LBPD Newsletter - May/June 2026

LBPD Guest Hour: Michael Twitty and Soul Food Month.

Michael W. Twitty is an acclaimed culinary historian, independent scholar, and living history interpreter specializing in African American foodways and the culinary traditions of Africa and its Diaspora. He is known for reconstructing historic Southern cuisine as prepared by enslaved African American cooks using period ingredients, cooking methods, and food traditions. Twitty founded Afroculinaria, one of the first major platforms dedicated to preserving historic Black food culture, and has worked with institutions including the Smithsonian, Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, and Oxford University. His award-winning book, The Cooking Gene, earned two James Beard Awards, and he was named a TED Fellow in 2016. He joins us to discuss the importance of Soul Food in Maryland. Books in the NLS collection: * The Cooking Gene (DB 88916) * Koshersoul (DB 110343, DB 110375, BR 024554)

MSLA Guest Hour: Bronwyn Mitchell-Strong

Natural History Society of Maryland Education Director Bronwyn Mitchell-Strong joined the MSLA Guest Hour to discuss the Society's partnership with Maryland libraries and its efforts to educate the public during 2026 Summer Reading and Learning Programs - and beyond.

LBPD TUG: Victor Reader

Think you have mastered your Victor Reader Stream 3? Not so fast! May's Technology User Group (TUG) meeting is pulling back the curtain on the advanced, hidden, and seriously powerful features that most users never tap into. This isn’t just another demo. It’s a hands-on, guided exploration of the Stream 3 as a reading, learning, and productivity machine. Whether you have been using the Stream for years or you’re just a novice Stream user, you will walk away with new tricks and a whole new appreciation for what this handheld device can really do. We will cover: * Organizing your life with categories for recorded notes * Pairing your Stream with TuneIn for effortless radio and * podcast listening * Unlocking new reading formats, like BRF and EPUB * Using Audible directly on your device * Exploring powerful settings that make everyday use faster * and more intuitive

LBPD Newsletter - May/June 2026

What's happening at LBPD in May and June in 2026? Find out here.

LBPD T.U.G: Double Tap

The Technology User Group (TUG) rolled out the virtual red carpet for Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, the unmistakable voices behind Double Tap, a podcast for blind and partially sighted people to talk and learn about technology. The two presenters brought a rare mix of sharp insight, quick humor, and lived experience that turned accessibility from a technical topic into something lively, relatable, and genuinely fun.