WTBBL closed to public
As of July 1, 2025, the library building is open by appointment only and phones go to voicemail due to loss of funding. Services continue as usual. To request an appointment, call 800-542-0866 or email [email protected].
Service Overview
The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) is Washington’s only completely accessible library providing service to people of all ages unable to read standard print. Audio and braille books and magazines, youth large print, readers’ advisory, youth services, training and assistive technology support, onsite production of books in audio and braille formats, and library programming are all available to WTBBL patrons. Our mission is to provide equitable access to information and reading materials and build community in support of our vision That All May Read.
Getting Started
By Mail
WTBBL’s books by mail service is a wonderful way to get accessible books the way you need them, when you want them, delivered straight to your door. Books and playback equipment are sent to you using the Free Matter for the Blind postal designation so there is no cost for any aspect of the service. We can set up your account to send out a fresh selection of books as soon as you have returned one, all based on subjects or authors you are interested in. You can also have books sent based on specific requests or via orders placed through our online library catalog.
By Download
With over 130,000 titles and many magazines to choose from and more added daily, the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) website and Mobile App provides immediate access to books in audio and electronic braille. This free, accessible platform allows patrons to download books to play on a digital talking book player or read directly in an app on any iOS, Android, or many tablet devices. With BARD, there are no holds necessary and there is no due date for books downloaded. Electronic braille books can be downloaded to a refreshable braille display directly or to an SD card. Using BARD is a great way to access the WTBBL collection conveniently and independently.
Overview of Services
Eligibility and Application
Anyone with a print disability is eligible to use WTBBL’s library services. This includes persons with blindness, low vision, DeafBlindness, a physical disability that makes holding a book or turning a page difficult, or a reading disability. To become a patron, an application for service must be completed and certified by one of the professionals listed on the application. Completed and certified applications can be submitted by email, fax, or USPS mail. Applications for patrons under the age of 18 will also require a parental acknowledgement form.
Audiobooks
WTBBL’s audiobook collection is just like a public library collection, covering a wide range of fiction genres, non-fiction topics, and young adult, and juvenile materials. Audiobooks are also available in over fifty languages with the largest collection of materials in Spanish. Our audiobook collection consists of books produced by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, books from commercial publishers formatted for our service, and books produced by Network Libraries like WTBBL. All the audiobooks in the WTBBL collection are human narration and can be sent on digital cartridge in the mail or can be downloaded from our Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) website or Mobile App. For audiobooks by mail, playback equipment and accessories are provided and sent free of charge by USPS.
Braille Books
Similar to the audiobook collection, the braille collection covers a wide range of genres, subjects, and topics for all ages. Braille books are available in hard copy embossed braille by mail, free through USPS or via BARD as electronic braille. WTBBL loans braille eReaders, otherwise known as refreshable braille displays, for our patrons to access the ebraille from BARD. Our braille collection also includes a large collection of Print/Braille books with pictures and text and the corresponding clear braille overlay. WTBBL produces braille in-house to supplement the national collection, including print/braille and braille board books.
Large Print Books
WTBBL offers an ever-expanding collection of large print books for youth and young adults, including picture books with illustrations suited to Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) needs, Beginner Readers, children’s nonfiction, graphic novels, and general fiction for elementary, middle, and high school aged readers. We also has a small collection of classic literature in large print, comprised of titles often read in high school English classrooms. Most large print books are published in 14.5-16 pt font, with larger fonts available in some of the children’s materials.