Frequently Asked Questions

If you think Braille and Talking Book Library Services are for you, please fill out the application form. You will need to have your disability certified by a doctor, nurse, social worker, counselor, librarian or other qualified professional. Please select the Apply for Library Services link from the navigation menu to access an online application.

If you cannot see standard sized print, are unable to hold a book or turn a page, or have a reading disability, you may be eligible for library services regardless of age.

This library service is free and is supported by your tax dollars. Braille, books, magazines and equipment, provided by the Federal government through the Library of Congress, are mailed as Free Matter.

Eligibility must be certified by one of the following: doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, ophthalmologist, optometrist, psychologist, registered nurse, therapist, or professional staff of hospitals, institutions, and public or welfare agencies (such as an educator, social worker, case worker, counselor, rehabilitation teacher, certified reading specialist, school psychologist, superintendent, or librarian).

Once an application is received, we check the application for completeness and signatures.

There are many ways to order your books:

• You can call the library that serves your account to speak with a Reader Advisor and give them your selections, ask for help selecting titles you would like to read, or start an Auto-Select account.
• You can mail or email a list of books. Please ensure that your account number or your name and address are included in your order.
• You can order on our catalog website at https://flopac.klas.com; you must contact your library by telephone or email to verify your account and obtain a password.

Talking Book Topics (TBT) is a bimonthly magazine featuring the latest audiobooks in the NLS collection, available in digital audio, HTML, and large-print PDF formats. Each issue includes order forms. Find current and past issues at http://www.loc.gov/nls/tbt.

You can request Selections from TBT, a condensed large print version of the full catalog produced by the regional library. This collection includes fiction and nonfiction editions containing the library's most popular subjects and an order form. Call your library to subscribe to the mailing list.

Braille Book Review (BBR) is a bimonthly magazine highlighting new braille books in the NLS collection. Current and past issues are available online at http://www.loc.gov/nls/new-materials/braille-book-review/. It is also available in hard-copy braille and available to download from BARD and BARD Mobile. Contact your library for more information.

If you wish to receive magazines in braille or audio format, call the library at 1-800-226-6075. You can browse the list of magazines offered by NLS at https://www.loc.gov/nls/new-materials/magazines/

Descriptions make television programs, feature films, home videos, and other visual media accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired by providing descriptive narration of key visual elements in programs. If you wish to receive descriptive videos on DVDs (Digital Video Disc), call the library at 1-800-226-6075.

Books, magazines and descriptive videos are sent with reversible mailing cards. Simply turn the card over to the Library’s address. No postage is required. You drop them in any mail box or take them to the post office. Ask your local postmaster if you have a problem returning books. Please return the books as soon as you finish them.

When you receive a cartridge with multiple books on it, you can access the books in one of two ways: The Easy Way and the Bookshelf Mode.

The Easy Way

1. When you reach the very end of the book or initial instructions, press the green, rectangular Play button.
2. The machine will say, “Press the Play button again to go on to the next book.” Go ahead and press the play button again, and the machine will start playing the next book.

Bookshelf Mode (Skipping over books, etc.)

1. Insert the cartridge in the player and turn the power on by pressing the red, circular Power Button.
2. Press and hold the green, rectangular Play button for about 3 seconds until the player beeps and says “Bookshelf” and announces the number of books on the cartridge.
3. Tap the Rewind or Fast Forward button, located on each side of the green, rectangular Play button, to select the next book. The book title will be announced. To advance to the next title, just press the Fast Forward button again, or tap the rewind button again to go to the previous book.
4. Once you get to the title you want to read, press the green, rectangular Play button. The player will exit Bookshelf Mode and start playing the selected title.

Get the Update

If your player will not sequentially play multiple book titles on a single cartridge without the need to enter Bookshelf mode, you may request an upgrade cartridge by asking your reading advisor for it. It is available for request on the WebOPAC as book number FDB03944 with the title DTBM Software Upgrade. The updated firmware is available for download on the NLS public website and the BARD main page. The NLS also included the firmware to the Magazines on Cartridge system for multiple-magazine subscribers. The firmware update will not be added to mass-duplicated, single title cartridges.

Installing the Update

Insert the cartridge or USB drive containing the firmware update. The player will announce it is upgrading your player’s software. Wait until the upgrade is complete and the player restarts (about 10 seconds) and then remove the cartridge.

The Library only produces braille items for inclusion in the catalog: for books distributed to patrons, for newsletters by established blind service providers, and for magazines that are part of the NLS magazine program. We do not create items for individual ownership. According to NLS guidelines, we will take consideration requests for items not found in the catalog.

NFB-NEWSLINE is an information access service for the blind and print-disabled that carries a variety of different information and publications. Currently there are newspapers, magazines, blindness-specific publications, Spanish newspapers, breaking news publications from major networks, emergency weather alerts and forecasts, TV listings, job listings, and weekly circulars from national retailers.

There are a variety of ways to access NFB-NEWSLINE. You may listen to content over a standard touchtone telephone, which is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Many subscribers may also choose to use one of the electronic delivery methods. These include our NFB-NEWSLINE Mobile App on your iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone, or online by using your computer and our secure website. You can also have content sent directly to various digital talking book readers such as the Victor Reader Stream or the digital NLS Player from the Library of Congress.

Ask your Reader Advisor to sign you up!

If you think you may need adaptive equipment in order to benefit from Talking Book Library Services, call 1-800-226-6075 and a Reader Advisor can tell you about the adaptive equipment and accessories which are available.

If you have any questions, please call 1-800-226-6075. We are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, excluding holidays. Voice mail is available 24 hours a day if you wish to leave a message.