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].
Audiobook Production
WTBBL produces audiobooks which become available to National Library Service (NLS) patrons across the country via the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) site. We supplement the national collection by producing books about the Pacific Northwest, by Pacific Northwest authors, and those that fill collection gaps. Creating audiobooks takes people with special skills.
Titles we produce are selected by our Collection Development Committee in accordance with our Collection Development Policy. Our Audio Department staff then select a volunteer narrator to bring the book to life. Our volunteer narrators go through a rigorous audition process and, if they pass, go through a multi-week training process before recording their first book. We pride ourselves in selecting the right narrator for the right book and are committed to being as authentic to the text as possible.
After the initial recording is completed, our staff prepare it for review. The recording is reviewed by one of our volunteer audiobook reviewers who checks for accuracy, pronunciation, and various audio issues, and marks it for corrections. The narrator returns and makes the corrections and, occasionally, may need to re-record sections. The recording then goes into post-production with the staff. Once the recording is determined to be completed, staff upload the recording as an audiobook to BARD. NLS reviews the recording and its metadata and, if everything is correct, it becomes live on BARD for our patrons to enjoy. Learn more about this process by watching our video.
We produce all kinds of audiobooks! Check out our most recently produced titles.
Please note that we are not a commercial audiobook service and focus solely on producing books for the NLS Collection. If you are looking to create your own audiobook, contact an audiobook narration or publishing service. Prices range from low-cost to thousands of dollars. We do not recommend any particular service.
If you would like to request that we consider a particular book for production for the NLS Collection, please read our Collection Development Policy and complete a Request for Production form. All audiobooks we produce are intended exclusively for NLS patrons. Unless the author is also an NLS patron, we are unable to provide them with a copy.