What’s OTBS? Accessible Books at RHPL
- Caitlin Klotzer
- 14 minutes ago
- 3 min read
If you have ever walked by the Outreach room or checked out a large print book from our collection, you may have seen the “OTBS” above the doorway or inside the book cover. So what exactly is it? OTBS is the Oakland Talking Book Service, Oakland County’s library for the blind and print impaired, which is administered right here in the Outreach Department at the Rochester Hills Public Library.
OTBS is a free service provided by the National Library Service that loans audiobooks (talking books), large print, descriptive DVDs, and talking book players to eligible Oakland County residents of all ages. People who benefit from this service include anyone who can’t read traditional print materials, whether it’s due to visual, physical, cognitive, or reading disabilities.
OTBS’s most popular service is audiobooks. There are two different options for listening to audiobooks. Our low-tech option is a standard talking book player that can be sent to your home, while our digital option is the BARD app for tablets, smartphones, and desktop computers. OTBS patrons choose the option that best fits their needs, whether it’s with physical cartridges, the BARD app, or both!
The talking book player is a tabletop machine in which you insert cartridges that have audiobooks on them. Both the player and the cartridges are sent to your house. The cartridges can hold anywhere from one to 20 books, depending on user preference. Once a cartridge is in the machine, it operates as a traditional tape deck would, with simple buttons for playing, navigating, and volume control.
BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) is an app similar to Audible or Libby, where you can access any of the NLS’s 200,000+ titles and play them on your personal device. Unlike other audiobook apps, BARD is free and provides access to books instantly without having to bother with holds, wait times, or limited catalogs. BARD is designed with our users in mind, making it the easiest app for our patrons to get audiobooks on their own.
OTBS patrons may also receive large print and descriptive DVDs (movies in which the visual elements, like action, characters, and sets, are audibly described without interfering with the movie’s dialogue or sound effects) as part of our Books By Mail program. Items from our vast collection of large print books and descriptive DVDs can be sent directly to patrons’ homes with extended due dates, all for free.
OTBS doesn’t just offer free accessible books! We host a variety of events and programs throughout the year. There are three monthly programs: two dial-in book clubs and a dial-in discussion group. The book club is a great accessible option for patrons who love traditional book clubs, while our monthly dial-in discussion group has a speaker join each month to present on a variety of topics relevant to our patrons.
OTBS also partners with our local Leader Dogs for the Blind to host an annual Low Vision Expo, where patrons can meet with a variety of organizations to learn about services available to people in Michigan who are blind, visually impaired, or have low vision. Our recent Low Vision Expo in September included presentations from the Oakland Transit Authority, the Mitten Chapter of The Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired, and an Outreach Specialist and Guide Dog Mobility Instructor from Leader Dogs. It was a well-attended event, and we look forward to next year’s expo!
If you think you might benefit from OTBS, stop by the Outreach Department and talk to a librarian. Check out the most popular books read in October by our OTBS readers!
This post was written by Caitlin Klotzer, Outreach Services Librarian at RHPL
