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Just for Librarians:
A Guide to the Talking Book Program

Internal Links
Introduction
Application Process and Eligibility
Veterans
Certifying Authorities

Demonstration Site

Book Circulation
Catalogs

Spotlight on Texas

Ordering Books
Automatic Selections

Web-Braille and other Dowload Services
Loan Period
Returning Books

Damaged or Incomplete Books

Equipment
Disability Information & Referral Center

Texas Reading Club

How TBP Can Help You

Working with Patrons Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Contact Us

Related Links
Magazines
Spotlight on Texas Books

Disability Information & Referral Center

National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped
NLS Online Catalog Voyager (formerly Web-BLND)


Introduction

The Talking Book Program (TBP), a division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), is a joint state and federal program that provides unabridged books in alternative formats for Texans of all ages who are unable to read standard print material due to visual, physical, or reading disabilities. The service, which began in 1918 when the Texas Legislature appropriated $1,000 for raised-lettering books, is free of charge and available to those who qualify (see "Application Process and Eligibility"). In 2005, TBP provided library services to more than 20,000 individuals and institutions across Texas and circulated more than 800,000 volumes.

TBP provides books on cassette tape, in braille, and in large print. TBP cassettes are recorded at a special speed to protect the copyright and provide more playing time than standard tapes and records, so TBP loans special playback equipment (cassette players) free of charge for use with books on cassette.

Most of our materials are provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a program administered by the Library of Congress. More than 80,000 titles comprise the TBP collection, which includes bestsellers (fiction and nonfiction), classics, mysteries, westerns, science fiction, children's books, biographies, and other genres. TBP does not provide textbooks. We also have Spanish-language books and have access to the NLS network for interlibrary loan requests.

Our volunteer recording studios in Austin and Midland produce an audio collection of Texana titles (books that are written by Texans or about some aspect of Texas).

In addition to providing books, TBP offers many national magazines, such as Newsweek, Reader's Digest, Sports Illustrated, Cooking Light, Ebony, National Geographic, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Parenting, and Guideposts. Not all magazines are available in all formats. Locally produced magazines available on cassette include Texas Highways, Texas Monthly, and Texas Parks and Wildlife. Magazines are provided free of charge to TBP patrons.

You may call or write TBP with your questions or requests for applications:

Talking Book Program
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
PO Box 12927 Austin TX 78711-2927
1-800-252-9605 (toll-free in Texas) 512-463-5458 (Austin area)
512-936-0685 (fax)
tbp.services@tsl.state.tx.us

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How the Talking Book Program can help you

The Talking Book Program can be instrumental in helping public libraries across Texas meet the needs of readers who have difficulty reading standard print. By distributing information about this free library service and referring prospective patrons to TBP, your library staff can give readers of all ages the opportunity to experience the joys of reading and learning through books.

TBP can also help your library meet standards mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act by offering popular books in alternative media free of charge to qualified users. We strive to provide friendly service and quality reader advisory assistance. Contact us with your questions; we will be happy to help in any way we can.

Application Process and Eligibility

In order to receive service from the Talking Book Program, interested individuals or institutions are required to complete an application form that includes an agreement that must be signed by the applicant or guardian assuming responsibility for items borrowed. Application forms for individuals are available in English and in Spanish. Nursing homes, care facilities, schools, and other institutions that serve qualified patrons should submit an institutional application. Individual application forms can be downloaded from our website and may be photocopied. If you need more copies, contact TBP anytime to request additional application forms.

Eligibility

To be eligible for TBP service, a Texan must be unable to read or use standard printed material as a result of temporary or permanent visual or physical limitations and submit a properly certified application verifying that he or she meets one or more of the federal eligibility criteria:

Blindness - Visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses or the widest diameter of visual field subtending an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees.

Visual Disability - Inability to read standard print material without additional magnification devices other than prescription glasses.

Physical Disability - Inability to read or use standard print material as a result of physical limitations, such as paralysis, extreme weakness, or missing arms or hands.

Reading Disability - Organic dysfunction of sufficient severity as to prevent reading print material in a normal manner; for this category, the certifying authority must be a doctor of medicine or osteopathy. Applications for service from individuals claiming a reading disability based on a physical handicap must establish the following facts:

  • the reading disability must be of sufficient severity to prevent reading regular or standard print material in a normal manner,
  • the cause of the disability must be physically based, that is, it must be an organic dysfunction, and
  • the person certifying the application must be medically able to judge whether the disability has a physical or organic basis.

Individuals who have the following conditions are not automatically eligible unless there is a specific accompanying visual or physical handicap:

  • learning disabilities,
  • dyslexia,
  • attention deficit disorder,
  • attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder,
  • chronic-fatigue syndrome,
  • autism,
  • functional illiteracy, or
  • mental retardation.

Veterans

By law, the Talking Book Program gives priority service to veterans of the United States armed forces who have received honorable discharges from military service. Documentation that verifies a veteran's status, such as a copy of the DD-214 form, must be submitted with the application. For further information, please call 1-800-252-9605, or send an email inquiry to tbp.services@tsl.state.tx.us with subject heading, "Veteran Status Verification."

Certifying Authorities

For most eligible people served by this program, the cause of the inability to read print material-such as blindness, paralysis, loss of arms or hands, extreme weakness, or palsy-is readily observable. In these cases, professionals in various fields related to health care, education, or rehabilitation are acceptable as certifying authorities. With persons classified as reading disabled, usually only the effect is readily apparent. The cause, when physical, lies within the central nervous system, and, under the existing regulation, this cause can be determined only by competent medical authority.
Therefore, federal regulations require the signature of a doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathy on the application to certify not only that a reading disability exists and is serious enough to prevent reading regular print material in a normal manner, but also that the identified condition has a physical basis. Nonorganic factors-such as emotional or environmental causes, intellectual or educational deficiencies, or other possible nonorganic or nonphysical causes-must be ruled out and cannot be taken into consideration. When certifying applications for service for persons with reading disabilities, certifying medical authorities are encouraged to consult with colleagues in associated disciplines.

Each application submitted to TBP must bear the original signature of a certifying authority. Documents attached to the application (even if they bear the original signature of a certifying authority), signature by stamp, signature by proxy, or a fax or photocopy of an application with an original signature will not be accepted. Please note that prospective patrons cannot certify their own applications, and certifying authorities cannot sign applications for relatives.

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Certifying Authorities for all Eligibility Criteria

  • Medical Doctor
  • Doctor of Osteopathy
  • Ophthalmologist
  • Psychiatrist

Certifying Authorities for Blindness, Visual and/or Physical Disability

  • Library Director
  • Activity Director
  • Bachelor of Social Work
  • Certified Ophthalmic Technician
  • Certified Nurse's Aide
  • Certified Physician's Assistant
  • Educational Diagnostician
  • Licensed Physician's Assistant
  • Licensed Social Worker
  • Licensed Vocational Nurse
  • Master of Social Work
  • Medical Social Worker
  • Optometrist
  • Physical Therapist
  • Professional Librarian
  • Psychologist
  • Qualified Mental Retardation Professional
  • Registered Nurse
  • School Nurse
  • Speech/Language Pathologist
  • Social Worker

Professional Staff of Hospitals, Institutions, and Public or Welfare Agencies, including:

  • Area Representative with Christian Record Services, Inc.
  • Caseworker
  • Children's Caseworker
  • Education Specialist
  • Home Teacher
  • Independent Living Caseworker
  • Independent Living Rehabilitation Caseworker
  • Nurse Practitioner
  • Optician
  • Orientation and Mobility Specialist
  • Pharmacist
  • Physician Assistant
  • Principal
  • Registered Occupational Therapist
  • Rehabilitation Specialist
  • Rehabilitation Teacher
  • Resource Teacher
  • Special Education Teacher
  • Superintendent
  • Teacher
  • Teacher for the Visually Impaired
  • Vision Itinerant Teacher
  • Vision Teacher
  • Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
  • Vocational Rehabilitation Teacher

Download Applications

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Want to become a Demonstration Site?

By providing demonstrations of Talking Book Program equipment and materials, Demonstration Sites make the Talking Book Program's services known to potential patrons who otherwise might not have been aware of them. Demonstration sites do not circulate materials or machines; rather, they show potential patrons and others what services are available. All interested parties, whether eligible for Talking Book Program services or not, may attend demonstrations, but materials and machines loaned to sites may not circulate or be used for research or recreational purposes, even by users eligible for the Talking Book Program's services.
If your institution would like to help promote the Talking Book Program of Texas, please submit a Demonstration Site Application

Book Circulation

Patrons can request books from the collection and have staff add these selections to a request file. TBP asks patrons to specify a circulation quota for each active medium; a cassette request quota, for example, controls the number of cassette-format books checked out to the patron at any given time. There is no limit on the number of books a patron can have on loan, but books must be returned on time.

Catalogs

Catalogs on various topics of interest are provided to patrons during the new patron set-up process, or upon request once patrons are registered for service. Catalogs in large print and selected other formats cover topics such as: Coping Skills, Humor, Mysteries, Pioneer and Frontier Stories, Religion and Inspiration, Romances and Love Stories, Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Short Stories. Compilations of all books produced in a given format during a particular year, such as Cassette Books 2005, also are available.

Spotlight on Texas

Spotlight on Texas is a bi-annual audio and online newsletter that informs patrons about the latest titles our volunteers have recorded. These include fiction and nonfiction with a Texas connection, as well as Spanish language titles. Patrons may also search for titles using Voyager (formerly Web-Blnd), the national collection online catalog at: http://nlscatalog.loc.gov/

Ordering Books

Staff members in TBP's Reader Services department can help patrons select books they will enjoy. Reader Consultants can search the collection by author, title, subject, and narrator. Books listed in catalogs can be ordered from TBP by telephone, by order form through the mail, via e-mail, or by fax. The Reader Services department also has a voicemail system to take messages after business hours (8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday); book orders can be called in and left on the voicemail system from 5:00 PM to 8:00 AM Monday through Friday and on weekends.

Automatic Selections

Books circulate continuously based on genre categories selected by patrons. If a patron likes to read westerns, his or her account can be tailored to send a certain number of westerns at a time, and each time a book is returned, the automatic selection program will randomly select another western for the patron.

Web-Braille and other Dowload Services

Braille readers may now read their books on the Internet thanks to a new program from the Library of Congress (LOC) called Web-Braille. Readers have access to more than 4,000 electronic Braille books, magazines, and musical scores placed on the Internet for the use of eligible Braille readers by the LOC�s National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). The books may be downloaded or read online by individuals with the necessary Braille/computer equipment. Patrons who wish to use Web-Braille must first be registered with TBP and then request Web Braille registration.

TBP also offers two additional download services to registered patrons. BARD is a free digital download service offered by NLS through TBP; it features many books and magazines in the NLS catalog. The Unabridged Project is a subscription service provided by TBP that offers downloadable books, including K-12 offerings. Please contact the Reader Services department at 1-800-252-9605 for more information about these services and how to register for them.

Loan Period

TBP loans books to individual patrons for 45 days from the date the patron receives the book. If a patron maintains a request list of books on file or participates in the automatic selection program, each time a book on loan is returned, another item (in the same format) from the patron's request list will be sent out automatically. Of course, if books aren't returned, no new books will circulate. Registered classrooms may borrow books for 90 days if the book is being used in a school assignment. Institutional patrons (hospitals, nursing homes) may borrow books for up to 120 days..

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Returning Books

To return a book, the patron places it in the mailing container in which it arrived. The patron then reverses the mailing label on the outside of the container so that the return address is visible. If patrons return books as they are read, a steady stream of circulations will result. Patrons who return all loans at once will be without books until replacements arrive. All TBP books are mailed postage-free.

Damaged or Incomplete Books

Damaged or incomplete books should be reported to Reader Services and returned. When returning these materials, the patron should reverse the label on the container and then mark the left side of the return-mailing label with an "X" to alert staff there is a problem. Replacements usually can be mailed very quickly after the patron notifies Reader Services.

Equipment

TBP loans patrons playback equipment, which they may keep as long as they are using the service. The chart above provides descriptions of the different types of machines and accessories available. If at any time equipment is not working properly, patrons should first call Reader Services to request a replacement, then return the broken machine(s) to TBP. Equipment is shipped in boxes fitted with styrofoam packing material; patrons should save the original boxes to facilitate return of equipment. TBP cannot send empty boxes to patrons for the return of equipment. All equipment may be returned postage-free to:

Machine Lending Service
Talking Book Program
4400B Shoal Creek Blvd
Austin TX 78756-3213

Machines and Accessories Available on Loan to Patrons of TBP

Cassette Machine

  • Plays audio cassettes at 15/16 inches per second (ips) and 1-7/8 ips,
    2-track and 4-track
  • Portable
  • Equipped with a rechargeable battery and an electrical cord
  • Ten controls
  • Variable speed control that permits increasing or decreasing playback speed

Accessories

  • Extension levers (for cassette player)
  • Pillow Speakers (via NLS)
  • Amplified headphones (for hearing impaired only; via NLS)
  • Breath switch (via NLS)

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Disability Information & Referral Center

The TBP's Disability Information and Referral Center (DIRC) staff provides information related to disabilities and health conditions. Although the DIRC operates through the Talking Book Program, the staff accepts requests from both TBP and non-TBP patrons, as the Center is also a key resource for disability-related information for the state of Texas. The DIRC receives phone calls, e-mail messages, and some walk-in patrons. Persons that rely on the DIRC include individuals with disabilities and their families, teachers, counselors, researchers, and librarians. The DIRC has information and materials on a wide range of disabilities and health conditions, products, services, organizations, support groups, publications, and assistive technology. The staff utilizes an organizational database, vertical files, a reference section, a small print and audiovisual circulating collection, and the Internet to answer questions and fulfill requests. Examples of reference requests managed by the DIRC staff include:

  • I am hearing impaired and have just moved to a new city. I need to know what services are available in my new area.
  • I am teaching blind/Braille awareness to groups of elementary school children, and would like information on instructional materials and ideas for activities.
  • My son was recently diagnosed with dyslexia, and I want to learn all I can about the condition.
  • My library needs information on assistive technology for our computer system.
  • A resident at our nursing home would like to know if there are support groups for stroke patients in our area.

The print and audiovisual circulating collection of the DIRC features mainly works of nonfiction relating to specific disabilities and conditions, plus a few biographies and fiction titles. Books are circulated for a period of five weeks, while videotapes are available on loan for three weeks. The borrower pays for return postage, and fines for overdue materials are assessed. The DIRC does not have a circulating collection of descriptive movies or television shows. Examples of books currently available in the circulating collection are:

  • l Helen and Teacher: the Story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy by Joseph P. Lash.
  • Coping with Macular Degeneration by Bill G. Chapman; illustrated by George H. Pollock.
  • The LD Child and the ADHD Child: Ways Parents and Professionals Can Help by Suzanne H. Stevens.
  • Independence without Sight or Sound: Suggestions for Practitioners Working with Deaf-Blind Adults by Dona Sauerburger.
  • It's your Turn at Bat: Featuring Mark Riley by Barbara Aiello and Jeffrey Shulman; illustrated by Loel Barr (fiction title about cerebral palsy).

Records of DIRC's holdings are included in TSLAC's online catalog. http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/catalog/index.html
For more information about the DIRC, please call 1-800-252-9605, or 512-463-5458, or send an e-mail message to tbp.services@tsl.state.tx.us .

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Texas Reading Club

Each year TBP proudly participates in theTexas Reading Club Program for young readers. Because our library interacts with patrons primarily through the telephone and mail, we encourage our younger patrons who are interested in participating in the Texas Reading Club to explore the libraries in their communities as well. Typically, public libraries that participate in the Texas Reading Club are also able to provide fun, theme-related activities to promote an interest in reading. We encourage our patrons to call or stop by their public library to find out what activities are being offered and what accommodations are being made for persons with disabilities.

Our patrons participate in the Texas Reading Club by either requesting the cassette, braille, or large-print that they need to participate in theme-related activities at their public libraries.

How TBP Can Help You

The Talking Book Program can be instrumental in helping public libraries across Texas meet the needs of readers who have difficulty reading standard print. By distributing information about this free library service and referring prospective patrons to TBP, your library staff can give readers of all ages the opportunity to experience the joys of reading and learning through books.

TBP can also help your library meet standards mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act by offering popular books in alternative media free of charge to qualified users. We strive to provide friendly service and quality reader advisory assistance. Contact us with your questions; we will be happy to help in any way we can.

Working with Patrons Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Here are a few suggestions that will help you put patrons who are blind or visually impaired at ease in the library:

  1. Speak directly to the person, never through his/her companion, using normal conversational tones.

  2. When guiding him/her, offer your arm; never take the arm of the blind person. The movements of your arm will let him/her know what to expect. When going through a door or a narrow passage, move your arm with his/her hand on it around to your back. Your library patron will know to step behind you.

  3. Remember that a guide dog is a working animal. His attention should not be diverted. Do not pet the dog or speak to the dog without first getting permission from his/her master.

  4. When giving directions, explain as clearly as possible. Use the directions left or right, according to the way the patron is facing.

  5. Use words like "see" and "blindness" and phrases like "watch TV" as you would in any conversation.

  6. When showing a person who is blind to a chair, simply place his/her hand on the back of the chair. He/she will not need your help to be seated.

  7. Keep doors fully opened or completely closed; keep corridors clear.

  8. When making change in bills of more than one denomination, hand him/her the bills separately and identify each bill. This is not necessary with coins since he/she knows them by touch.

  9. If you are unsure of something, ask the patron. People who are blind or visually impaired are people first. They are individuals, and each has a different way of doing things. They will probably be glad to help you feel comfortable as you help them with their library business.

For more information on assisting patrons who are blind or visually impaired, please contact the Disability Information & Referral Center of the Talking Book Program at
1-800-252-9605 (in Texas) or 512-463-5458 (in Austin).

Talking Book Program
Texas State Library & Archives Commission
PO Box 12927
Austin TX 78711-2927
1-800-252-9605 (in Texas)
512-463-5458 (in Austin)
512-936-0685 (fax)
tbp.services@tsl.state.tx.us

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