Wolfner :: Reader Services :: Books

Books

The mission of Wolfner Talking Book and Braille Library is to provide informational and recreational books on cassette and in braille formats free-of-charge to Missourians who are unable to use standard print materials due to blindness, visual or physical impairment, or a reading disability and to provide disability-related information to the public.

What types of books are available?

Basically, what you find at your local public library, we also have available from Wolfner Library. Wolfner has approximately 65,000 titles for checkout (330,000 total copies). Topics include fictional works such as westerns, bestsellers, mysteries and romances, and non-fictional materials such as biographies, health, travel, history and many other subjects as well. You may want to review our Recommended Reading Lists to get a feel for the vast array of materials available.

In what formats are the books available?

Wolfner Library has books in braille, cassette and large print formats. Our materials are coded with a two or three-letter prefix followed by four or five numbers. The prefixes identify the medium in which the book is available. The following list identifies the codes.

BR = Braille.
DB= Digital Books. This books are mailed from Wolfner Library on cartridges containing a digital file of the entire book or can be downloaded from the BARD, Braille and Audio Download, website for mobile devices
DBC=
LP = Large Print. This collection contains books for all ages printed in size 14 or larger font.
RC = Cassettes. These NLS produced cassettes are recorded on four tracks at a speed of 15/16 inches per second (IPS) and play for 90 minutes per side. Cassettes are currently being phased out.

What is the loan period for books?

The standard loan period for a book is six weeks . Returning books promptly assures a constant flow of reading material to you. Holding books for longer periods of time or neglecting to return them may interrupt your service and deny the same titles to other readers.

How often will I be sent books?

Our goal is to provide you with all the reading material you want on a steady basis. Therefore, most of the time, you will receive a new book automatically every time you return one. The books sent to you are selected from your request file, or based on the reading interests you indicated on your application.

What are my service options?

There are a variety of service options to suit your reading needs, including:

On Demand
Books shipped to you only upon special request.
Request List
The reader supplies us with a list of books they would like to read. Each time we receive a book from you, another is automatically shipped from this list at your next regular service time. Books can be added to the request list, but the computer always makes random selections based on availability.
Computer Selection
Each patron is asked to be as specific as possible about their reading interests including the kinds of books they like to read (mysteries, bestsellers, westerns, biographies, etc.), their favorite authors, and also whether they prefer not to receive books that contain sex, violence, and/or strong language. There are many variables. Tell us what you like and what you do not like, and we will do our best to program the computer to send the right kinds of books for your tastes.
Time Interval Options
Weekly/Bimonthly/Monthly - a specified number of books is shipped on the same day each week/every other week/month.

How can I order books?

You are able to place book orders through the phone, mail, email or by ordering directly online through WolfPAC (http://wolfpac.klas.com/klasweb), our online public access catalog.

What happens when I place my order?

Each patron of Wolfner Library is assigned to a reader advisor who helps you obtain the materials you want. When we receive your order, your reader advisor will do one of three things based on how you have asked to receive service:

If the book is available, they will send it out in the next day's mail.
If the book is not available and you want to receive it as soon as possible, they can put it on your Reserve list so that the next copy that is returned to us will be sent directly to you.
Place the book on your Request list to be sent at a later date.

Is it possible to have books sent to me in series order?

If you want to read books in a series in chronological order, call Wolfner Library and request the first title of the series. The reader advisor will then add that series like to your patron profile and you will receive the series in its proper order.

How do I return books?

Books will be mailed to your home through the United States Postal Service. Books will arrive in mailing containers with reversible mailing labels on the outside. A punched hole in the upper corner of the mailing label will be on the right side when you receive the item. When you are finished with the item, turn the mailing label over so that the punched hole is on the left side, replace it in its holder on the outside of the mailing container, and drop it in the mail.

All Wolfner Library materials can be mailed as "Free Matter for the Blind and Physically Handicapped." As long as they have this notation on the container, the United States Postal Service will handle them at no charge. This is the only way you are able to return books to us at no charge to you. Do not return materials through any other mail service. We cannot reimburse you for any costs you may incur for returning materials to us through any other method.

What if a book is damaged?

Due to the nature of recorded materials, books can become damaged. Tapes tangle and break. Braille books, too, are often damaged through normal use. If a book is damaged when you receive it, or if it gets damaged while you are reading it, notify Wolfner Library immediately. You will be sent another copy of the book if it is available. You should return the damaged book to Wolfner Library in its container. If it is a cassette book, place a rubber band around the damaged cassette and place it braille-side down in the container. If it is a braille volume, tie a string around the cover of the volume. Then check the box marked "defective book" in the upper left-hand corner of the mailing label.