Listening Library

The Greater New York Chapter of The ALS Association recognizes the difficulty many patients have traveling to and from the library. The Listening Library Program was established in order to enable patients within the Chapter's service area to access current and popular reading materials. Loaner books will be provided free of charge to those meeting the specifications below.

Policy:

Candidates for the Listening Library Program must:

• have a diagnosis of ALS
• reside in New York City (5 boros), Westchester County, Rockland County, Long Island or central/northern New Jersey (zip codes 070-079 and 088-089 only)
  
• be unable to hold a book or turn pages easily
  and have an interest in loaner audio books

This program has limited funding and we wish to make it available to as many families as possible. Therefore, we must limit annual loans as follows:

• 4 shipments annually
• Limit of 3 books per shipment
• Timely returns in SASE provided with each shipment
• If books are not returned within 28 days a suspension of services will follow.

Loaning Procedure:

Persons with ALS requesting books on CD or tape, should contact Chris Dunn 800-672-8857 or dunn@als-ny.org and request inventory list. Applicants must be able to supply their own CD or Cassette player. Chris will need to know the name of the patient, their address, the address to which the books are to be shipped, and the titles of the books being requested.

Please note: we cannot guarantee that all books requested will be available for immediate shipment to the patient due to limited inventory of titles.

Return Policy:

Returns:

• Books will be shipped with a self addressed stamped envelope for easy return, and all books should be returned in the same envelope
• Books must be postmarked within 28 days of receipt to maintain good standing.

Donating Policy:

• Books on tape/cd can be mailed to The ALS Association Greater NY Chapter Office.
• New audio books will be added to the existing inventory.

While the goal of the Greater New York Chapter is to make access to books possible for all patient with ALS, funding for this program is limited. Continuation of this program is contingent upon available funding and the maintenance of books in proper working order.


Alternate Reading Methods

Reading is a very relaxing and enjoyable hobby that should not end with increased upper extremity weakness. When you are no longer able to physically access books, newspapers, and other print material, there are many options to maintain your ability to access reading material.

GEWA Page Turner BLV-6(http://www.zygo-usa.com/blv6.htm) is a commerically available page turner for those who don't want to give up their book collection. While a good option for some, the page turner runs at approximately $3000 and is limited to those books that the device was designed to work with.
Accessing printed material through audio recordings or electronically can be more convient and easier on your wallet than investing in a page turner. This can be done by viewing printed material on a computer screen and/or listening to recordings of books or newspapers.

1. FREE - ALS Association Listening Library - The Greater New York Chapter of The ALS Association has some books on tape available for loan. Call Chris Dunn at 212-720-3044 for more information.

2. FREE - Library Services - The New York Public Library - ebooks.nypl.org and The New Jersey State Library - www.njstatelib.org has several electronic and audio books available for free, as well as movies and other videos. While most services are available to all library card holders, some may require some documentation of your disability. Your local branch can help you discover what services are available to you. Most local library branches have audio books available for check out.

3. FREE - Project Gutenberg - www.promo.net/pg offers famous and freely available important texts, over 10,000 books currently available.

4. FREE - National Library Service - www.loc.gov/nls offers books on tape free of charge to people with disabilities.

5. FREE - Classic Bookshelf - www.classicbookshelf.com offers classic books that allows the reader to change the color and font of the reading material. Many people have trouble reading electronically but with this website you can see the font and the color to your liking.

6. FREE - Children's Storybooks Online - www.magickeys.com/books offers illustrated stories for children of all ages.

7. FREE/PAY FOR SERVICE - In Touch Networks - www.intouchnetworks.net provides a broadcast of reading services of many popular newspapers and other print media, including the New York Times. You may access the service via internet free of charge. If you want to tune into the service with a special radio, you pay a one time fee for the radio, but the service is free.

8. PAY FOR SERVICE - Bookshare -www.bookshare.org is a large database of books scanned by users that can be read on the computer screen and/or listened to on a computer. There is a $50 annual fee.

9. PAY FOR SERVICE - Audio-to-Go - www.audiotogo.com offers books on tape or CD that are shipped to your home for a monthly fee.

10. PAY FOR SERVICE - Audible - www.audible.com and Sounds Good - www.soundsgood.com offers digital audio books, radio shows, and audio versions of popular magazines and daily newspapers for a monthly or yearly fee. The items are downloaded to handheld devices or personal computers.

For more information about alternate reading methods, visit www.als-ny.org or contact Chris Dunn at 800.672.8857.