Many people with physical disabilities use the Library of Congress Talking Book Program for recreational reading and learning. The first book I ever got from the program was on 12 inch records, played on a machine encased in wood. This was in about 1956.

Over the years, technology has changed. Those old record players are antiques now, and just like eight tracks, cassettes (and soon CDs) will be outdated.

For a number of years the Library's Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped or "National Library Services" have been exploring new ways to deliver Talking Books. I have followed this exploration, knowing cassettes were on the way out. Cassettes are the current way Talking Book users receive books. Included in the next Federal budget is a request from NLS to begin the process of changing technologies. As is usual with our government, some folks oppose this transformation.

I recently received information from the National Federation of the Blind about this issue. It is factual and well reasoned. I'll include it below, and hope you can help inform our Congress of the importance of the program to you and your friends. Talking Books are a necessity for older learners, a companion to many who are isolated, and a way for young people to experience recreational reading at its best.

Hope you can help.

Here's word from
James D. McCarthy
Director of Governmental Affairs

"I must bring you up-to-date on urgent issues regarding the Books for the Blind Program of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress and urge you to contact your members of Congress. A report from the General Accountability Office (GAO) makes false or misleading assertions about the Library’s plan to convert its recorded book collection to digital books and replace the tape players with digital talking book machines. [Below is] a letter from NFB President Dr. Maurer, which he sent to state Presidents, and a fact sheet we developed. These documents explain the incorrect assertions of the GAO report, and express the immediate need for Congress to fund the Library’s conversion program.

The Library of Congress budget request to fund the conversion program is under consideration of the Legislative Branch Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees of the House and Senate. Dr. Maurer’s letter indicates the key members of those committees and how to contact them. The House Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch conducted a March 2007 hearing in the Capitol which was well attended by Federationists....

Your help ... is essential to assure the Library receives the critical funds necessary to undertake the conversion of tapes to digital flash cartridges and to provide blind people the new players that are required. Please call the member of Congress who represents your district, and the two senators who represent your state. Tell these members that you count on Talking Books, describe their benefit to you, and explain that without the support of Congress this critical program could be lost.

As is always the case, Congress has many difficult decisions to make when developing the federal budget. Programs that do not receive public support are easy to cut or even to eliminate. The Books for the Blind Program is too important to us to permit it to face cuts during the conversion. Therefore, contacting your members of Congress is extremely essential. Remember that the Capitol switchboard can be reached at area code (202) 224-3121 or 225-3121. Also, if you are not sure of your Congressional Representative, you can learn this from the House of Representatives’ Web site at http://www.house.gov/, but note that you need your zip code, plus the 4-digit extension. To acquire your 4-digit extension, consult the United States Post Office site found at http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp , which provides the extension once you enter your full address including the basic five-digit zip code.

The Talking Book Program may be the most universally esteemed program that serves blind people. Let Congress know just how important it is to you as an individual. I appreciate the usual hard work and dedication I have come to expect of you as members of the National Federation of the Blind.

Most cordially,
James D. McCarthy
Director of Governmental Affairs
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

FACT SHEET:
SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TALKING BOOKS
FOR THE BLIND AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED

Purpose:
To provide full funding for conversion of antiquated audio playback technology to state-of-the-art digital media.

Background:
In 1931 Congress passed the Pratt-Smoot Act, which authorized the distribution of books to blind and physically handicapped persons in the United States through what is now known as the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress (NLS). Talking books began to be produced in 1934 and were originally recorded on phonograph records; cassette books were produced beginning in 1971. Today, recorded books and the equipment to play them are distributed through a network of cooperating libraries throughout the country. Books on all subjects and representing all literary genres, as well as a selection of popular magazines, are available to NLS patrons. From its inception, the Talking Books program has utilized the most cost-effective technology that is accessible by its users and protects the rights of copyright holders. The conversion to digital media now planned by NLS will be only the third change in media that talking books have undergone in seventy-three years.

Problem:
Currently, the service uses analog cassette tapes that are now obsolete and must be replaced.

Solution:
The antiquated cassette tape technology must be replaced in phases by state-of-the-art digital technology. Since 1990, NLS has been working on a plan to transition from analog to the most appropriate digital technology. NLS realized that cassette tapes would become obsolete, and a new medium for delivery of talking books would be needed that would last for at least a generation. For this reason, NLS began a deliberate, detailed, and rigorous process to identify the form that talking books would take in the twenty-first century. NLS considered all potential digital technologies for the delivery of talking books and conducted extensive user testing to ensure that patrons of all ages and degrees of technological prowess, including elderly and newly blind individuals who constitute the largest segment of the NLS user population, could operate the new equipment to play the books. Wisely, the service looked beyond the audio CD, which is now nearing the end of its cycle of innovation. In addition to its limited life cycle, CD players have moving parts, which means that they would require considerably more maintenance than other technologies, thereby increasing the cost. Flash memory, which was a new technology at the time NLS began the process of designing the next generation of talking books and players, is now ubiquitous and inexpensive, has more storage capacity than CDs, and has no moving parts.

Recently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has criticized NLS for failing to consider whether off-the-shelf iPod or CD technology might be used to distribute and play talking books as a cost-saving measure. While there are commercial audio players that rely on flash memory, these devices are not designed with blind persons in mind; none of them can be used independently by a blind person because they feature screens and complex visual menus to issue commands. Moreover, commercial audio devices typically have tiny controls that cannot be manipulated by someone with a physical handicap. By contrast, the digital talking book players that have been especially designed for the NLS program for its blind and physically handicapped readers have large, tactually distinct controls, audio menus, and other features that allow them to be operated easily by all NLS patrons. In addition, the specially designed flash memory cartridges that contain the talking books are able to hold a Braille label identifying the book’s title and can be easily manipulated by persons with dexterity problems, unlike the tiny memory cards used in commercial audio players. Finally, digital files containing NLS talking books are encrypted so as to make them unplayable by commercial devices in order to comply with the legal requirement that talking books be distributed in a specialized format to protect copyrights.

Need for Congressional Action:
The Legislative Branch Appropriations request from NLS for fiscal year 2008 seeks $19.1 million, in addition to the service’s normal budget of $55.7 million, to begin the conversion to digital technology. An additional $19.1 million will be required in each of the subsequent three fiscal years to complete the conversion. Congress should fully fund the NLS request so that the conversion to digital technology for the talking book program can proceed as planned.

Conclusion:
The service provided by NLS is invaluable to hundreds of thousands of blind Americans—it is our only library, our only bookstore, our only magazine stand. The current analog cassette players are no longer available and therefore must be replaced in order for the talking book program to remain viable. All of the GAO concerns are either unfounded or have been addressed by NLS. NLS has kept blind Americans fully informed over the past decade about the development of the Digital Talking Book and has tested the usability of the new talking books and players with groups of patrons across the nation. Fully funding the conversion to digital talking book technology is the highest priority of blind Americans for the 110th Congress, as this conversion must be accomplished in order for the talking book program to continue.

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From NFB President DR Marc Maurer:
April 19, 2007
SENT VIA E-MAIL
TO THE STATE PRESIDENTS OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

Dear Colleagues:

For the past several years we have been hearing from the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped about the development of the new Digital Talking Book. The plan has been for Digital Talking Book machines to become available in 2008. The NLS program has been creating digital books which can be distributed for use with the Digital Talking Book machines that will become available next year. Although some people have urged that this program be accelerated, the NLS program has pursued the development of this alteration so that flash memory technology could be used. Part of the reason for the schedule that has been adopted is that the cost of flash memory technology has been very high until recently. By the time Digital Talking Books are to be issued to library patrons, the cost of providing reading matter on flash memory cards will be within reasonable limits and cost-effective.

In accordance with this long anticipated transition to Digital Talking Book technology, the NLS program is now seeking an appropriation to fund the first year of this transition. Cassette machines are no longer being manufactured, and the parts for cassette machines will become obsolete within the next few years. Consequently, it is urgent that the change to the new Digital Talking Book format be made. Unless funding for the new program is included in appropriations this year, the program cannot be put in place next year. Some individual members of Congress have been raising questions about the need for this change, the wisdom of the NLS personnel in developing the new format, or alternatives that may be available for reading digital books in the commercial marketplace.

I have met with officials of the NLS program to talk about the Digital Talking Book development for at least the last five years. I have examined the documentation from the library dealing with the Digital Talking Book development. I have discussed with NLS officials and others the needs of the program, and I have been unable to learn of any reasonable alternative to the Digital Talking Book format being proposed. Some people have suggested the use of CD technology, but knowledgeable technologists indicate that CD technology is nearing the end of its innovative cycle. By giving you all of this background, I am letting you know that somebody appears to want to stop the transformation of talking books to the new digital format. I urge all of you to get information to the members of the subcommittees in the House of Representatives and Senate to tell them how much this program is needed. The subcommittees dealing with this matter are the House Legislative Branch subcommittee and the Senate Legislative Branch appropriations subcommittee. The chairperson of the subcommittee in the House of Representatives is Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and the chairperson of the subcommittee in the Senate is Mary Landrieu. These subcommittees are part of the appropriations committee both in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The chairperson for the Appropriations committee (a democrat) is David Obey and the ranking republican (minority party) is Jerry Lewis. The chairperson in the Senate (a democrat) is Robert Byrd and the ranking republican (the minority party) is Thad Cochran. I urge you to write to your Representatives and to your Senators telling them that the appropriation for the Digital Talking Book program and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is vitally important to the blind of the nation. I urge you to send copies of your letters to the chairpersons of these committees. I urge you to get these letters to the members of Congress by e-mail or fax. Mail delivered by the postal service is always held up these days because the postal service scans all mail for foreign substances. The members of the subcommittees for the House of Representatives and the Senate are listed here along with contact information. This action is urgently needed now. Please let me know if you get either positive or negative responses from members of Congress.

Cordially,
Marc Maurer, President
National Federation of the Blind

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CONTACT SENATORS OR REPRESENTATIVES
Please either fax your letters or call the office of the Senator or Representative to find out how best to transmit, and to whom to address, your correspondence.

Senate Committee on Appropriations:

For the Senate Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch:

For the House Committee on Appropriations:

For the House Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch:

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