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Playback Machines and Accessories Provided
on Free Loan to Eligible Individuals and Institutions
NLS Factsheets
Playback Machines and Accessories Provided
on Free Loan to Eligible Individuals and Institutions
January 2009
Contents
Background
Part I. Available Playback Machines
Part II. Special Accessories for Digital Talking-Book Players
Part III. Special Accessories for Cassette Book Machines
Background
Recorded materials loaned free by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress, are available on digital talking-book cartridges and audiocassettes. Both digital and cassette recordings require specially designed playback equipment (see Part I, below), which is loaned free to eligible individuals and institutions. Special accessories (see Part II, below) are also loaned free. Digital talking-book players play digital cartridges and cassette machines play audiocassettes at either 15/16 or the commercial standard 1-7/8 inches per second (ips). Only headphones and amplified headphones with miniplugs will work with the digital player.
To obtain any of the equipment and accessories described in Part III, below, individuals and institutions must be registered with the Library of Congress talking-book program. An application for the free library service may be requested from the Reference Section, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20542, or downloaded from the NLS web site, www.loc.gov/nls. All equipment and accessories are provided by the cooperating regional library serving eligible readers in their state of residence for as long as the reader is actively involved in the program.
Part I. Available Playback Machines
Digital Standard Player
- plays NLS (ANSI/NISO Z39.86:2002) digital talking books
- plays Daisy 2.02 digital talking books
- plays AMR-WB+, MP3, and WAV audiofiles
- has eight controls
- includes a variable speed control that permits speeding up or slowing down playback speed without changing the pitch
- is portable
- is equipped with a rechargeable battery and an electrical cord
- includes built-in audio instructions for using the digital machine
Digital Advanced Player
- plays NLS (ANSI/NISO Z39.86:2002) digital talking books
- plays Daisy 2.02 digital talking books
- plays AMR-WB+, MP3, and WAV audiofiles
- has thirteen controls, including a row of controls for setting and retrieving bookmarks and navigating through the structured levels of a book
- includes a variable speed control that permits speeding up or slowing down playback speed without changing the pitch
- is portable
- is equipped with a rechargeable battery and an electrical cord
- includes built-in audio instructions for using the digital player
Cassette Machine
- plays 2-track and 4-track audiocassettes at 15/16 ips and 1-7/8 ips
- has ten controls
- includes a variable speed control that permits speeding up or slowing down playback speed
- is portable
- is equipped with a rechargeable battery and an electrical cord
- includes separate instructions for using the cassette machine: instructions for using the cassette
machine
Part II. Special Accessories for Digital Talking-Book Players
Amplifier
- is for individuals with a significant hearing loss
- requires a separate application with medical certification; the sound is boosted to a level that can cause permanent hearing loss to persons with normal hearing. Please contact your cooperating library about the application procedure for obtaining this accessory.
Headphones
- are issued only to readers who require them for reading talking books where
speakers are not permitted, as in nursing homes and hospitals
Pillow Speaker
- is for individuals who are confined to a bed
- may be used with any playback machine
- is placed under the reader's pillow and is normally heard only by the reader
Part III. Special Accessories for Cassette Book Machines
Amplifier
- is for individuals with a significant hearing loss
- requires a separate application with medical certification; the sound is boosted to a level that can cause permanent hearing loss to persons with normal hearing. Please contact your cooperating library about the application procedure for obtaining this accessory.
Breath Switch
- is for individuals with little or no use of their extremities
- must be used with remote control unit
Extension Levers
- are for individuals who have difficulty manipulating the key controls on a cassette machine
- attach to the key controls of the cassette machine
Headphones
- are issued only to readers who require them for reading talking books where
speakers are not permitted, as in nursing homes and hospitals
Pillow Speaker
- is for individuals who are confined to a bed
- may be used with any playback machine
- is placed under the reader's pillow and is normally heard by only the reader
Remote Control Unit
- is for individuals confined to a bed or with difficulty with mobility
- turns playback equipment on and off but will not control other functions
such as volume and speed
- fits cassette playback equipment as described in Part I
- requires a separate application. Please contact your cooperating library
about the application procedure for obtaining this accessory.
Solar Panel Battery Charger
- is for readers who do not have access to electricity. Please contact your
cooperating library about the procedure for obtaining this accessory.
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Individuals and institutions who wish to purchase playback equipment, who desire special features not included with NLS-provided machines, or who are ineligible for the free loan of NLS-provided machines, may examine other options by requesting Facts: Sources for Purchase of Cassette Players and Player-Recorders Compatible with Recorded Materials Produced by the National Library Service (NLS) from the Reference Section,
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped,
Library of Congress, as noted above, or by e-mail at nlsref@loc.gov.
Posted on
2012-10-24