The West German Audio Book Library for the Blind (german: Westdeutsche Blindenhörbücherei e. V.), abbreviated WBH, is a specialist library which produces and distributes

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...

s and

periodicals A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also exampl ...

for blind and partially sighted persons. It is the largest library of its kind in the

German speaking world This article details the geographical distribution of speakers of the German language, regardless of the legislative status within the countries where it is spoken. In addition to the German-speaking area (german: Deutscher Sprachraum) in Europe, ...

.Sabine Tenta: ''The Audible Gate to the World: The West German Audio Book Library for the Blind'' (Goethe-Institut, 2009
online
retrieved 26-May-2012West Deutsches Rundfunk: ''Vor 50 Jahren: Westdeutsche Blindenhörbücherei in Münster eröffnet'' 9 November 200

retrieved 26-May-2012 The WBH supplies a nationwide network of libraries for the visually impaired, primarily in the western German states of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

and the

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...

, but also to other states and abroad.About the WBH
at the official website of the Westdeutsche Blindenhörbücherei retrieved 26-May-2012 The WBH was founded in 1955 at the Public Library of

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Actors from the municipal theater recorded the first audio books in an improvised studio lined with egg cartons. Because trams rattled past during the day, these first productions took place at night. Later, texts were recorded by trained speakers, processed by the library, then distributed to users by mail. Until the 1970s recordings were on tape reels, then later compact tape cassettes. Since 2004, the offerings have been recorded in the DAISY Digital Talking Book

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

standard, which allows visually impaired users to both listen and navigate written material. In 2009 the library's collection became exclusively digital as cassette tapes were no longer made available. Today about 24,500 titles from the classics, mystery, biographies, nonfiction, plays and popular novels are available to users. Thirty professional freelance speakers record 350 new titles annually in the library's own studio, which are then digitally mastered and cataloged. The WBH is legally permitted to record any book published in Germany for free, including such popular titles as '' Harry Potter''. The library loans audio books on CD at no charge, while audio magazines and newspapers are made available on a subscription basis. Proof of visual impairment is required to access the library's services. In many places in Germany the local blind association helps users register.WBH Application
retrieved 26-May-2012

References

External links

Official website of the WBH

DAISY Consortium
{{Authority control Libraries in Germany Libraries for the blind Libraries established in 1955 Blindness organisations in Germany 1955 establishments in West Germany

See also

References

External links