In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York State Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) was temporarily closed from March 16th through May 31st. During our closure, library staff worked remotely to respond to patron questions via email and phone, but our mail service was temporarily on hold.
TBBL is happy to announce that as of June 1st, our library is open and staff will begin circulating books and equipment on a limited basis. Please expect delays in our mail delivery as we return to regular operations. Patrons may continue to contact our library to place book requests and ask questions. Library staff will continue to monitor voicemails and emails from patrons.
As a reminder, patrons are encouraged to register for the Braille and Audio Reading Download service (BARD). BARD allows patrons to download titles from our collection and play them through an Android, iOS, or Kindle device. Patrons may alternatively download books to a flash drive or blank cartridge and play them using your TBBL digital player or third party device. Books and magazines can also be downloaded in an ebraille format and transferred to a refreshable braille display. To apply for BARD, please see BARD Registration details below.
This is a challenging situation, but we are here for you. If you have any questions or concerns, please call and leave a voicemail message or send us an email. We will respond as soon as possible.
Toll Free: 1-800-342-3688
Email: tbbl@nysed.gov
Please stay healthy and safe.
TBBL Staff
Braille and Audio Reading Download, BARD, is a web-based service from the National Library Service that provides immediate access to audio and electronic braille (ebraille) books, magazines, and music scores. Resources are accessible any time of the day, there are no waitlists, and no books to return!
Reading materials can be downloaded using the BARD Mobile app, available for iOS and Android. Books and magazines can also be downloaded from the BARD website, transferred to a flash drive or a digital cartridge, and played using a TBBL issued digital talking book player. For more information, please visit our library's BARD webpage.
BARD is free to library patrons, but it requires a short online application. Please register here for an Individual BARD account.
If your institution is a TBBL member and you would like to help patrons download materials, please register here for an Institution BARD account.
A recent update for the iOS Bard Mobile app includes technical improvements as well as these user-friendly features:
Updated NLS iOS BARD User Guide
For patrons accessing BARD through an Android device, please be sure to update the BARD Mobile app Version 1.3. This version is available on both the Google Play and Amazon App stores. This update fixes a technical issue, but provides no new features. NLS recommends that users update the application unless they are running Android OS 5, which is not supported by BARD Mobile 1.3. BARD Mobile 1.2 will continue to work for all current users.
You can download books from the BARD website on your computer, load the books onto a USB flash drive and listen to them using the TBBL digital player? There is a port for a USB flash drive located on the right side of the digital player next to a headphone jack. Use the player's play and stop features like normal. Note that a 1 gig flash drive can typically fit between 7 and 10 books.
Our library's online catalog is new and improved! Check out the new look and functionality of our library's online catalog. The site is designed to be ADA and Section 508 compliant.
Patrons use the online catalog to search and browse our collection and request books to be shipped to their home. New features in the catalog allow patrons to browse popular titles and easily view current checkouts and reading history. A login and password are required in order for patrons to request books and access account settings. If you have forgotten your login, please let us know.
Because every audiobook in the library collection is available as a BARD download, the catalog also provides a link to the download. We recommend that patrons sign up for a BARD downloading account to better utilize the online catalog and get their books immediately.
Patrons who download their books will avoid wait lists and delays in mail service.
A help guide is available on our website. If you have any questions about the online catalog, please do not hesitate to ask TBBL staff.
April 1, 2020 was Census Day, the reference date for questions on the Census. By this date, every household received an invitation in the mail to participate in the 2020 Census.
The census plays an integral role in determining how the seats in our United States House of Representatives are distributed and how government funding is allocated for valuable services in our communities. Census results impact your community and are used as a reference to make important decisions about services for the next ten years. It is important that all community members participate in the census to ensure that every US resident is counted.
Households may respond to the 2020 Census questionnaire in one of three ways: online, by calling a toll-free number, or by returning the questionnaire by mail.
The Census Bureau has created braille and large print English language help guides, as well as non-English language guides, describing how to complete the questionnaire: Language Guides (Print). Please note that large print and braille options are at the bottom of the page. Video guides are available through the Video Guides page.
Census workers will begin visiting homes that have not responded to the Census invitation in June. For general census questions, please call 1-800-923-8282, or visit the federal Census help page.
Due to COVID-19, please expect delays for magazines and guides that would normally be delivered to your home address. This includes NLS' two book lists, Talking Book Topics and the Braille Book Review. Current issues of both NLS magazines are available through the NLS website and BARD. Magazines are being posted on BARD in audio and ebraille, but there may be a delay in receiving the audio cartridge or hard-copy braille.
Money magazine discontinued its production after its June/July 2019 issue. The National Library Service is offering Kiplinger's Personal Finance as a comparable alternative. Kiplinger's Personal Finance is available on BARD as an audio and braille file. If you would like to request Kiplinger's Personal Finance on audio cartridge or in braille to be delivered through the US mail, please contact TBBL.
Audio production of the New Yorker was temporarily discontinued late last year, but it is back and available on BARD and as an audio cartridge.
The National Library Service has created a list of emergency preparedness resources and reading materials specifically for individuals with a visual impairment, blindness, or physical disability. This reference guide offers valuable information and tools on how to effectively plan for an emergency situation and how to recover from a serious event.
National Library Services' Emergency Preparedness Resources
NFB-NEWSLINE is a free audio news service available to anyone who has difficulty reading standard newsprint. If you are a current TBBL member, you qualify for NFB-NEWSLINE. NFB-NEWSLINE offers access to more than 500 publications, emergency weather alerts, job listings, TV listings, and more.
Subscribers can access "Breaking News" for the latest updates on COVID-19 around the United States.
Access to the NFB-NEWSLINE service is available in several formats including touch-tone phone, email, the web, or through a mobile app.
If you are interested in NFB-NEWSLINE, please call our office for a subscription, 1-800-342-3688 or call the National Federation of the Blind at 866-504-7300.
Established in 1958, NEWSREEL Magazine is a monthly audio publication for and by individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Each three-hour issue includes a variety of articles, most of which are submitted by the magazine's subscribers. The timely, informative, and entertaining magazine includes articles about news and adaptive products for people who are blind and visually impaired. Members also share experiences relating to guide dogs, travel, careers, as well as recipes, music, book reviews, and so much more. To request a 90-day free trial subscription of NEWSREEL in one of several formats (including NLS-type cartridge), please e-mail: info@newsreelmag.org
For additional information about NEWSREEL and subscription details, please visit NEWSREEL's website or call 1-888-723-8737 (toll free).
Patron Services has added 426 new library patrons and 244 new BARD members between January 1, 2020 and May 31, 2020. 135,047 books and magazines are available in BARD for immediate download.
Top BARD downloads in the last thirty days:
Digital Books – Fiction
Digital Books – Nonfiction
Electronic Braille – Fiction
Electronic Braille – Nonfiction>
Monday, September 7 - Labor Day
Monday, October 12 - Columbus Day
Wednesday, November 11 - Veterans Day
Thursday, November 26 - Thanksgiving Day
Friday, December 25 - Christmas Day
Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Toll-free calls: 1-800-342-3688
Fax: 518-474-7041
tbbl@nysed.gov
Talking Book and Braille Library
Cultural Education Center
222 Madison Avenue
Albany, NY 12230-0001