Handheld Accessible Libraries – Project HAL!
October 15, 2003
For Immediate Release

The Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center and TAP
Information Services will undertake Project HAL
(Handheld, Accessible Libraries), a critical analysis
and evaluation of DAISY-enabled, portable playback
devices intended primarily for use by the blind and
visually impaired to access and enjoy digital talking
books.  The purpose of the DAISY standard, developed
by the DAISY Consortium, is to make all published
information available to persons with print
disabilities in an accessible, feature-rich, navigable
format.  Examples of such devices include the Victor
Vibe from VisuAide, the Telex Scholar from Telex
Communications, the Book Port from the American
Printing House for the Blind, the Plextalk Portable
Recorder from Plextalk, and the BookCourier from
Springer Design.

Tom Peters from TAP Information Services will conduct
the evaluation of these devices and write the final
report.  Peters was a co-author of the 2003 LITA
publication, E-Book Functionality:  What Libraries and
Their Patrons Want and Expect from Electronic Book
Technologies.  Project HAL will produce a similar list
and feature analysis of the devices and software
functionalities for digital talking book (DTB)
playback devices.

This project builds upon an earlier pilot project
conducted this year, eAudio with digital audio books
and Otis MP3 players from Audible.com.  Talking book
readers who tried the digital audio books and Otises
liked the sound quality and portability of the MP3
player, but expressed the need for more accessibility
features.  The final report on the eAudio project can
be found at http://www.mitbc.org/eaudiofinal.doc.

Tom Peters from TAP Information Services observed,
“Digital content presents very real promise to the
blind and visually impaired.  It is wonderful seeing
all these devices come to market, but they need to be
evaluated, compared and contrasted, and field tested
to ensure that they actually are useful to end-users.”


Readers and information industry professionals who
have firsthand experience with these devices are
encouraged to contact Peters
([log in to unmask]) to share experiences and
suggestions.

The report and recommendations will be released in
late December 2003.

The Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center (www.mitbc.org)
is a sub-regional library serving the blind and
physically challenged in central and northwest
Illinois.  A talking book center provides library
services via toll-free telephone and U.S. mail.  Books
and magazines in Braille and audiocassette formats are
available to readers enrolled in the program.  MITBC
is part of a statewide network administered by the
Illinois State Library, a division of the Office of
the Illinois Secretary of State.  The statewide
network is tied to a national network under the
administration of the National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped, a division of the
Library of Congress.

TAP Information Services provides a wide variety of
services supporting libraries, consortia, government
agencies, museums, publishers, and other organizations
in the information industry.  Services include:
support for projects, research reports, strategic
planning, workshops, writing and editing, conference
services, consortial negotiations and agreements, and
speeches.

For more information about Project HAL, please contact
either Tom Peters (816-228-6406 or
[log in to unmask]) or Lori Bell at
(309)353-4110 or [log in to unmask]




__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search
http://shopping.yahoo.com


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html