Talking Book Program

    Are you unable to read standard print because of a visual, physical, or reading disability? The Talking Book Program is a FREE library service for people unable to read standard print because of a disability. The Talking Book Program (TBP) is a division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Since 1931, TBP has participated as a regional library of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a division of the Library of Congress.

    What kind of people read talking books? A man with macular degeneration reads magazines on cassettes; a woman who injured her shoulder and can’t hold a book reads short stories on flash memory cartridges; a blind man uses Braille books to read fairy tales to his three-year old daughter, just as a sighted parent would do; a high school student with low vision reads novels in large print for English class; a fifth-grader who is blind reads adventure stories tales that she downloads to her computer, transfers them to a thumb drive, and reads them on TBP’s player.

    All TBP services and the use of playback equipment are free, including return postage. Books and magazines, including Texas Highways, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Monthly, Reader’s Digest, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated come in various formats, including: downloads to a computer, transferable to a flash memory cartridge or thumb drive; and books and magazines in Braille, audio, and large print format are also available by mail. TBP has both fiction and non-fiction books in many categories including: mystery, romance, western, science fiction, history, biography, cookbooks, how-to books, and nutrition.

    Anyone with a valid Texas address and a certifiable disability is eligible to apply - veterans receive priority service.

    Click here to apply, or stop by the library and pick up the forms.  Need help?  We will gladly guide you through the process.  Happy reading!!