Hi all,

>>>>> "Paul" == Paul Chapin <[log in to unmask]> writes:

    Paul> I've been trying to get a handle of books on tape; an area I
    Paul> have not personal experience with.  I would appreciate it if
    Paul> some of you could look at what I think I know and add any
    Paul> corrections or comments.

OK, be happy to do so.

    Paul> The biggest source for educational material appears to be
    Paul> Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.  This is low cost,
    Paul> requires specialized player and includes some navigation
    Paul> tools.  Anybody have any experience with the navigation
    Paul> tools or on how good there collection of material is?  What
    Paul> is the likelihood that a college student would actually find
    Paul> what they are looking for?

Not sure what you mean by navigation tools, Paul.  Can you be more
specific here?

<smile>  The likelihood of a college student being able to find what
he/she is looking for is high because most colleges have curricula
that are compatible.  Also, if the student gets the book list early
enough, the books can be taped by RFBD.  In short, a blind person who
doesn't use RFB&D for his/her materials, at least within the U.S. will
*not* get through college too well.  You're talking about a place that
has a corner on the market.

the key is to order books early enough so that they arrive in timely
fashion.  This requires leg-work on the part of the student, and also
telephone work or written work.  Teachers have to be notified, lists
of books with title, author, edition and publisher have to be made out
well in advance and submitted to RFB&D.

    Paul> Another source would be the National Library Service.
    Paul> Essentially free it also requires specialized player.  There
    Paul> does not appear to be any kind of navigation help.  The
    Paul> material appears to be less oriented towards education that
    Paul> RBD.

Yes, this is often the case.  RFB&D has more text books, but you can
find literature and some self-help books at LOC.

    Paul> Commercial books-on-tape would appear to be more directed
    Paul> towards current popular works. They don't require any
    Paul> special player and don't have any navigation aids.
    Paul> Basically they expected you to just go straight through the
    Paul> book from start to finish.  Generally of minimal value in
    Paul> the educational context unless you get lucky.

Yes, this is somewhat true, but it depends on what you are looking
for.  If you are looking for audio renditions of plays by Shakespeare,
then commercial recordings may be a better bet because they will be
actual dramatic readings as opposed to one person reading the play.
If you are, on the other hand, looking for a text book on statistics,
then you're out of luck.  Don't discount commercial tapes.  Choose the
right tool to fit the job!

    Paul> As I said, I'd appreciate any comments, additions or
    Paul> corrections.

RFB&D are not the only people who record books.  There are some small
volunteer groups who do this, and some larger ones too, most notably
The Volunteers Of Vacaville in California.    They will also record
titles for you.

Ann P.

--
                        Ann K. Parsons
email:  [log in to unmask]                   ICQ Number:  33006854
WEB SITE:  http://home.eznet.net/~akp
"All that is gold does not glitter.  Not all those who wander are lost."  JRRT