Institutional Loan Policy and Procedures

The Arizona Talking Book Library, in cooperation with the National Library Service, loans a circulating collection of recorded books and, if appropriate, equipment to an institution which has ongoing contact with, and provides services to, individuals who are eligible for and have the mental capacity to derive benefits from the services provided by the Library.

Requirements

All organizations or institutions interested in having a Talking Book Library Account must meet the following requirements:

1. Complete the Library’s application for institutions service.
2. Provide a specific, secure physical location for the books and equipment on loan from the Library.
3. Designate one person to be responsible for materials to assure the following:
   • Books and equipment are made accessible to qualified users
   • Books and equipment are kept in good condition
   • The book collection and equipment will be returned promptly to the Library if no longer being used by qualified individuals.
4. Complete a statement of responsibility, signed by the Chief Officer of the institution.

Institutions Served

1. Residential centers for seniors; e.g. nursing homes and retirement centers.
   • These accounts can have a Digital Player and circulating collections of materials. Eligible clients who are active readers can register with Individual home accounts
2. Medical facilities with patients receiving long-term care lasting a month or more. Example: special hospital units treating burns, cancer, comas, kidney dialysis; rehabilitation centers; and convalescent centers.
   • These accounts can have a Digital Player and a circulating collection of materials. Eligible individuals can be set up for Individual accounts when they leave the institution.
3. Centers providing day activities for adults; e.g. senior centers.
   • These accounts can have a Digital Player and circulating collections of materials. Eligible clients who are active readers can register with Individual home accounts.
4. Schools serving qualified students.
   • A Medical Doctor must certify applications for students with a reading disability and/or learning disability resulting from organic dysfunction.
   • These accounts can have a Digital Player and a small circulating collection. For more information, please refer to the Instructions for School Institutions and Certification of Students available under Services to Schools on the library webpage.

Library Service Options

Upon receipt of your application, a librarian will call to set up library service. We will outline the service options available to your facility and discuss with you your service preferences. Any questions can also be answered at that time.

Books by Mail Service: A digital talking book player and books in digital cartridge format are mailed to your facility postage-free, and are returned to us postage-free. To return, you simply turn around the mailing card located on the outside of each mailing box and put in the mail. All books are loaned for one month and should be returned within a month of the date that appears below your address on the mailing label.

Books will be mailed to you automatically – when you return a book, another is automatically sent in its place. Selection is based on general reading preferences and reading levels set up by you with your librarian. You may also select books yourself from catalogs we send you, or from the online catalog located at the library website. If you’d prefer to opt out of the automatic service and only receive what you’ve selected, please let us know and we will accommodate your preferences. Please remember, you must order at least 2 books per year to remain active in the service.

Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD): With BARD you may download both audio and Braille books. Once we’ve set up your library account, you may apply for BARD. Please go to the Download Books with BARD page at our website, and click on the “online application” link to fill out the BARD application. Once you’ve submitted the application, we will verify your account and send you an email with login information.

Books are downloaded to your computer and must be unzipped. Audio book files can be transferred to either a standard flash drive (no larger than 8 GB) or a purchased NLS-type cartridge and played on the digital talking book player provided with the service, or a verified personal player. Please review the Download Books with BARD page at our website for further information.

BARD Mobile: You may now download books directly to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod. You may listen to downloaded audio books on your iOS device through the BARD Mobile app. You may also read Braille books by connecting your device to a refreshable Braille display.

BARD Mobile is available through the Apple App store, best searchable using “BARD Mobile.” To use BARD Mobile, you must first have an active account in BARD. Please refer to the BARD section above for BARD application instructions.

Service Adjustments

We can easily make adjustments in your library service. Please call, email, or send us a letter when requesting any changes. Please do not write notes on the reversible mailing cards or enclose notes in book containers. This is in violation of free-matter postal rights and can be subject to closure of the account.

Thank you!

(Updated 12/2014)