Talking Books

The Broward County Talking Book Library, located in the Main Library, provides recorded and Braille reading material to people who cannot use print books because of a visual or physical disability. Books and magazines on tape, materials in Braille, and print/Braille children’s books can be checked out at the library or mailed postage-free to and from customers’ homes. Special cassette players and headphones are also loaned free of charge. Whether you enjoy fiction or nonfiction, bestsellers or classics, the Talking Book Library has something for you.

To begin enjoying the library’s collection of talking books, fill out an application form. Applications are available at all Broward County Library branches or by mail by calling 954-357-7555. You may also email your request to talkingbooks@browardlibrary.org or download an application form by clicking here.

You must include a note from a doctor or other qualified person or have them sign the application, certifying that you cannot use ordinary reading materials because of a visual or physical disability.

Once you are a registered customer, you will receive a talking book machine and catalogs telling you about the newest talking book titles. Please let the staff know if you prefer to receive the catalogs in large-print, Braille, or on cassette. You can call the library and ask for any book by title, subject or author, or you can indicate on the application the type of books you like and let the library staff choose some for you. To search the Talking Book catalog and order talking books online go to http://www.klas.com/talkingbooks/florida. Call 954-357-7555 to get the necessary User ID and password to log in to this site.

Talking Book machines and books are mailed as “Free Matter for the Blind or Handicapped.” The machines play the special format (four track) Library of Congress talking book tapes, which will not play in a standard cassette player. The talking books are mailed in small green plastic cases. When you are finished with a book, simply turn the mailing card over to display the return address. You can then drop the talking book in a mailbox or give it to your mail carrier, and it will be returned to the library.

Broward County Talking Book Library is a cooperating library in the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Network, as well as a partner with the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services in Daytona Beach, and the Florida subregional library network.

The first Talking Book Library in Florida opened in 1950 in Daytona Beach. Currently, Florida’s Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Service (which provides books and materials to Talking Book customers statewide) serves more than 39,000 Floridians and loaned more than 1.48 million books and magazines in 2005 – the highest circulation of Talking Book and Braille materials nationwide.

The Broward County Talking Book Library opened in 1977. In 2005, we provided 132,000 talking books to more than 3,000 Broward County customers. Broward County Library is committed to providing information and access to all of our customers.