About the Collection
The collection of talking and braille books covers a wide range of interests.
The national collection includes the following formats:
A talking book is the complete text of a print book recorded by a professional narrator on cassette or on a digital cartridge.
A braille book contains the entire text of a print book embossed in braille.
Many braille titles are now available directly from Internet files.
Web-Braille is a service that provides electronic files of braille books, magazines, and music to individuals registered with cooperating libraries. More information about this service is available in the National Library Service fact sheet Web Braille.
A print/braille book combines the complete print book (text and illustrations) with the braille text on clear sheets which overlay each page, allowing blind and sighted readers to enjoy the book together.
The collection includes topics similar to those offered by a public library, including popular fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. Examples
of reading interests include:
Fiction:
Bestsellers
Suspense
Animal Stories
Classics
Science Fiction
Frontier/Pioneer Stories
Modern Novels
Fantasy
Sports Stories
Westerns
Short Stories
Award-Winning Books
Romance
Historical Novels
Series Books
Mysteries
Family Stories
Children's Literature
Nonfiction:
Bestsellers
Suspense
Animal Stories
Classics
Science Fiction
Frontier/Pioneer Stories
Modern Novels
Fantasy
Sports Stories
Westerns
Short Stories
Award-Winning Books
Romance
Historical Novels
Series Books
Mysteries
Family Stories
Children's Literature
Let’s Talk Books!
The collection of talking and braille books includes many titles popular
with book clubs, book discussion groups, and community-wide reading programs.
Book discussion groups, whether in person at a library or bookstore, or online, offer the opportunity to exchange thoughts and views about various aspects of the books selected, such as theme, character, and message.
Talking book and braille readers are welcome to contact Voices of Vision
to ask whether a local book club selection is available on talking book or
in braille.
Magazines
About 80 popular magazines are available on recorded cassette;
over 30 are available in braille. These magazines are provided as free subscriptions. A listing and order form may also be requested from
Voices of Vision.
Finding and Ordering Books
There are several ways to locate and order talking and braille books:
Catalogs and Reader Advisory Service
Talking book and braille readers receive bi-monthly catalogs of newly released books (Talking Book Topics or Braille Book Review) as well
as yearly catalogs. All catalogs contain checklist order forms. Talking
book and braille readers are welcome to contact Voices of Vision to
check on books by author, title, or subject.
Online Help
The Illinois online catalog is available to search the catalog and find out what books are available from the Illinois collection. Anyone may browse this catalog, but if registered talking book patrons want to order books online, they must contact a Readers’ Advisor at the Talking Book Center
for a user I.D. and password.
http://webopac.klas.com/ilbph
The online catalog of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) is available to search the national
collection. Online ordering is not available on the NLS catalog;
however, readers may contact the Talking Book Center to request
books found on the NLS online catalog.
NLS BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download)
NLS BARD is a free service from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
for registered Talking Book Patrons with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
BARD offers online access to downloadable digital audio books and magazines via the Internet.
For more information and to register, visit:
https://nlsbard.loc.gov
To use BARD to download books to use in the NLS digital player, you will need:
- A high-speed Internet connection (Dial-up service will not work.)
- An email address
- A standard 1 GB flash drive or larger, also known as a thumb or travel drive.
Avoid a flash drive with U3 technology. NLS suggests purchasing a digital cartridge
from Perkins Products or American Printing House for the Blind. You will also need a USB cable.
- Knowledge of navigating the Web, filling out online forms, downloading large items, and unzipping files. A friend or relative could also do this for you.
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