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Arizona Talking Book Library

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Arizona Talking Book Library

Since 1970, Arizona Talking Book Library has been a Regional Library of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress.

https://www.loc.gov/nls/ Arizona Talking Book Library provides books, magazines and other library resources in alternate formats for all Arizona residents whose visual, physical or reading disabilities prevent the reading of conventional print materials. Our lending library includes audio books and magazines; movies with audio descriptions; and Braille books and magazines by postage free mail. Oth

er resources include: BARD: Braille and Audio Reading Download website; Newsline: Audio newspapers over the phone, online and on mobile devices; Greater Phoenix Digital Library: Downloadable eBooks, audio books, music and more.

04/23/2026

Today is World Book Day!

There is no better day to highlight our mission That All May Read. Whether you or someone you know cannot read standard print due to reading disabilities, physical disabilities, low vision, or blindness, we provide free access to books, magazines, and more in audio and braille for all Arizonans who qualify. Our catalog contains books and magazines all the way from pre-K to adult reading levels across a wide range of genres, so we have something for everyone.

How are you celebrating World Book Day? If you have a current read or longtime favorite from our collection, we'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

And if you want to learn more about us and the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or email talkingbooks@azlibrary.gov.

04/16/2026

Do you want to keep up with the latest books in our catalog? Are you looking to explore other genres to expand your reading interest?

Talking Book Topics (TBT) lists a selection of audio titles recently added to the NLS collection and available on the NLS website, on BARD, or to send out on book cartridges. It also carries news of developments in services to people with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or a physical, perceptual, or reading disability that prevents them from using regular print materials.

You can find the online version of Talking Book Topics (which also includes links to TBT on BARD, as well as a printable order form) on the NLS website here: https://www.loc.gov/nls/new-materials/talking-book-topics/

if you would prefer to receive the audio version mailed to you on a cartridge with your magazines, you can request it from your librarian at any time.

To learn more about TBT, or any of the other services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl

04/14/2026

April is National Poetry Month! Poetry is a wonderful art form that explores the full depth of human emotions whether you are writing your own poetry or diving into the work of another poet. If you're looking to discover a new poet, find these titles on BARD or request them from your librarian today!

Quipu by Arthur Sze (DBC10231) - In this collection of poetry, the author utilizes quipu, a tactile recording device for the pre-literate Inca, as a unifying metaphor, knotting and stringing luminous poems that move across cultures and time, from elegy to ode. Some strong language.

An American Sunrise: Poems by Jo Harjo (DB 101306 or BR 22723) - Collection of fifty-seven poems by the twenty-third US poet laureate. Themes explored include colonialism-induced generational trauma, aging, creative expression, activism, and
the beauty of nature. In "By the Way," Harjo reflects on the impact of Adrienne Rich on her own work.

Rhyme's Rooms: The Architecture of Poetry by Brad Leithauser (DB 108701) - Leithauser takes a deep dive into that how -- the very architecture of poetry. He explains how meter and rhyme work in fruitful opposition ("Meter is prospective; rhyme is retrospective"); how the weirdnesses of spelling in English are a boon to the poet; why an off rhyme will often succeed where a perfect rhyme would not; why Shakespeare and Frost can sound so similar, despite the centuries separating them. Here is both an indispensable learning tool and a delightful journey into the art of the poem--a chance for new poets and readers of poetry to grasp the fundamentals, and for experienced poets and readers to rediscover excellent works in all their fascinating detail.

For more information about us and the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl

04/02/2026

Are you looking for a spectacular science fiction title to spark your imagination?

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (DB 103718, BR 24103, or DB 104736 en español) follows Ryland Grace, who awakens on a spaceship far from Earth with no memory and two dead crewmates. As he begins to remember the details of his
impossible mission to try to save humanity from an extinction-level threat, he encounters an unexpected ally.

This title has just been adapted into a movie with a star-studded cast led by Ryan Gosling, so before you hit the theaters - or if you saw the movie and want to dive deeper - find this title on BARD or request it from your librarian today!

For more information about us and the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl

03/30/2026

Do you love playing or learning about music, instruments, music theory, and more?

The Music Section of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Library of Congress has the largest music collection of its kind in the world, with more than 25,000 titles including braille and large-print scores and recorded instructional materials about music and musicians. Music-related magazines in audio and braille are also available. The items in the collection range from beginning to advanced, so there is something for everyone!

Any person eligible for NLS service is also eligible for NLS music services. Patrons already registered with a cooperating network library should contact the NLS Music Section directly either via phone (800-424-8567 ext. 2) or via email (nlsm@loc.gov). You can also read more about this program on their website https://www.loc.gov/nls/services-and-resources/music-service-and-materials/

03/25/2026

Today, March 25th, is Tolkien Reading Day!

Since it's inception in 2003, Tolkien Reading Day encourages people to read and share their favorite words from J.R.R. Tolkien's prolific body of works. You can find the complete collection of his works available through the library in audio and braille here: https://www.loc.gov/nls/new-materials/book-lists/lord-of-the-rings-and-other-works-by-j-r-r-tolkien/

To request these titles, ask questions, or to learn more about the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl

And if you see a mysterious ring with Elvish script that calls to you... perhaps pick up a good book instead!

[Photo: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.]

03/20/2026

Today, March 20th, is the first day of spring! The warmer-than-usual spring temperatures we have been having are a perfect excuse to stay inside and spring into a new read!

We all notice the flowers of spring, longer days of summer, colors of autumn, and snowfalls of winter. But have you observed the way that water tends to run clearest in June? And have you seen the poetic "shadow compasses" butterflies make on the hottest days, as they align their wings with the sun, their thin shadows pointing the way north? The sun, moon, stars, plants, fungi, animals, water, and weather all tell us secrets about the seasons -- if we know how to read their clues.

In The Hidden Seasons: A Calendar of Nature’s Clues (DB 133730), Tristan Gooley reimagines the seasonal calendar not as four distinct phases but as a series of changes evolving moment by moment every day of the year. Each granular shift is an extraordinary microseason you won't want to miss. It's time to get out there and explore -- the seasons will never look, sound, or smell the same again.

Find this title on BARD or request it from your librarian today!

To learn more about us and the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl

03/18/2026

Did you know that March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month?

Brain Injury Awareness Month was developed to increase public knowledge about the consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as to provide education about preventing brain injuries and promoting services to assist people who have experienced a TBI.

If you or someone you know has developed a temporary or permanent print disability after a TBI, you qualify for our free services! We provide free audio and braille materials to any Arizonan that cannot read standard print due to physical disabilities, reading disabilities, low vision, or blindness.

To learn more about us and the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl

03/16/2026

Have you tried the newest piece of tech to access your audiobooks?

The new Digital Advanced (DA2) Player, which the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) rolled out at the end of 2025, combines the tried and true format of the digital talking book player with the convenience of modern technology.

The DA2 offers built-in Wi-Fi for connecting to BARD, Bluetooth connectivity, 28GB internal storage, embedded Text-to-Speech (TTS) engine with TTS voice options, buttons with high-contrast color, braille and print labels for keypad controls, sleep timer, built-in audio instructions, bookshelf feature and audio playback from NLS cartridges and USB thumb drives.

If you are a current patron and this sounds like the machine for you, or if you are interested in learning more about our services and how to get started, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl

03/12/2026

The topic for the Thursday, March 12, 2026, Many Faces of BARD program presented by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) will be Automatic Downloading on the DA2. After a presentation and demonstration, NLS will take your questions about all things BARD for the remainder of the hour.

The program will begin at 7 p.m. eastern time and last for one hour. NLS will record this program. For more information about this event or to review past programming, please go to www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/many-faces-of-bard.

03/08/2026

Today, March 8th, is International Women's Day! This holiday celebrates the women's rights movement and the history and accomplishments of women around the world. And what better way to celebrate this holiday than with a good book?

Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History by Keith O'Brien (DB 92057 or BR 22404) - An account of how a group of female pilots banded together to fight for the chance to compete in airplane racing, a hugely popular sport in the years between WWI and WWII. Profiles five talented pilots, including Amelia Earhart, and the competition and camaraderie they shared.

When We Spoke to the Dead: How Ghosts Gave American Women Their Voice by Ilise S. Carter ( DB 134191) - In the 1840s, the Fox Sisters -- and the legions of mediums they inspired -- ignited the Spiritualist movement that swept through Victorian parlors and presidential campaigns alike. Séances attracted suffragists and scientists, skeptics and charlatans, giving women a voice in a society that often refused to hear them. But as Spiritualism surged, it also blurred the lines between faith, fraud, feminism, and financial opportunity, drawing figures as varied as Harry Houdini, Victoria Woodhull, and even modern self-help gurus into its ever-expanding orbit. When We Spoke to the Dead unearths the forgotten roots of today's obsession with manifestation, mysticism, and the power of belief.

Find these titles on BARD or request them from your librarian today!

To learn more about us and the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/talkingbooks

02/27/2026

For National Retro Day, we're taking it back to the early days of talking book history!

Did you know that before the modern convenience of the BARD app or the digital talking book player, patrons received their books on record, or later on cassette tape? These photos of our old record and cassette players are a great blast from the past, and shows how far we have come in ensuring That All May Read.

To learn more about the history of these machines, and the history of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, visit https://www.loc.gov/nls/who-we-are/history/

And if you are more interested in how our modern options could work for you, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl

Address

1030 N 32nd Street
Phoenix, AZ
85008

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Website

https://azlibrary.gov/talkingbooks

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