| Transition to Digital Media |
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Digital Talking Book Player
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Updates on the transition to digital media will be posted as they become available.
To the right is a picture of a digital player and book cartridge. The digital player will be about one-third of the size the the current cassette players. Books will be recorded on a single digital cartridge that runs in the digital player. There will be two versions of the digital player: basic and advanced. Initially, only basic models will be sent out. Advanced models will be available upon request at a later date. The difference between the basic and advanced models is that the user will have much more freedom of movement throught books and the ability to set bookmarks with the advanced model.
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DIGITAL TRANSITION UPDATE
April 16, 2009
Frequently Asked Questions about Digital Players
1. Do I need to return my old machine as soon as I receive the digital player?
No, definitely not. Hold on to your cassette machine until TBABS asks for it to be sent back. For the next few years, you may still want to request books that are only available on cassette.
2. How long will I have the old machine?
After getting a digital player you may have the old cassette machine for 2-3 years. After putting your name on the request list for a digital player it could be up to 1 ½ years before you receive a digital player.
3. When will I know when to return the old machine?
You will return your old machine when TBABS asks you to do so.
4. Does the digital player have a battery?
Yes, the digital player has an internal battery, just like the cassette player. However, when fully charged, the digital player’s battery will last nearly 30 hours. It will take about 4-6 hours to fully charge the digital player’s battery once it runs down.
5. How much does the new player weigh?
The digital player weighs about 2lbs.
6. How many titles will be available for the new digital player?
Initially, there will be about 20,000 titles available for the new digital player. This is compared to the 60,000+ titles currently available in cassette. In the coming years though, the digital collection will catch up as new titles are added on a regular schedule.
7. When will the players arrive?
TBABS hopes to have players available to loan to INDIVIDUAL PATRONS this fall (Sept-Oct 2009)
8. How will I know when I'm getting the digital player?
Once you have put your name on the request list, your only notification will be that one day a digital player will arrive in the mail. With nearly 5,000 individual patrons, it is impossible to send out pre-notifications to our patrons.
9. Why is it called a digital player?
The digital player is called a “digital player” because the books it plays are formatted and recorded using a digital process rather than an analog process as before with the cassettes. This allows for clearer playback sound, longer life of books, ease of play, freedom of navigation through story, and faster duplication times for satisfying patron requests.
10. What if I don't want to sign up for a digital player now?
If you choose not to sign up for a digital player at this time, you will not be part of the initial shipments that will take place over the course of the first year. Until you request a digital player, you will not receive one. TBABS will not automatically send digital players to any patron who has not expressed interest.
11. Will this work with my CDs?
No, the digital player only plays a specifically formatted book. That is a small, plastic cartridge that holds the computer file that contains the book. The digital player will, however, play one of these formatted books, or any MP3 formatted file, that has been saved to a “jump” or “flash” drive.
12. If I am using BARD and/or Unabridged, is it worth it to sign up for a DBM?
That is up to each individual patron. Having the digital player will mean that you can listen to NLS books regardless of whether or not you have access to a computer with high speed internet. However, if you are comfortably using BARD and your Victor Reader Stream and/or Unabridged and are not interested in borrowing a digital player, you will not be required to do so.
13. Tell me how it works.
The player is very exciting because it “tells” you how it works. When there is no book inserted into the player, and the player is turned on, all buttons function as tutorial buttons: each telling exactly what it does and how to use it. Other than that, the player works like any other playback device. There are buttons for play, stop, fast forward, rewind, volume, tone, speed, and power.
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DIGITAL TRANSITION UPDATE
March 4, 2009
Letters have been sent to all individual*, active patrons of Talking Books. The letter is an invitation to place a request for a digital player (when they become available). Digital players are expected to become available to TBABS in June 2009. Once you recieve the letter to join the request list, simply call the dedicated request line at 503-378-5456 or send an email to digital.tbabs@state.or.us. Only individual patrons with active accounts in good standing will be added to the request list. Common hindrances to being added to the list include overdue books, disconnected phone numbers, invalid addresses, and posession of more than one piece of NLS equipment.
*TBABS is NOT taking requests from institutional accounts (schools, care facilities, hospitals, etc.) at this time.
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UPDATE ON DIGITAL TRANSITION IN TALKING BOOKS
November 19, 2008
In 2009, Talking Book and Braille Services should begin making the switch from 4-track cassette books to digital flash-drive media. In the coming months, our patrons will receive a letter inviting them to add their names to a request list for the digital machines. After the first shipments of digital machines and books are checked in to TBABS we will begin sending the first machines out to patrons. Hopefully, TBABS will begin receiving digital players from the National Library Service in May 2009. We are obligated to send machines to our registered U.S. Veterans first which should take about two to three months. This means that the first players for our general population could be going out by September or October 2009.
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DIGITAL TRANSITION UPDATE
May 15, 2008
Letters have been sent to registered patrons of Talking Books who are also U.S. Veterans of military service. See 36 CFR 701.10 (http://www.loc.gov/nls/sec701.html). Veterans with active accounts in good standing will be added to a request list for a digital player. Digital players are expected to become available to TBABS in January 2009. A separate letter to our general population of patrons will be sent out in October 2008 and will follow the same process applied to the veterans: active accounts in good standing will be added to the request list.
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