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Registration


The Talking Book and Braille Library at the State Library of Oregon is a FREE Braille and audio book library for any Oregonian with a print-disability, which means a person cannot read standard-size 12pt print for long periods of time comfortably.  Eligibility for our library includes the following:

  • Visual Impairment: needing aids stronger than regular reading glasses to read.  Examples include (but are not limited to): Legal Blindness, Macular Degeneration, Cataracts, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy, etc.
  • Physical Impairment: inability to handle a book or turn its pages.  Examples include (but are not limited to): Muscular Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, stroke, severe arthritis, paraplegia, traumatic brain injury, etc.
  • Reading Impairment: impairment in print comprehension.  Examples include (but are not limited to): dyslexia, dysphasia, etc.

To register with our library, just submit a completed application.  We do not require any additional paperwork.


Applications can be submitted by:

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Mail
250 Winter St NE
Salem, OR 97301
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Fax
503-373-7439


Application Help

If you have questions about a portion of the application please use the menu below or contact us at talkingbooks.info@slo.oregon.gov or 800-452-0292.

Page one just asks for the applicant’s name and contact information so we know where to mail the books and how we can contact you if there is a problem.  If need be, we gladly mail books to addresses other than the applicant’s physical residence if they use a PO Box or if friends or family members prefer to handle mail for them.

Alternate Contact
The alternate contact person should be a dedicated person we can get in touch with if we are having trouble connecting with the reader directly.  This person does not have to be a POA or Guardian.

Page two is all about reading preferences.

How would you like to be get books?

Our library can provide a reader with books several different ways:
  • Mail books to me based on my preferences and requests: our system selects books for you based on any specific requests you've made and the subject preferences you check.  Books are mailed on a rotation basis, so whenever a book is returned a new one will usually go out the next business day.
  • Only send me the specific titles I ask for: we just send you the titles you request.  There is no need to check any preferences.  Books are mailed on a rotation basis so long as you have requests on file.
  • I will just download books; no books through the mail: you will exclusively use BARD to download books; no books will go out to you through the mail.
You can choose to download books in addition to receiving books through the mail.  Just mark the BARD option on page 3.

Feel free to mark as many or as few subject preferences as you want, and please use the margins or the space provided below the subject list to indicate any special interests or sub-genre preferences.

Content exclusions will block books with that content tag.

You do not need to fill out this page if you have opted for requests-only.​
Page three asks if the applicant is interested in any of the optional extras or accessories our library provides.  These extras and accessories are all free.

Optional Extras
  • Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD): grants users instant online access to all of our books and magazines in both Braille and audio formats.  You can play books on the player we send you, a select group of purchased-players, or using the BARD Mobile app on an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet.
  • Magazines: a wide variety of audio and Braille magazines available for free.
  • Voters' Guide: accessible version of the League of Women Voters Voters' Guide for state-wide primary and general elections.  For users aged 18 or older.
  • NFB-Newsline: text-to-speech newspaper service available over the phone, via email, or using the NFB-Newsline app.  Oregon newspapers include the Portland Oregonian, the Salem Statesman Journal, the Eugene Register-Guard, and the Oregon Associated Press newswire.  There are also national newspapers and magazines available.
  • Descriptive Videos: commercial DVDs with a special audio option to include added narration of visual elements of a movie.

Accessories
  • USB Adaptor: positions a flash drive flush along the side of the player instead of having it stick straight out. Only needed if you plan to download books.
  • Blank Cartridge Cable: three-foot USB cable that connects a blank cartridge to your computer. Only needed if you plan to download books.
  • Headphones: to reduce noise disturbance for readers in nursing homes, hospitals, and schools who require privacy while listening.
  • Remote Control: wirelessly controls the player from up to 30 feet.
  • Breath Switch: controls the player using a pattern of puffs and sips.

User Agreement

Please review the user agreement and initial where indicated.
Page four is the Certification of Eligibility page.  Here you will need a certifying authority (see the paragraph at the top of page 4) to sign the application verifying that the applicant is eligible to register with our library.  Family members CANNOT be an applicant's certifying authority.