Reading

RNIB Talking Book Service

Summary: All you need to know about the Talking Book Service

• What can Talking Books do for you?
• How to join
• Talking Book Catalogue
• Supporting the Talking Book Service
• For Talking Book subscribers
• For local authorities

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What can Talking Books do for you?

• RNIB Talking Book Service offers over 16,000 audio books, paid for by annual subscription and delivered to your door.
• Talking Books are in the Daisy format which lets you skip to a new chapter or insert a bookmark using a lightweight player with accessible controls.
• Receive six books at a time and benefit from a variety of ways to choose your books including support from professional librarians.

How to join

Subscription

Subscription includes all the Talking Books you read throughout the year, there are two options:

• The full loan annual subscription (includes the loan of a player) costs £79
• The books only annual subscription costs £50

How to join the Talking Book Service

Application form

You can download an application form here:

• Application form (Word)
• Talking Book Service - Terms and Conditions (Word)

Contact details:

RNIB National Library Service
PO Box 173
Peterborough
PE2 6WS
RNIB Helpline 0303 123 9999
Email cservices@rnib.org.uk

Talking Book Catalogue

• Talking Book Catalogue - search for any audio book currently available for loan
• Guide to using the Talking Book Catalogue
• New Books magazine tells you all about the latest books available

Supporting the Talking Book Service

The Talking Book Service, as part of the RNIB National Library Service, costs some £6 million a year to run and even though we ask for a small annual subscription to join the Service it does not cover the full amount and RNIB has to subsidise this lifeline service by some £3 million a year (about £70 per person per year) just to keep it running. This money is found by fundraising - we receive no Government help. There are so many ways you can support us. Find out how you can help and how others have helped us in the past, including celebrity support.

Give a Talking Books subscription as a gift

For a gift that will be enjoyed throughout the year, why not buy a subscription to the Talking Book Service? From only £50 a year, a gift subscription includes an unlimited number of books throughout the year. Please call RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999.

For Talking Book subscribers

Library news

Visit our new library news page, for the latest about reading from RNIB and the world of books including our 'Book of the Month'.

Reader's Forum

Are you having trouble deciding what to read next? You can talk to other book lovers and express your views on the RNIB Reader's forum. Just go to the board and register to join in or simply browse the messages.

More about Talking Books

• Talking Books are recorded in our modern studios, which are designed to be accessible to people with sight problems. We work with professional actors, narrators and authors to bring audio books to life.
• Find out about the history of talking books and some interesting facts and figures. You can listen to audio clips from talking books now.

For local authorities

Many local authorities support people with sight problems in their area through a subscription to the Talking Book Service. If you represent a local authority and want to find out more about what we can offer your clients (publicity posters and leaflets are also available), please contact:

Ansuya Agrawal (Local Authority Relationships Co-ordinator)
Telephone 020 7391 2060
Email ansuya.agrawal@rnib.org.uk

Content author: cservices@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 21/04/2009 16:08