Audio Book Report Released (March 7, 2007)

A report about digital audio book services for libraries, written by Tom Peters of TAP Information Services, has been published by ALA TechSource. That report was published as volume 43, number 1 of Library Technology Reports.

Tom Peters from TAP Information Services has been named one of Library Journal's Movers & Shakers for 2005. Brief information about the 51 members of this year's class can be found on the LJDigital website. Full information is in the March 15, 2005 print edition of Library Journal.

An article by Lori Bell, Director of the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center, and Tom Peters of TAP Information Services has been published in the November/December issue of Computers in Libraries. The article, "Online Programming Can Be a Library Oasis on the Internet," describes the genesis of OPAL--Online Programming for All Libraries, an innovative initiative to expand the availability and impact of quality online public programs for all types of libraries.

An article by Tom Peters of TAP Information Services has been published in the April 15, 2004 netConnect supplement to Library Journal. Peters describes several innovative uses of audible components to extend and improve online library services. The same issue contains an interesting article by Lori Bell from the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center about new adaptive technologies and their implications for libraries. Click here to see the online table of contents for this issue of netConnect.

A revised and expanded version of the Project HAL (Handheld, Accessible Libraries) report has been released. Major additions to this version include reviews of two additional devices (Plextalk PTR1 from Plextor, and Soul DMP-206b from Soulmate Audiobooks) and the inclusion of feedback and suggestions from actual users of some of the seven devices reviewed. Project HAL is a review of portable playback devices for digital talking books and other types of digital audio content that are being used by print-impaired individuals, including individuals who are blind, visually impaired, physically challenged, or dyslexic.

The American Library Association (ALA) has announced that the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center, OverDrive, and TAP Information Services have been awarded the SIRSI Leader in Library Technology Grant, sponsored by the SIRSI Corporation. The goal of MI-DTB (Mid Illinois Digital Talking Books, formerly called the "E-Books Open Up the World of Print to Visually Impaired Readers" Project) is to create a rich collection of multi-format e-books that have been optimized for use by print-impaired library patrons, including the blind, visually impaired, physically challenged, and dyslexic. The project will begin in July 2004 and conclude in June 2005. Click here to see the full press release.

The Greater Midwest Region (GMR) of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) announced that a Consumer Health Award has been approved for Project HEALTHY (Hearing Electronically About Living the Healthy Years). Between April 1, 2004 and September 30, 2005 the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center, the University of Illinois at Chicago Library of the Health Sciences--Peoria, and TAP Information Services will produce a series of online programs for the elderly on consumer health topics.