storehouse for one of the biggest University-owned collection of books. More than 1,400,000 volumes are stored in the main building and its 20 subsidiaries, 800,000 in the Library itself. The present building was erected between 1917 and 1919, and dedicated January 7, 1920. Construction involved removing the old twin staircases, one for coeds, one for men, and the carefully divided study hall. During this time students studied in a newly-constructed stack. The old segregation system seems to have broken down in the cramped quarters behind the circulation desk. The card catalogues were moved from the old to the new par at least three times, and the staff in charge of these files spent much of their time just trying to find its office. AT THE TIME OF ITS completion, the University population wa about 6,000 and wild estimates at growth said a 10,000 enrollmen might be expected. In 1950 with enrollment just double what was predicted then, remnants of the old building may still be seen. Climbing out on the roof, the old stack section looms up clearly between the three new wings. This original section was not demolished because of excessive cost. Up in the attic above the old section, the out-dated, maple beams are still holding up the roof. But change and time have left their mark. The hordes of students who make their appearance around the fifth, eighth and fourteenth weeks of each semester have worn down the marble stairs so- that the treads have had to be turned. Floures cent lights have replaced the old, overhanging chandeliers. And the library staff has trebled since its first days. THE PLANT ITSELF is an intriguing combination of machin ery, books and personnel. Gadgets like the conveyor belt with its in tricate controls, carefully calculated loads and questionable efficien cy and the buzzers, telephones and pneumatic tubes which connec the widely separated stations in the stacks, would fascinate even th non-mechanical. The bindery is a spot worthy of more appreciation. Every University book as need arises is processed through the large, well-lighted basement room which holds equipment for every type of book-binding from the rare books of the Clements Lib- rary and Michigan Historical Collections, to the regular routine jobs of rebinding well-used research volumes. As for books themselves, the library offers the widest possible collection. Books in every language, printed on everything fron sheepskin to papyrus, on every subject from Hindhu mythology ti horse-racing can be found in the reading rooms, stacks and branches of the General Library. THE LIBRARY COLLECTION is still growing at a rate of 30,to 40,000 volumes annually. Books are purchased with .department funds and a special library fund under Warner G. Rice, Director of the Library. And private donations keep pouring in. With one of the largest circulations in the country, the Genera Library is serving Michigan students with good books, after a shor wait. * * * -* The electronic reader, however,'4 will enable the blind to read out- side the restricted area that has been reproduced in Braille or on records, she commented. * * * MANY difficulties are involved For instance, several groups of letters, such as "e," "s" and "x", sound so much alike that they are almost impossible to distinguish. Another difficulty is that the blind person, to hear the'correct signals, must hold the stylus di- rectly perpendicular to each let- ter. To overcome this difficulty while the system is being taught, lessons are given first on records, and then using a kymograph, a machine which automatically holds the stylus in the correct po- sition. After this, the manipulation of the stylus is not too difficult to teach, because the blind person will hold it in a position which will give him the signals to which he is accustomed. After 25 hours of recorded les- sons, subjects are able to recognize 190 words, individually or in sent- ences. They can also identify all the letters of the alphabet, so that they can figure out new words. Capital letters and punctuation are taught later, in context, to make the learning process easier. Variations in type make some difference in the signals, relayed by the pencil. How serious these differences are will be determined in future phases of the research, according to Mrs. Donahue. STARTING THE BALL ROLLING-Jack Ripstra, Grad., hands in a book request at the desk to Mary W. Stauch, library assistant who will send the request down a pneumatic tube to one of the three stack stations. GLASSES TO GLOVES: Lost and Found Department Overflowing With Articles Lost something lately? The Uni- versity's lost and found depart- ment, on the second floor of the Administration Building is "over- flowing" again, Mrs. Aileen Stout, in charge of the department, re- ports. "Few persons realize the num- ber of items we receive," Mrs. Stout declared in explaining the department's operation. There are from 50 to 75 pairs of leather gloves, she added, to say nothing of four boxes of silk, woolen, and figured scarves. Miss Elaine Schmid, assistant, said that most of the articles are turned in by University janitors, although students bring in a few items. THEY ARE then tagged with the date they were brought in and where they were found, Miss Schmid continued. If an article has not been claimed at the end of two months, it is either returned to the person who brought it in or sent to a department where it will be disposed of advantage- ously. Clothes are usually sent to the l University Hospital, she said, while glasses go to the Health Ser- vice. * * * MRS. STOUT explained that the department is quite strict on "who claims what." When some- one comes in, he is asked for a complete description of the article, and "approximately where and when" it was lost, she asserted. Then he must sign a "release check" before the item is turned over to him. Purses and billfolds usually contain identification,!she said, so the department can call the owner. From eight to 10 persons claim articles on an average day, Mrs. Stout stated, but it often runs up to 20 or 25 on "special occasions." ALL SORTS of things are brought in, Miss Schmid added. In winter, it's mostly boots, gloves, and scarves; but in the summer, books and briefcases are a "prime favorite." There is also an assortment of slide rules, pipes, tobacco, and ci- garette lighters, Miss Schmid re- marked, plus jewelry, rings, and watches, some of which are very valuable. Articles "pile up" so fast that the department does not Ngve room for them anymore, Mrs. Stout said, adding that a "house- cleaning" is in order every two months. The department is open from eight to five o'clock every week day, she added, and "custo- mers" are always welcome. The University's first endow- ment was two townships of land set aside by an act of Congress in 1826. The lands were sold and the proceeds-about $500,000-are on deposit with the state. OVER THE TOP-Above the old stick section, the conveyor system carries books out to the cir- culation desk. This intricate contraption was built by the plant department when the new wings were added, and has served faithfully, with constant repairs, since that time. A DAILY PHOTO FEATU RE Story by WENDY OWEN Pictures by ED KOZMA DISCOVERY-Rose Grace Fouchet, of the library staff, finds a long, lost Sears-Roebuck catalogue in the West Attic. This area has long been famed for its extension cord, one bulb lighting system, but progress has placed several more lights on the ceiling. I ACTION BEHIND THE SCENES-At the third stack station, Marion Birkenmeier, '52, student stack assistant, receives a book slip and prepares to ransack the files in search of the requested volume. coming Mlarch 17 ART coming March 17 .------~---DRAMA coming March 17 -_DANCE coming 'March 17 {. .. . ; ,,r ::: .:.".. ..