Talking Books
If you are unable to handle or read print books because of a visual, physical or perceptual disability, you can take advantage of the Talking Books Service.
What Are Talking Books?
Member libraries of InterLINK, including North Vancouver District Public Library, loan books on disc (DAISY and MP3) free of charge to eligible borrowers. We also loan Daisy readers free of charge on a temporary basis.
DAISY books are complete books from a number of sources, each digitally recorded by NNELS (National Network for Equitable Library Service), CNIB (Canadian National Institute of the Blind) or other institutions on one disc. DAISY books are designed for people with print disabilities and can only be played on a DAISY player or a computer with DAISY software.
Our MP3 books from commercial sources are also unabridged and are usually contained on one or two discs. They can be played on DAISY players, computers and MP3 players, as well as some CD players.
Eligibility for Talking Books Service
Talking Books services are available to any patron with perceptual disabilities that prevent or inhibits a person from reading or hearing a literary, musical, dramatic or artistic work in its original format.
To sign-up for Talking Books, you'll need to fill out and submit the eligibility form (PDF). Print copies are available at InterLINK libraries.
Eligibility forms can be hand-delivered, mailed or emailed to:
Talking Books Service
Lynn Valley Library
1277 Lynn Valley Road, Suite 300
North Vancouver, BC V7J 0A2
Attention: Talking Books Service
Our Accessible Services staff will contact you to confirm details and get you started.
This formality is required by the publishers or copyright holders of the recorded books to ensure that the service is available eclusively to people with perceptual disabilities.
Talking Books Collection
DAISY discs and MP3 books held at our Library are entered in the library catalogue and are designated “Talking Books.” Most are titles from the shared Lower Mainland’s InterLINK Audiobooks collection, and some are purchased by our Library from commercial sources with donations and grants.
Borrowing
Once you have your NVDPL Talking Books Library card, you can select and check out Talking Books from the collection at the Lynn Valley Library or place holds on desired titles to be held for you at any of our three locations for pickup. If you're not able to pick up materials, we can help you arrange scheduled home deliveries.
Searching the Library Catalogue
Our staff can find specific books for you or you can search our catalogue for materials!
Please follow these instructions on desktop for best results:
Visit discover.nvdpl.ca to search our catalogue
Go to > ADVANCED SEARCH
On Left > Under FORMATS, choose TALKING BOOKS, then click APPLY
To find a specific title:
Type Title or Author in search bar to check for availability.
Browse by genre:
Under LITERARY FORM, make a choice to browse a preferred genre, then click APPLY
A wide variety of popular material is available including:
Bestsellers
Biography
Mysteries
History
Romance
Travel
Science Fiction
Westerns
InterLINK Audiobooks Catalogue
InterLINK carries copies of every taped book formerly produced by the BC Library Services Branch. Current purchases in audio format (taped books, DAISY and MP3) come from commercial publishers in the US and Britain.
Search the InterLINK Catalogue: https://audiobooks.interlinklibraries.ca/
Through InterLINK libraries, Talking Books patrons are also eligible to download audiobooks from Recorded Books OneClickDigital. Contact the Talking Books Service for registration information.
Titles held neither in our collection nor the InterLINK audiobooks catalogue can sometimes be obtained via interlibrary loan from other public libraries in BC.
National Network of Equitable Library Service (NNELS)
The National Network of Equitable Library Service (NNELS) is a Canadian repository of e-audiobooks developed for the print-disabled. Talking Books patrons are able to download titles directly to their computer or request DAISY discs from their home library.
Some titles, those without copyright restrictions, are available to all library patrons. These items include a link to "Download the Daisy File," rather than a link to "Login to access this item."
For More Information
For more information about NNELS or about borrowing Talking Books, please call 604-990-5800, ext. 8125 or email access@nvdpl.ca.