ASHLEY TERRY
Residents who have trouble reading due to various disabilities now have a new way to catch up on the latest James Patterson or Freida McFadden bestseller — and it’s all free through the Azle Memorial Library.
Adult Services Librarian Rebecca Buchanan said the library recently became a demonstration site for the Texas Talking Book Program — a free library service for individuals of any age who cannot read standard print due to a visual, physical or reading disability.
“I found out about this program through the Texas Library Association,” Buchanan explained. “The Texas State Library and Archives Commission presented an information session about the Texas Talking Book Program … and I just thought, ‘Why have we not heard about this more?’ — so that's how I got us to be a demonstration site.”
The Texas Talking Book Program provides participants with a free Digital Talking Book Machine and access to the Braille and Audio Reading Download mobile app. Participants who are legally blind may also receive a Refreshable Braille Display.
“You can keep that machine (DTBM) for the duration of when you're needing the service. If this is a temporary thing while you're adjusting from a surgery or something, or if this is a lifelong need, that machine is yours to keep and use for the duration of your participation in the program,” Buchanan said. “To keep your account active, you do need to borrow at least one book or magazine yearly.”
Buchanan said the DTBM is “really user-friendly,” with braille labels, bookmarking, a headphone jack and adjustable narration speed, volume and tone.
“The cool thing about these books that play on the cartridges is there's no moving parts, so there's no cassette tape to break or malfunction, and the touch buttons control the functions of the machine,” she said.
Digital book cartridges for the DTBM are sent by mail upon request and can contain up to three books that are read by human volunteers — not AI.
“All the materials are read by real human beings,” Buchanan said. “These are all volunteers who go to the recording studios in their local state or in Washington, D.C. They're just volunteering their time to make things accessible to other people.”
Since 1931, the TBP has participated as a regional library of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, which contracts with narrators to record both books and magazines. While volunteers record about 40 books a year, narrators in Texas also record three magazines — Texas Monthly, Texas Highways and Texas Parks and Wildlife — that TBP participants can also access.
The NLS for the Blind and Print Disabled catalog contains more than 300,000 catalog records for talking books, braille books, music scores, magazines and other accessible materials.
“I know our Texas State Library has accessible games as well, so they have scaled down versions of The Game of Life or Sorry that are easier to play for people who have visual disabilities,” Buchanan said. “The only thing they do not have are textbooks, but new materials are added daily.”
Readers can select from 175,000 books and more than 70 magazines. The collection has both fiction and nonfiction categories such as bestsellers, mysteries, Westerns, science fiction, romance, fantasy, history, biography, cookbooks, how-to and nutrition.
Books, magazines and games can be checked out on cartridges for 60 days and the loan period begins as soon as the item leaves the library. Books can be renewed once, while Braille and large-print magazines can either be kept or recycled.
While participants can access reading materials through the DTBM or the Refreshable Braille Display, the BARD app is another option that allows users to download books and magazines directly to their smartphones, tablets or computers. Unlike traditional library apps like Libby, BARD has no restrictions on how many books can be checked out at one time — and there are no waiting lists.
“You can have unlimited books. It’s amazing because there's no wait, there's no limit on how many books you can have out, there's no due dates and there's no overdue notices (with BARD). You can just browse, download and go,” Buchanan said. “The really cool thing is that it has popular new releases. You don't have to wait for James Patterson's book to become available on Libby. You don't have to wait for ‘Theo of Golden,’ which is flying off our shelves right now … I think we have 24 people waiting for that book right now, so this is great if you do qualify to use this service.”
To use the TBP, individuals must complete an application, sign an agreement and have the form signed by a professional or other certifying authority who can attest that they qualify for the program. A certifying authority can include a doctor, nurse, therapist, educator or even a librarian.
Texas residents may qualify if they are blind or visually impaired, have a reading disability such as dyslexia or have a physical disability that makes it difficult to hold or manipulate a book.
After completing an application, individuals can either fax it to 512-936-0685, email it to [email protected] or mail it to the Talking Book Program at the Texas State Library & Archives Commission, P.O. Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711-2927. An employee with the TBP will contact the individual by phone and help them set up their account.
To learn more about the Texas Talking Book Program, visit tsl.texas.gov/tbp. Locals can also visit the Azle Memorial Library to fill out an application, try out the digital audio player and see a cartridge demonstration.
