New Mexico State Library

Ordering Materials and Equipment

Contact us by phone, email, fax, or mail to order any of the following equipment or materials.

Players

LBPD patrons are issued a Digital Talking Book Machine (DTBM) upon registration. These players can play digital talking books on either a library provided cartridge or a personal USB flash drive. DTBM Players are normally sent by mail to the patron or can be scheduled to be picked up at our location in Santa Fe. Patrons are encouraged to keep the box so that the player can be easily returned by mail at the end of service or if they need a replacement. Patrons who need a replacement player will need to contact the library or indicate on the sticker on top of the box that they need a replacement. Players can operate on battery power for on the go reading and will recharge when plugged in.

Digital Talking Book Machines - The standard is on the left and the advanced is on the right
DTBM players come in two models, a standard (DS1) and advanced model (DA1). Both models have:
  • Power On/Off buttons.
  • Primary navigation controls: Play/Stop, Rewind, and Fast Forward buttons.
  • Timers: Sleep button This sets a timer to end at 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes.
  • Volume, Speed, and Tone Controls.
  • A cartridge slot, USB socket, and headphone socket.
  • The advanced model features an extra row of buttons between the raised line and the round speaker. The controls are for setting and retrieving bookmarks and for navigating through levels of a book.

    High Volume Players: Patrons who have severe hearing loss may also request a high-volume player. They will need to request the form and have a physician or audiologist sign off on it for us to send them one. The signature of the physician/audiologist on this form is required. Contact our library for more information and to request the form.

    Player Accessories

    On the go and downloads:
    • Headphones – Enjoy reading in privacy
    • USB Flash Drive Adapter – extends the USB slot for easier use and access with a flash drive.
    At Home
  • Pillow Speakers – for bed time listening
  • Player Remotes – easily navigate your book from across the room
  • Breath Switch – manage the player with your breath
  • Audio Books

    Audio books are provided on a digital cartridge or via the BARD website/mobile app. Each cartridge can be customized to your preferences. That includes separating cartridges out by number of books, author, genres, and series. If you can’t find a book in our catalog, ask us about it! We may be able to request or record it so that you and other patrons that may be interested in in it can receive it. All cartridge orders are processed between our normal business hours. Holidays may affect delivery times. Please DO NOT Include notes in the cartridge cases. Often notes are lost in transit due to inspection or while checking in books so we may not see it.

    Ordering Cartridges

    By Phone:
    Local: (505) 476-9770
    Toll Free: 1 (800) 456-5515

    By Mail:
    NM State Library – LBPD
    1209 Camino Carlos Rey
    Santa Fe, NM 87507

    Note: Make sure to mark the envelope with “Free Matter for the Blind & Physically Handicapped,” and do not seal it. To qualify for Free Matter, all envelopes and boxes must be able to be inspected by the post office.

    Loan Period and Returning Cartridges

    A stack of five plastic cartridge cases
    A stack of cartridge cases

    There are no due dates! Patrons are allowed to have up to five cartridges at a time. An exception to the rule is patrons who receive single title cartridges, who may have up to eight. Orders are based on turn around so once a patron has all their cartridges checked out, no more cartridges will be sent. This also depends on if there are books waiting in the patron’s queue.

    For example, Maria has five cartridges with five books each. She orders ten more titles and sends back two of cartridges through the United States Postal Service. Once our library receives them, we check them in and replace the previous titles with the ordered books.

    Each cartridge has a plastic mailing case with a folded label. When sent to the patron, the side facing out will have their address and there is a hole punch in the lower left-hand corner. When taking the label out, the label opens from the left to right. On the inside is our address on both the left and right sides. On the back of the label is a list of titles that are on the cartridge. When a cartridge is ready to be returned, fold the label over and slide it back into the cartridge case. The hole punch should now be in the lower right corner. Put the cartridge back in the case, then leave it for the USPS to pick up.

    Reporting Errors: In the event of a playback error or a lost cartridge, contact our library so we can remake the order for you and update our records.

    A woman reading a braille book

    Magazines

    A list of the avaliable magazines and their formats can be found on the NLS website here. Braille magazines do not have a due date, but those made on digital cartridges due have a due date. Each magazine has a different due date and arrives in a red plastic case.

    To return the magazine, take out the label from the front and send it back through USPS. All magazines are also available on the BARD website and mobile app.

    a hand holding a mobile phone displaying the BARD Now Reading page in the app