[OPLINLIST] State Library of Ohio Approves $100, 000 LSTA Grant to Address Shortage of Digital Talking Books Titles

[Marsha McDevitt-Stredney]

Please excuse multiple postings...

 

State Library of Ohio Approves $100,000 LSTA Grant to Address Shortage
of Digital Talking Books Titles

 

The State Library of Ohio board recently awarded a $100,000 Institute of
Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Library Services and Technology Act
(LSTA) <http://oh.webjunction.org/ohlsta>  federal grant to the
Cleveland Public Library to expand the Ohio Library for the Blind and
Physically Disabled (OLBPD) <http://olbpd.cpl.org/>  collection of
digital books. The grant will be used to purchase specialized Digital
Talking Book supplies and equipment to be used for increasing the
quantity and selection of digital books currently available for
borrowing. All users of the OLBPD service have learning, physical or
visual disabilities which prohibit them from using standard print
reading materials. The OLBPD provides books and reader services to
registered users while the State Library of Ohio provides specialized
Talking Book player machines. "The State Library of Ohio remains
committed to ensuring that all Ohioans have reading material to enjoy,"
said State Librarian Jo Budler.

 

This summer, following years of planning and development, the National
Library Service (NLS) <http://www.loc.gov/nls/>  started the transition
from talking book analog tape machines to digital talking book player
machines. The new machine has a USB port and uses flash drives in
specialized cartridges that are easy to handle and have enough surface
space for print and Braille labels.  "We have received 430 digital
players and all of them have been sent to patrons. Starting this month
we will receive 500 per month. It will be approximately 20 months before
all registered users have a new digital player," said Jim Buchman, Head,
Patron & Catalog Services. Veterans have highest priority for requesting
the players.  "Although NLS is supplying an adequate number of digital
talking book machines to meet users' needs, digital books are in short
supply." Budget constraints have delayed the production of digital
books.  As of September 1, 2009, the OLBPD received 154 digital books
from NLS for patron use, although the quantity of digital titles
continues to grow.

 

Concerned about the limited number of titles available for borrowing,
the State Library of Ohio came up with a temporary solution and began
downloading selected titles from the NLS Braille and Audio Recording
Download (BARD) website. "When we realized that the digital talking book
machines would be available for distribution but that the digital titles
were lacking in number, we devised a plan to create some digital content
on flash drives that we had in storage so we might fill the gap,"
explained Budler. The small physical size of a flash drive requires a
creative labeling process. The State Library records the books onto
flash drives and attaches a name badge holder with the book title. Then
OLBPD attaches a sticker onto the name badge holder with the title in
Braille and adds the books to the OLBPD catalog
<http://olbpd.cpl.org/index.php?q=node/17/>  for borrowing.

 

Although the State Library's temporary solution has been a success, the
collection of digital books remains grossly insufficient for needs of
approximately 18,000 individuals and over 1,000 institutions using the
service. With this in mind, an LSTA proposal was developed by OLBPD and
the State Library of Ohio to escalate production through the purchase of
bulk supplies and equipment to download and reproduce a greater number
of books quickly.  "The LSTA grant will help to better serve all Ohioans
with print disabilities by providing them with an adequate selection of
books on digital cartridges," said Cleveland Public Library Director
Felton Thomas.

 

"The State Library is pleased to assist the Ohio Library for the Blind
and Physically Disabled during this time of transition. We believe that
this use is a good match for LSTA funds," said Budler. The State Library
of Ohio Board approved the $100,000 LSTA grant for Cleveland Public
Library OLBPD to purchase 10,000 512 MB and 2,600 1GB digital player
cartridges; 13,000 mail containers; 20,000 cartridge labels; 2 Braille
printers to emboss the cartridge labels and 2 printer stands & hoods, 2
USB copy centers; laser print cartridges; and 2 printers with stands.  

 

 

 

 

 

Marsha McDevitt-Stredney

Marketing & Communications Director

274 E. 1st Avenue

Columbus, OH 43201

Tel: 614-644-6875

Fax: 614-466-3584

www.library.ohio.gov

 

 

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