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Special Services Library

That All May Read Logo


As part of the National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress, the Special Services Library loans recorded materials and Braille materials to state residents who are unable to read or use standard print due to impairment, visual or physical, or reading disability.



Qualify and Apply for Services

If you or someone you know are unable to use standard printed materials due to an impairment. This impairment can be visual, physical, or a documented reading disability, please complete the application form. Print it and send the completed form to:

West Virginia Library Commission
ATTN: Special Services Library
1900 Kanawha Blvd. E.
Charleston, WV 25305

A list of eligible professionals who may certify the application is provided. Please keep in mind that it is a federal requirement that all individuals with a reading disability have their application signed by a Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy.

Helpful Resources

Join the Special Services Library on Facebook  Facebook
NFB Newsline-National Federation of the Blind
BARD Recorded Book Collection  To use the Bard Recorded Book Collection you must be a Special Services Library patron and be signed up to use BARD.  To register, contact the Special Services Library.  

AffordableColleges.com A guide to financial aid for students with disabilities.

Described Video Lists

That All May Read Special Services Library Newsletter

Questions, comments, or additional information requests may be directed to: talkbks@wvlc.lib.wv.us or Donna Calvert, Special Services Library Director by phone ((304) 558-4061 or toll free at 1-800-642-8674).

Types of Digital Talking Book Players:

NLS Digital Talking Book Machines

Digital Standard Player (Pictured on the right)

  • Plays (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 (Pictured on the left)

  • 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

Popular Links

Online Resources

WVInfoDepot.org provides encyclopedia, journal articles, magazine articles, and other resources to all West Virginians.  To access this online resource, click on the link and enter the username and password.  Contact your local library for this infomation or contact the West Virginia Library Commission. Below are resources included in WVInfoDepot.org:

 

Alt HealthWatch
Focuses on complementary, holistic and integrative approaches to health care and wellness.

Business Source Elite
Covers business issues from business and economic publications and journals.

Consumer Health Complete 
A comprehensive resource for health information. Includes full-text articles, fact sheets, drug information, diagrams, etc.

Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
Includes a variety of subjects, brief biographies, and pictures from 25,000 encyclopedia articles.

GreenFile
Focuses on the relationship between human beings and the environment. Comprised of more than 600 scholarly and general interest titles, as well as government documents and reports.

Scholastic Go! (for Older Readers)
Scholastic Go! (for Younger Readers)
Online encyclopedia. Also includes magazine articles, news stories, multimedia links, atlas, teacher activities, and links to pre-screened web sites.

Health Source - Consumer Edition
Covers health topics in medicine, nutrition, childcare, sports, and general health from health-related pamphlets, periodicals, and reference books.

Health Source - Nursing/Academic Edition
Covers nursing and medical disciplines. Includes full text articles from scholarly periodicals and drug information.

Kids Search
Contains full text of nearly 70 children’s magazines plus an encyclopedia and picture database. Designed for students in grades K-5.

Job and Career Accelerator
A comprehensive and easy-to-use job search application that integrates everything needed to conduct a successful job search.

LearningExpressLibrary
Provides a completely interactive online learning platform to practice for civil service, career, school academic, and basic skills exams.

Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts
Indexes over 600 periodicals, plus books, research reports and proceedings for library information. No full text. Includes book reviews and some individual state library publications.

MasterFile Premier
Provides full text articles from general interest magazines, journals, and newspapers. Covers a broad range of topics.

Newspaper Source
Provides cover-to-cover full text for 45 national (U.S.) and international newspapers. The database also contains selective full text for 389 regional (U.S.) newspapers and full text television and radio news transcripts.

NoveList K-8 Plus
Supplies summaries, book reviews, discussion guides, similar titles, teaching suggestions, authors’ web sites, and series information.

NoveList Plus 
Covers 125,000 plus fiction titles. Supplies summaries, book reviews, discussion guides, similar titles, teaching suggestions, authors’ web sites, and series information.

Points of View Reference Center
Provides students and schools with a series of controversial essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. Essays are accompanied by thousands of supporting articles including periodical articles, reference books, wire transcripts and streaming videos.

Regional Business News
Covers regional business publications. Incorporates 75 business journals, newspapers, and newswires from across the US.

School Image Collection
Collection of over 510,000 photos, maps and flags, color PDFs, and expanded full-text backfiles (back to 1975) for key magazines.

Searchasaurus for grades K-3
This full text database for elementary school students has an animated interface with a dinosaur theme that encourages students to search by topic.

TOPICSearch
Covers popular topics and current events in the news. Explores social, political and economic issues and scientific discoveries.

State Library Services is another department within the Library Commission that provide resources for state employees and West Virginians.  Access to these resources requires a library card with the department.Contact State Library Services to get a library card or for more informaiton.

AtoZdatabases
Provides addresses and telephone numbers for 30 million US businesses and 220 million US residents. Business entries include officers, sales, industry profiles, and web sites if available.

Biography In Context 

600,000 biographies on 525,000 people. Updated daily. Integrates reference material, periodical articles, and multimedia content.

Birds of North America Online
Describes 716 bird species in the US and Canada. Includes characteristics, migration, habitat, breeding, etc. Contains images, videos, audible bird songs and calls. Register as a patron to get a username and password.

CQ Almanac  

Since 1946 CQ Almanac has been the definitive source for studying the U.S. Congress. The Almanac offers original narrative and every roll call on every major piece of legislation in each congressional session.

CQ Researcher

Provides 12,000 word essays that cover all sides of current concerns in the news. Includes reporting and analysis of social and political issues.

CredoReference

General reference. Includes over 3 million entries from general and specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, atlases, etc.

Gale Directory Library
Source for directories on companies, publishers and associations.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Includes over 20 individual reference resources on aging, animals, arts, crime, education, environment, fashion, history, government, law, literature, nutrition, religion, science and social issues.

OneClick Digital Audiobooks
Download audiobooks at home with your library card. All audiobooks can be enjoyed on your home computer, your iPod®, or other portable devices. Available titles include current best sellers, classics, history, popular nonfiction, selections for children and young adults, and much more.

Oxford Reference Online: Premium Collection
Contains brief reference information and in-depth articles across all subjects, including cross references to related topics and reliable web sites.

Small Business Resource Center
Learn how to start, finance or manage your small business. Resources include; sample business plans, how to guides, articles and websites. 

Something About the Author Online
An easy-to-use source for librarians, students and other researchers, each volume of this series provides illustrated biographical articles on approximately 70 children's authors and artists. The series covers more than 10,000 individuals, ranging from established award winners to authors and illustrators who are just beginning their careers.

Visual Thesaurus
An Interactive dictionary and thesaurus that creates visual word maps that illustrates various meanings and related words.

WV-Reads
WV-READS (Regional Electronic Audiovisual Download Service), a consortium of public libraries in West Virginia, that provides downloadable e-books and audiobooks. Available titles include current best sellers, classics, history, popular nonfiction, selections for children and young adults, and much more.

Zinio Digital Magazines
With Zinio Digital Magazines you can then check out complete, multi-access magazines with no holds, checkout periods, or maximum quantities.



In-State Toll Free: 1-800-642-9021

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