Online sources of e-text, audio and Braille books

Texas Text Exchange

The TTE is a web-based digital library of electronic books for exclusive use by students with disabilities. It was designed to reduce duplication of effort amongst higher education providers in the United States and Canada. This service is available to us here. For a membership form and more information go to http://tte.tamu.edu/

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic

As its title suggests, this organisation produces audio recordings for people who cannot effectively read standard print due to a visual, perceptual, or physical disability. This organisation can sell materials to overseas members. A membership form and other information is available at http://www.rfbd.org/

Alternate Format Textbook and Educational Materials Resources

http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/afatt2.htm

This site gives information on many producers of materials in alternative formats in USA. It could be worth a try if you believe the text you are after could have been converted overseas.

Bookshare

http://www.bookshare.org/

Some resources are in the public domain, and are therefore free to download. Copyrighted resources are available for a fee. Institutions can pre-pay for a set number of downloads. Formats include HTML, BRF (Digital Braille Format), DAISY, and TXT.

Project Gutenberg of Australia

http://gutenberg.net.au/

Project Gutenberg produces books in electronic form (e-books) which are freely available to the public. These e-books may be read on a computer using a simple text editor or viewer. The books are in the 'public domain' and there are over 10,000 available. All have been prepared by volunteers and cover the areas of light literature (Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, etc.); other literature (Shakespeare, Moby Dick, Paradise Lost, etc.) and reference (Roget's Thesaurus, The Bible, dictionaries, etc.). Project Gutenberg of Australia produces e-texts in accordance with Australian law.

The Radio Gutenberg Subproject

http://www.gutenberg.net/audio/

Download audio recordings of classic fiction from authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle, H. G. Wells, Jack London, Daniel Defoe, and Charles Dickens. The files are in MP3 format, and the majority are of computer-read recordings.

NetLibrary

http://www.netlibrary.com/

E-Brary

http://www.ebrary.com/

http://learningnetwork.ebrary.com/

MetaText Digital Textbooks

http://www.metatext.com/

University of Virginia – Electronic Text Collection

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/

Most of the resources listed relate to American history, fiction or culture, but there are other resources available. Some are in the public domain, meaning that they are free!

National Library Services

http://www.loc.gov/nls/

Resources converted into a range of formats are available. Borrowing is restricted to US residents, or US citizens living abroad.

Louis Database

http://www.aph.org/louis.htm

The database lists information on books converted into large print, audio, Braille, and downloadable files.

AMX (Alternate Media eXchange)

http://www.htctu.fhda.edu

You can search the database for materials that have already been converted. You must be a member, however, to request copies of converted materials.

The Online Books Page

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/

According to the web site:

The Online Books Page … facilitates access to books that are freely readable over the Internet. It also aims to encourage the development of such online books, for the benefit and edification of all.

Internet Public Library

http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/hum60.60.00/

Provides a list of links to sources of online texts of literature in the public domain

Audio Books For Free

http://www.audiobooksforfree.com/

You can download MP3 files for free with “bearable quality”, or pay a small fee for increased quality of files. You need to join to be able to download, and there is an option for a simple, large print registration form for people who have a vision impairment.

Literal Systems

http://literalsystems.com/

Literal Systems provides audio recordings of classic short stories in downloadable MP3 files. The majority of the files are read by volunteer actors, although there is a small number read by computer.

Alex Catalogue of Electronic Texts

http://www.infomotions.com/alex/about.shtml

The Alex Catalogue of Electronic Texts is collection of digital documents. Documents in the collection include items from American literature, English literature, and Western philosophy.

The Catalogue has a number of unique features. First, not only can you search for and display texts from the collection, but you can also search the content of located texts.

Australian Journals Online

http://www.nla.gov.au/ajol/

The National Library’s database of electronic journals

The Online Books Page

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/

The Online Books Page is a website that facilitates access to books that are freely readable over the Internet. It also aims to encourage the development of such online books, for the benefit of all.

Major parts of the site include:

w An index of thousands of online books freely readable on the Internet

w Pointers to significant directories and archives of online texts

w Special exhibits of particularly interesting classes of online books

w Information on how readers can help support the growth of online books

Bartleby.com

http://www.bartleby.com/

Internet publisher of literature.

Internet Public Library

http://www.ipl.org/div/books/index.html

The IPL Books Collection (formerly known as Online Texts) contains over 20,000 titles that can be browsed by author, title, subject or Dewey Decimal Classification.

New York Institute for Special Education – Blindness Resource Center

http://www.nyise.org/online.htm

Lists online resources including those for audio and e-text.

"Read 'Em and Speak!"
Books and Reading from a Blind Perspective

http://www.hicom.net/%7Eoedipus/books/index.html

According to this site, it is:

… devoted to books, as read by the blind and visually impaired. All of the sites and resources to which Read 'Em and Speak is linked are either intrinsically speech and braille-friendly, or have been extensively re-indexed locally so as to ensure easy and immediate access by the blind/VI cybernaut.

International Braille Research Center Braille Book Library

http://www.braille.org/braille_books/by_title.html

Cassette Book Suppliers

http://www.plain.sa.gov.au/PCSnews/Nov02/CassetteBkSupp1.doc

This site is a working draft only! For more information on this project, send an email to: unidesign@optusnet.com.au