Audio Book Producer (blind)
LOCATION
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Fingerprint/background clearance is required.Training required which may significantly delay start of service hours or which needs to be completed prior to the start of the semester.
We do not require fingerprinting but we do have a background check form that must be submitted. It includes name, social security number, birthdate, addresses for the last ten years. There is no cost. Students may start while the background check is being processed.
Studio training must be completed before a project begins. Training takes approximately 4-6 hours.
SCHEDULE OPTIONS
Semester availability
FallSpring
Service hours
MorningAfternoon
Evening
Available days/hours
Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Wednesday and Thursday evenings until 7:30 PM.
REQUIRED/DESIRED SKILLS
An in-person reading audition is required. A solid command of the English language and a wide reading vocabulary. Clear articulation and an ability to vary vocal quality to convey the author's content. Self-directed.
CATEGORIES
DisabilitiesElderly
Library
COMMUNITY PARTNER
Arizona Braille and Talking Book Library
ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP
Duties
Produce a digital audio book, in a professional quality recording studio,for blind or disabled people who cannot make use of print media. Intern is responsible for reading, recording (using digital software), reviewing and editing an audio book, which is the media format provided to library users. Digital book becomes part of the permanent, lending collection of the AZ Braille and Talking Book Library. Intern will also participate in two library outreach events and conduct two interviews with disabled people who utilize library services.
Population served
10,000 readers living throughout Arizona use our library. Audio books are sent through the mail as 'free matter for the blind or handicapped' and delivered directly to the reader's mailing address. To qualify for the Talking Book Program, an individual must be unable to read standard print, which is the size print in a newspaper, due to visual or other physical disability. The majority of our readers are gradually losing their eyesight due to macular degeneration, diabetes or other age-related issues. Many of our readers are elderly. We have 20+ readers in our Ten-Squared Group, which is for readers 100 years and older. 7% of our library users read Braille in addition to using audio books. About 200 of our readers are children, younger than 18.
Community need/impact
Locally recorded audio books supplement and expand what the library makes available to our blind or disabled library users. We are part of Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records and the National Library Service which is part of the Library of Congress. Our local recording program focuses on expanding the availability of materials about Arizona or the southwest, either fiction or nonfiction. We also digitally record genres - westerns, mysteries and romances - that are highly requested by our patrons. We also record specific patron requests for books not available elsewhere in audio format.
The library has been serving a disabled population since 1931. We annually circulate about 420,000 items. We send through our mail-room 1500-2000 books and magazines daily and receive about that many items back, Monday through Friday. Many of our readers rely on us completely for their library service. Others use us in conjunction with other resources from public libraries and online resources.
