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The Talking Book Program is a free library service for people who are unable to read standard print and are blind or have a visual, physical, or reading disability. * 80,000 books and 80 magazines are in cassettes, large print, and Braille. * All services are free, including use of a cassette player and postage. * Eligible veterans receive priority service. * Funded nationally and by the State of Texas. * The Talking Book Program is a division of the Texas State Library and Archives Com- mission and part of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handi- capped, Library of Congress. For more information call 463-5458 in Austin, or 1-800-252-9605 in Texas, or visit the Web site at <http://www.texastalkingbooks.org/> www.TexasTalkingBooks.org You are invited to a presentation of the Talking Book Program at the Pauline & Jane Chilton Memorial Marlin Public Library 400 Oakes Street Marlin, Texas 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 RSVP Gail Woodward 254-883-6602 The Texas Talking Book Program is a free library service for people who cannot read standard print because of visual physical, or reading disabilities. All equipment and services are free, including postage. Eligible veterans receive priority service. The program is a division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and a member of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. Currently the Program has 20,000 readers. We send out an average of 3,600 books every weekday. Many of the readers are over 65 years old. There are even 44 who are 100 years old or older. Research shows that 1.4% of the total population is eligible. With 23 million Texans in 2004, we believe there are more than 300,000 additional Texans eligible for this service. Various people participate in this library service. One is a retired man in his 80s who has macular degeneration. He reads westerns by using cassette books. Another person is a woman a bit over 60, who can't hold a book. She reads short stories by using recorded books. A third person is a veteran who is blind yet still serves as the treasurer of an organization and reads Braille books for pleasure. Books are available in recorded cassettes, large print, and Braille books. Cassette players are loaned to readers. The players may be plugged in or operate on batteries. Adaptive devices are available to help readers with the cassette players. The program is now testing digital books and machines and will begin converting to digital books on flash memory cards in 2008. Nearly all books and magazines come from by the National Library Service. We also produce books locally. Volunteers recorded more than 90 books this year, including seven in Spanish. Volunteers in Austin and Midland also record three magazines: Texas Monthly, Texas Highways, and Texas Parks and Wildlife. Readers may select from the 80,000 books and 80 magazines mailed free directly to their home. Staff is available to suggest books and answer questions. Some of the staff speaks both Spanish and English. Applications are in both languages and some books and magazines are available in Spanish. The collection has both fiction and non-fiction such as: mysteries, westerns, science fiction, romances, history, biography, how-to books, and nutrition. We can refer readers to other organizations that offer textbooks and newspapers. The program also operates the Disability Information and Referral Center. It is available to anyone, even people not enrolled in the Talking Book Program. The Center refers people to appropriate sources to answer questions such as (1) How can I get financial aid for adaptive equipment? (2) My father is losing his eyesight. Where can he get help? (3) Where can I learn sign language? I have a student in my class who is deaf. To get started, call toll-free in Texas: 1-800-252-9605. Our Web site is www.TexasTalkingBooks.org and the e-mail address is [EMAIL PROTECTED] Laurie Mahaffey, Deputy Director Central Texas Library System, Inc. 1005 West 41st Street Austin, Texas 78756 www.ctls.net [EMAIL PROTECTED] 512-583-0704 x18 800-252-4431 x18
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