Arizona Talking Book Library

09/03/2025

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month!

Even though we don't have library cards, our patrons get access to a ton of amazing resources, including audiobooks, braille books, culture passes, iBill currency readers, and more! And the best part is that all of these amazing resources are FREE for any Arizonan that cannot read standard print due to low vision or blindness, physical disabilities, or reading disabilities.

To learn more about our services and how they could work for you, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit https://azlibrary.gov/tbl

09/01/2025

Happy Labor Day! We are closed in observance of the holiday, but our normal business hours will resume tomorrow, September 2nd, at 8 AM.

In the meantime, you can visit our website at azlibrary.gov/tbl to explore all of the services we have to offer!

08/28/2025

Did you know that reading disabilities also qualify you for our free service? Check out the post below for more information on how our services could work for you!

Are there students in your life overwhelmed by the amount of reading required now that they’re back in school? With its library of more than 100,000 audiobooks, NLS is here to help kids with certified reading disabilities. We also offer a directory of other service providers, from non-profits to government agencies. You can learn more about NLS services for people with reading disabilities at www.loc.gov/nls/who-we-serve/reading-disabled.
[Image: A yellow canvas backpack overstuffed with books. iStock photo.]

08/27/2025

We will be closed next Monday, September 1st, in observance of Labor Day. Our normal business hours will resume Tuesday, September 2nd, at 8 AM.

And if you need a holiday read, check out Labor Day by Joyce Maynard (DB 78426 or BR 20481) - New Hampshire. Thirteen-year-old Henry and his depressed, divorced mother Adele meet Frank, an injured escaped convict, in a discount store and bring him home to hide. The three create a happy family for six days and plan to flee to Canada, but Henry betrays them. Movie tie-in.

For more information about us or the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl

08/22/2025

Ready for an out-of-this-world double celebration? in 1920, Ray Bradbury—hailed by the New York Times as "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream"—was born in Waukegan, Illinois. And today we also recognize Bradbury’s "The Martian Chronicles (BR10324, DB26787)," now in its 75th year in print. This book follows Americans who escape a troubled Earth and settle on the planet "Tyrr," which is what the indigenous humanoids call their home. Other famous work of Bradbury’s includes the novel "Fahrenheit 451 (BR15332, DB67981),” a dystopian study of a future America in which books are illegal, and the short story collection "The Illustrated Man (DB21322)," which contains the often-anthologized story “The Veldt,” in which a virtual reality room becomes more than four walls with screens. To learn more about Bradbury, try "The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury (DB62137)" by Sam Weller. You can also listen to a recording of Bradbury's 1982 lecture and reading at the Library of Congress: www.loc.gov/item/98704557?loclr=fbnls.
[Photo: The first edition hardcover of “The Martian Chronicles.”]

08/21/2025

Do you want to learn more about how to use BARD with your smart speaker?

The topic for the Thursday, August 21, 2025, Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker online program will be Everyday Use Examples for My Talking Books. After the presentation and demonstration, we will answer any questions you have about the My Talking Books skill for Alexa-enabled smart speakers.

To learn more about this event hosted by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), and to find the link to join the meeting, visit the event website at https://www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/smart-speaking-to-the-smart-speaker/

08/14/2025

08/14/2025

Monty has a new friend! While attending a conference to learn how to better serve our patrons, one of our librarians picked up a Barbie doll featuring a white cane and packaging with braille on it - a great addition to our collection of accessible toys in the office.

If you would also like to add some more Barbie glamor into your life, check out Let's Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen (DB 126682) - She's an icon. She's fun and aspirational. She's stirring controversy and outrage. Her name is Barbie. In 1956, Ruth Handler, cofounder of a budding toy company, embarks on a mission to upend the marketplace by creating a controversial doll: one that looks like a grown woman. Unlike the current trend of baby dolls that reinforces traditional roles of motherhood, this doll will empower little girls to be and do anything. And Barbie is born. Not everyone sees Barbie as a a positive influence, but Ruth knows this doll is destined for greatness. With the help of head engineer Jack Ryan and fashion designer Stevie Klein, they forge ahead, their own identities becoming entwined with the persona of the doll. In the decades that follow, the Barbie team spins the doll into a cultural phenomenon. But with every great success comes the fall, and the problems at Mattel are just getting started. In the cutthroat world of toy-making, greed and public scandals threaten to tear down everything Ruth has built. But Barbie is more than just a doll for her--she's a legacy, one Ruth will do anything to protect.

Find this title on BARD or request it from your librarian today!

For more information about us or the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit https://azlibrary.gov/tbl

08/11/2025

Blow the dust off that old record player because is tomorrow! Inventor Thomas Edison first thought of the 33-1/3 rpm record as a medium to, among other things, allow readers who are blind to listen to long books without frequent interruptions. These “talking books” were one of the potential uses for the phonograph that he listed when he applied for a patent in 1877. Today, we are sharing a black-and-white NLS photograph from the 1930s, showing one of the earliest talking-book machines, which played 33-1/3 rpm records. Talking-book readers had access to long-playing records 14 years before LPs were available commercially!

08/08/2025

Yesterday, August 7th, was the hottest August day Phoenix has seen in over 100 years. Although we can't make the weather cooler, we can provide an escape to a colder place through BARD or your talking book machine!

In the book My Penguin Year: Living with the Emperors (DB 99662), award-winning BBC director of photography Lindsay McCrae chronicles his year in Antarctica filming emperor penguins for the documentary Dynasties. Discusses milestones in his life which happened while away from his family, protocols for documentary filming, and the potential future for this species endangered by climate change. Unrated.

For more information about us or the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit https://azlibrary.gov/tbl

08/06/2025

Do you want to know about all the different ways to access BARD, or get a sneak peak at what's coming next?

The topic for the Thursday, August 14, 2025, Many Faces of BARD program will be BARD Platform Updates: A Brief Look at All of the BARD Platforms and What Is on the Horizon. The program will begin with a presentation, followed by questions about the presentation or anything else relating to BARD.

For more information about this event and for the link to join the program, visit https://www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/many-faces-of-bard/

08/01/2025

Have you ever found yourself standing eye to eye with a giant E—and squinting at the steadily smaller letters below it? Then you have Dr. Herman Snellen to thank. The Dutch ophthalmologist developed the standard eye chart in the 1860s, and it’s been a feature of medical offices ever since. If you’re sighted and haven’t seen a Snellen Chart lately, now is a great time to take another look: August is . And don’t forget: if the print is getting a little too small to read, your ophthalmologist is one of many professionals qualified to certify you for NLS service.
[Image: A pair of folded glasses rest at the top of an eye exam chart. iStock photo.]