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Talking Books for Low Vision Patrons

From Perkins School for the Blind
Talking Book Player and Cartridge

Perkins Library at TPL

Perkins Library circulates more than half a million accessible books, newspapers and publications in braille, large print and digital audio formats annually to thousands of registered patrons with print disabilities in New England and beyond.

The Tewksbury Public Library has a small collection of Talking Books that anyone can use, and a Talking Book player you can check out with your library card if you don't have one. The library can also request books you'd like to listen to! When you're done with a Talking Book, just remove the summary taped to the case and put it in the mail, or return it to TPL.

Who can use Perkins services?

If you'd like to receive Perkins services at your home, residents of the state of Massachusetts who meet the following criteria can apply:

  • Are legally blind with vision of 20/200 or worse, or have a visual field of no greater than 20 degrees
  • Have corrected vision but can't see well enough to read comfortably for extended periods of time
  • Have a physical condition that makes holding a book difficult
  • Have been certified by a doctor as having a reading disability

Library staff can assist you in applying. Please visit the Reference Desk for more information! Applications are available here through the Perkins Library website.

Talking Books

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Library of Congress use human voice actors to record popular books found in public libraries or bookstores.To learn more about how the Talking Books work, click here for a video with walkthrough instructions.

These recordings, called Talking Books, may be downloaded through BARD and the BARD Mobile app, or listened to on a cartridge that can be played on a Talking Book player designed for people with disabilities. If you do not have your own player, TPL has one you can check out here. Please see the Circulation Desk for more information and to check out the Talking Book player today!

Learn More

To learn more about Perkins, or to reach out to the organization directly, please visit the Perkins website here.