Important Announcements

January 3, 2011

The Unabridged downloadable digital audio book service no longer is in service.

If you need assistance identifying alternatives to the Unabridged service, please contact the library for the blind and physically handicapped in your state or region. A list of libraries with contact information is located at http://www.loc.gov/nls/find.html. A library staff member can provide information about BARD, the Braille and Audio Reading Download service from NLS, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, as well as other options.

To find other libraries in your geographic area that offer audiobooks, ebooks and other digital media from OverDrive, go to http://search.overdrive.com/, click on the "Search for a Library" tab, enter your ZIP code in the search box, and click on the Search button.

If you have questions, ideas, or concerns about the cessation of the Unabridged downloadable digital audio book service, please feel free to contact Tom Peters, the Unabridged Coordinator (816.616.6746 or tpeters@tapinformation.com).



October 15, 2010

At its most recent meeting the Unabridged Board of Directors decided to discontinue the Unabridged downloadable digital audio book service on December 31, 2010. Budget constraints at the participating member organizations and declining usage of the service were cited as the primary reasons for this decision.

Since November 2004 Unabridged has served individuals who are blind, experience low vision, or are otherwise print-impaired. The service was developed to provide a downloadable digital audio book collection for this community while other, larger services were being prepared and launched.

Current users of Unabridged should note that at midnight on December 31, 2010 the service will shut down. Until then, Unabridged will continue to offer a selection of current, high-demand fiction and non-fiction audio books.

If you need assistance identifying alternatives to the Unabridged service, please contact the library for the blind and physically handicapped in your state or region. A list of libraries with contact information is located at http://www.loc.gov/nls/find.html. A library staff member can provide information about BARD, the Braille and Audio Reading Download service from NLS, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, as well as other options.

Since Unabridged launched six years ago, many other libraries have begun offering downloadable digital audio books from OverDrive, the company that provides the platform and the content used by Unabridged. To find other libraries in your geographic area that offer audiobooks, ebooks and other digital media from OverDrive, go to http://search.overdrive.com/, click on the "Search for a Library" tab, enter your ZIP code in the search box, and click on the Search button.

If you have questions, ideas, or concerns about the cessation of the Unabridged downloadable digital audio book service, please feel free to contact Tom Peters, the Unabridged Coordinator (816.616.6746 or tpeters@tapinformation.com).



Overview of the Unabridged Collection

The Unabridged collection contained thousands of fiction and nonfiction titles. Current popular fiction is the strength of the collection. There were books for children, tweens, and teens, too, as well as old-time radio programs.

• Items in the Collection, Sorted by Title in HTML format, as of February 2010.



• Items in the Collection, Sorted by Author's First Name in HTML format, as of February 2010.



• Items in the Collection, Sorted by Genre in HTML format, as of February 2010.



• Items in the Collection, Sorted by Format in HTML format, as of February 2010.



• Most Popular Items from the School Download Library, Now Available in the Main Unabridged Collection in HTML format, as of February 2010.



• Items in the Unabridged Employment Collection in HTML format, as of December 20, 2008.



• Items in the Collection in Spanish in HTML format, as of July 2008.