RFB&D, a nonprofit volunteer organization, is a national educational library serving people who cannot effectively read standard print due to visual impairment, dyslexia, or other physical disabilities. They provide on-loan audio textbooks in a wide range of subject areas at all academic levels, from kindergarten to graduate school and beyond. Their mission is to create opportunities for individual success by providing and promoting the effective use of accessible educational materials. Their vision is for all people to have equal access to the printed word.

The AALRC has purchased an institutional membership from RFB&D. This membership allows the AALRC to borrow up to 50 books per year and distribute those books to local adult education and literacy programs that request them for a student with a disability who could benefit from the audio format. GED preparation materials are available on tape.

To request a book (or books) from the AALRC, please contact Media Coordinator Klaus Neu at 800.832.6242 or send an e-mail to klaus@aalrc.org. The books must be sent to the AALRC before they can be distributed to local programs. Please save the mailing containers so the AALRC can use them to return the books. Programs should return the books to the AALRC as soon as the student is done with them. All books should be returned by the following October 1. If your program needs to keep a book for longer than one year, please contact the Media Specialist so arrangements can be made.

Most of the 80,000 books in the RFB&D library are recorded on 4-track audiocassettes and require a 4-track cassette player for listening. The AALRC has three 4-track tape players, and if one is available, it will be sent to the program requesting the books on tape. However, programs should consider purchasing their own 4-track player to further facilitate program accessibility by not requiring a student to wait for the hardware to be available through the AALRC. Tape players can be purchased from RFB&D for as low as $99.95 plus shipping and handling, and may be ordered from the website at www.rfbd.org or by calling 800.221.4792

RFB&D is in the process of converting many of their books to digital format and the AALRC has purchased the software needed to access those books on a computer. Please notify the AALRC Media Specialist if you are ordering books in digital format so the software can be included with your order. The software must be returned to the AALRC with your books when the student is done with them.

You can choose books to order through the AALRC by visiting the website at https://custhub.rfbd.org/SearchCatalog.asp and viewing the online catalog. Please record the book's title, author, publishing date, ISBN#, and product# to facilitate your order.

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