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Playback Equipment

Talking books and playback machines are loaned to eligible Perkins Library patrons and mailed postage-free. Specialized playback equipment is required to use talking books because they are recorded at a special, slower speed than standard cassette tapes and contain four tracks for continuous play. Standard commercial cassette players will not play talking books.

In addition to playback machines, Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library can also provide accessories to meet an individual's special needs. This equipment includes:

  • Amplifiers for people with significant hearing loss
  • Breath switches used with a remote control unit for people with little or no use of their extremities
  • Extension levers which attach to the key controls of the cassette machine and assist people who have difficulty operating a standard cassette machine
  • Headphones for readers who reside in nursing homes, hospitals or other areas where loudspeakers are not permitted
  • Pillow speakers which adapt to any playback machine to assist people restricted to bed
  • Remote control units for people restricted to bed or with difficulty in mobility

The NLS Digital Talking Book Player and Cartridge implementation is just around the corner. Massachusetts has been selected as one of the pilot test states, and next spring 2008, the Perkins Library will receive a few hundred machines to test. If you are interested in getting on the list for the early tester phase, please email Kim Charlson. The complete transition is scheduled to occur gradually over the following five years. We will also have a download project through NLS beginning next summer. For more information on the digital talking book machines and cartridges and to view pictures, visit the NLS Player Description.

To become a registered Perkins Library user, please review the Service Eligibility Guidelines and download the Application for Library Service. For specific questions about playback equipment and accessories, contact the Library at 617-972-7240, 1-800-852-3133 or Library@Perkins.org.