Staff reports | Posted: Saturday, July 14, 2007 10:00 pm
Salem - Visually-impaired readers are used to waiting for the latest bestsellers to arrive on audiocassette, but not this time. Because of the State Library's Talking Book and Braille Services, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J. K. Rowling will be available to patrons of the program just days after the book's Friday release.
"We're going to great lengths to have the new Harry Potter book available on audiocassette," said Jim Scheppke, state librarian. "We don't think visually-impaired Harry Potter fans should have to wait longer than sighted fans."
Talking Book and Braille Services receives most books on audiocassette under a partnership agreement with the Library of Congress, National Library Service. A talking book is a professionally recorded book on cassette. Books and special players are loaned free of charge to individuals who are blind, have low vision, or whose disability makes it difficult to turn the pages of a conventional book.
The library offers more than 60,000 titles on audiocassette, including the Harry Potter series. For more information about eligibility, see the Web site at www.tbabs.org or call toll-free, 800-452-0292.