Hear A Book Service Inc.
Production & supply of recorded books for people with Print
Disabilities.
201 High Street,
Prahran,
Victoria 3181
Telephone 03 9520 5501 - Fax 03 9521 3685
Email Address: hearabook@visionaustralia.org
ABN 67 108 391 831
Hear a Book
Service is a non - profit organisation based in Hobart serving people with
Print Disabilities throughout Australia and New Zealand.
History of Hear A Book
From its
beginning in 1972, the Hear A Book organisation has grown to become a prominent
analogue audio book producer, organizing the narration and distribution of
over 12,000 audio books titles. As the first service to introduce audio books
for the Blind and Print Disabled into the public library system around
Australia
,
it allowed more content to be used by the print disabled community than ever
before.
In
recognition of the loyal band of volunteers and staff who have contributed to
the proud history of Hear A Book, Vision
Australia
will continue to supply
replacement book cassettes and existing titles until the analogue technology
is no longer available.
Vision
Australia
have also committed to transforming some of this existing catalogue into
DAISY books for continued reading by the print disabled community. The new digital collection will be titled
‘The Hear A Book Collection’ and made available via the Vision Australia
Information Library Service.
All books
have been recorded by volunteers in their own homes, and copyright
permissions granted to people with print disabilities. Books are not available for direct sale to
the general public due to copyright restrictions, however can be purchased by
individuals with a print disability and by libraries serving the print
disabled community. |
How to obtain Hear A Book tapes
Libraries
and other institutions may order direct from Hear A Book providing the organisation agrees to the Copyright restrictions, that is
the audio books may only be lent to people with a Print Disability.
To assist
readers, the cassettes (standard 2 track audio tapes), are distributed in a
vinyl folder. The title and author
appear on the spine of the folder and on the front of the folder. On the front are listed title, author,
narrator, catalogue number, number of cassettes and number of folders to the
full book, category, publishing details and a synopsis of the book.
Each
cassette has an embossed number and most have a brailled title on Side B to assist blind readers.
Individuals
may also purchase Hear A Book titles, as long as they meet the following
conditions, as defined by the Copyright Act :
- A person without sight; or
- A person whose sight is
severely impaired; or
- A person unable to hold or manipulate
books or focus or move his or her eyes; or
- A person with a perceptual
disability.
Prices
The price
list is as follows:
Australia
Books in Folders $5.50 per cassette
Replacement tapes $5.00 per cassette
Books, no folder $4.80 per cassette
New Zealand
(in Australian dollars)
Books in folders $6.00 per cassette
Replacements $5.00 per cassette
There are over 12,000 books on the catalogue which have been recorded by
volunteers in their own homes and distributed through Public Libraries in
Australia and New Zealand.
Publishers and Authors freely grant Copyright permission to Hear A Book to
Record for people with Print Disabilities.
Books are not available for direct sale to the public because of Copyright
restrictions . Sales to date to Libraries exceed 1.2 million tapes.
Hear A Book is funded by the sale of tapes to
Libraries, (at or below cost), and a small grant from the Federal Government.
How to obtain Hear A Book tapes.
Libraries and other institutions may order direct from Hear A Book
providing the organisation agrees to the Copyright restrictions, that is the
audio books may only be lent to people with a Print Disability.
To assist readers, the cassettes, (standard two track audio tapes), are
distributed in a vinyl folder. The title and Author appear on the spine of the
folder and on the front of the folder. On the front are listed title, author,
narrator, catalogue number, number of cassettes and number of folders to the
full book, category, publishing details, and a synopsis of the book.
Each cassette has an embossed number and most have a brailled title on side B
to assist blind readers.
There is now available monthly a cassette of selections from a number of
popular magazines, eg: Womens Weekly, New Idea, also Motor, House & Garden,
Australian Geographic and National Geographic.
The magazine selections on tape are available to Libraries and direct to
individuals with a Print Disability
Catalogue updates are available each two months,
usually with 40 to 50 new titles. Catalogue updates are free to libraries. If you wish to be included on our mailing list please or require further
information contact
Hear A Book on
Telephone 03 62341101 or Fax. 03 62342382
Individuals need to contact their local library to borrow tapes as Hear A Book
does not have a library Service.
Hear A Book is not able to
sell direct to the non Print Disabled general public, (see "Register with
Hear A Book" below)
PRINT DISABILITY: Definition.
Because of the inconsistent definition of
this term in Australia the Round Table on Information Access for People with
Print Disabilities has developed the following description.
People with print disabilities are those who cannot obtain access to
information in a print form because they;
- are Blind or Vision Impaired; or
- have physical disabilities which
limit their ability to hold or manipulate information in a printed form;
or
- have perceptual or other
disabilities which limit their ability to follow a line of print or which
affect their concentration; or
- cannot comprehend information in a
printed form due to insufficient literacy or language skills.
Hear A Book and all major providers
subscribe to this statement.
PRICES:
The price list is as follows. Note these goods are GST free!
Australia
Books in Folders $5.50 per cassette
Replacement tapes $5.00 per cassette
Books, no folder $4.80 per cassette
Magazines (monthly) $48.00 per annum
New
Zealand orders.(Australian dollars)
Books in folders $6.00 per cassette
Replacements $5.00 per cassette
Private
Subscription.
(Magazines only. Sent via. Free Post)
Monthly magazines $30.00 per annum
Quarterly magazines $12.00 per annum
Monthly
magazines include Womans Day, Womens Weekly, House & Garden, New Idea,
Time, Readers Digest, National Geographic, Bulletin (1) & (2), Newstalk (1)
& (2), Wellbeing. Quarterly magazines, Diabetes Conquest, This England,
Australian Geographic.
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