About Unabridged

California, Colorado, Delaware, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont are collaborating on a service that delivers narrated downloadable digital audio books in WMA format (Windows Media Audio) from OverDrive directly to blind, low-vision, and otherwise print-impaired users, who are able to self-checkout and download digital audio books, then either play them back on PCs using the OverDrive Media Console, or transfer the content to portable CD or MP3 players or other WMA-enabled devices. Nearly all Unabridged digital audio books may be burned to CD, too.

The Braille Institute is a private non-profit organization serving southern California whose mission is to eliminate blindness and severe sight loss as a barrier to the filfillment of life. The Braille Institute provides an environment of hope and encouragement for peolpe who are blind and visually impaired through integrated educational, socia., and recreational programs and services.

The California State Library's Braille and Talking Book Library loans braille and cassette talking books and magazines, playback equipment, and downloadable digital audio books for northern Californians uable to read conventional print. The State Library is California's public research library that helps a diverse people, their governments and their libraries meet their knowledge and information needs.

The Colorado Talking Book Library is a free service to Coloradoans of all ages who are unable to read standard print material due to visual, physical or learning disabilities whether permanent or temporary. CTBL provides recorded, Braille and large-print books and magazines as well as a small collection of descriptive videos.

Since 1971 the Delaware Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH) has provided books in Braille and audio books on record and cassette for the blind and physically handicapped residents of Delaware. LBPH is the Delaware regional branch of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) of the Library of Congress. As such LBPH has access to over 2,000 new titles recorded by the NLS each year. Currently the library has over 50,000 volumes, which comprise more than 36,000 different titles. The library has cassette tape players that are loaned to patrons to listen to the audio books. All services of the LBPH are free to the patron. Materials are distributed through the US postal service and may be returned to the library postage free.

The Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library , located on the Perkins School for the Blind campus in Watertown, Massachusetts, is funded in part by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The Library provides free services to Massachusetts residents of any age who are unable to read traditional print materials due to a visual or physical disability. The Perkins Library has been affiliated with the Library of Congress National Library Service network of cooperating libraries since the beginning of the Talking Book Program in 1931.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a Division of the Library of Congress, administers the free program that loans recorded and braille books and magazines, music scores in braille and large print, and specially designed playback equipment to residents of the United States who are unable to read or use standard print materials because of visual or physical impairment. NLS administers the program nationally while direct service to eligible individuals and institutions is the responsibility of cooperating libraries in the various states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. Service is also extended to eligible American citizens residing abroad.

The Talking Books Program of the New Hampshire State Library exists to meet the reading needs and interests of New Hampshire residents who are physically unable to see, handle or process printed material comfortably. It costs eligible borrowers nothing--no rental fees, no equipment fees, no late fines, no postage fees.

The Oregon State Library, Talking Book & Braille Services strives to enhance the quality of life for print-disabled Oregonians through reading. TBABS is committed to deliver, in partnership with libraries and other agencies, the best possible library service to all eligible Oregonians.

The Talking Book Program of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides free library service to Texans of all ages who are unable to read standard print material due to visual, physical, or reading disabilities--whether permanent or temporary. Books and magazines are available in different formats, mainly on cassette, but also on record and in braille and large print--and now as downloadable digital audio books.

As the state library agency for Vermont, the Vermont Department of Libraries has as a primary role the fostering and co-ordination of resource sharing and access to information. Through its online systems and services the DOL provides access to VALS (Vermont Automated Libraries System), the Internet, and other information resources. The DOL also provides access to an ever-growing array of state government information.

Founded in 1986, OverDrive, Inc. is a leading provider of enterprise Digital Rights Management (DRM) and related digital media solutions enabling the management and distribution of premium digital content over global networks.

TAP Information Services provides a wide variety of high quality planning, consulting, research, and assessment services supporting libraries, consortia, government agencies, and other information-intensive organizations.