Maine State Library-Talking Books Plus

05/26/2026

Here is the bestseller list for May!

Call Outreach Services at 207-287-5650 if you would like any of these books sent to you on a Talking Book cartridge or if you use BARD Mobile, enter the DB number in the search box and download onto your device!

[Image: List of fiction and non-fiction titles available in the NLS catalog.]

05/26/2026

Press release for our friends at the VIP (Visually Impaired Persons) group.

"The next monthly meeting of Visually Impaired Persons (VIP) will be held on June 2, 2026, at 1:15 p.m. in the Boothbay Region Community Center, located in the Meadow Mall on Townsend Avenue, Boothbay Harbor.

The meeting this month will be a drum circle! It will be facilitated by member Kitty Hartford, who will provide a multitude of instruments. The drum circle will be a shared event that requires no previous. experience. Drum circles reduce stress and promote emotional healing, while promoting creative expression. Join us for an unique adventure!

People with any type of vision issue are welcome to attend, along with their caregivers and drivers.

For more information, call Joan at (207) 633-2498.

Need a ride? Call Kitty at (207) 633-6355.

[Image: Standing is Chris Boynton, Director of Outreach Services, who is giving a presentation of Outreach Services to members of the VIP group, who are sitting around a rectangular table.]

05/12/2026

NLS has a full slate of patron-focused online events this month.
On Thursday, May 14, the monthly Many Faces of BARD program will explore Typing Text Using the DA2. After a presentation and demonstration, NLS staff members will take your questions about all things BARD (our Braille and Audio Reading Download service) for the remainder of the hour. The program will begin at 7 p.m. eastern time and last for one hour. Get more information at www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/many-faces-of-bard.
The topic for the Thursday, May 21, Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker online program at 7 p.m. eastern time will be Creating the Personalized Experience: Effectively Setting Volume, Speed and Tone in the My Talking Books Skill on Alexa. More information: www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/smart-speaking-to-the-smart-speaker.
Finally, That All May eRead resumes its regular schedule on Tuesday, May 26, at 7 p.m. eastern time. Navigating DAISY Files on Your eReader is the subject of this month’s program. NLS staff members will answer questions about the Braille eReader for the remainder of the hour. More information: www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/that-all-may-eread.
[Image: Close-up photo of a person holding an NLS DA2 audiobook player.]

05/05/2026

04/22/2026

Today is and we're ready to celebrate it! Bookmobiles and home delivery services, school visits and pop-up libraries, community partnerships and always-available digital downloads and resources, our libraries go beyond their four walls to serve our Maine communities. You can learn more about the Maine State Library's Outreach Services at https://www.maine.gov/msl/outreach/index.shtml

04/17/2026

All state offices will be closed on Monday, April 20th, for Patriots' Day.

04/13/2026

in 1976, to commemorate both Thomas Jefferson’s 233rd birthday and the nation’s Bicentennial, the Federal Reserve issued a redesigned $2 bill. The new bill kept Jefferson’s portrait on the front but replaced an engraving of Monticello on the back with a vignette of John Trumbull's painting "Declaration of Independence." According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), five of the 47 people portrayed in the painting itself were cropped from the bill due to space.
You don’t see many $2 bills around nowadays. But 50 years ago — when gasoline averaged 57 cents a gallon and a typical fast-food meal cost less than $2 — that $2 bill had the purchasing power of more than $11 today.
Speaking of U.S. currency, did you know that NLS partners with BEP to provide free currency readers to eligible individuals who are blind or visually impaired? The compact iBill Talking Banknote Identifier announces a note’s value in one of three ways: by voice, a pattern of tones or a pattern of vibrations. Find out more — and download an application if you’re eligible — at www.loc.gov/nls/services-and-resources/us-currency-reader-program?loclr=fbnls.
[Image: The front and back of a $2 bill. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, U.S. Department of the Treasury.]

04/10/2026

As spring arrives and nature awakens, the world around us comes alive. Returns the rustling of leaves, the warmth of sunshine — and our cutest neighbors: birds.
From the quack of a duck to the knock of a woodpecker, you don’t have to see to experience birds around you. In fact, sound is a major component of “birding” and is a reason many blind individuals take it up as a hobby.
If you need a refresher (or maybe an introduction) into the world of birding, the NLS collection has a wealth of titles ready to get you exploring, from books with actual birdsongs like “Birdsong by the Seasons: A Year of Listening to Birds (DBC11301)” by Donald Kroodsma and “A Complete Guide to British Birds: And Their Calls and Songs (DB119035)” by Brett Westwood to books about attracting birds to your yard like “The Backyard Bird Watcher (DB14355)” by George H. Harrison.
And on Saturday in the Thomas Jefferson Building, the Library of Congress will host a Family Day focused on birds. NLS will be there with a table full of bird audiobooks and print/braille books like “Flight School (BR21074)” by Lita Judge. To learn more about Family Day — it’s free, but you’ll need a timed-entry ticket —visit www.loc.gov/item/event-420292/family-day-birds-at-the-library/2026-04-11.

[Image: The mallard duck (Anas boschas) by Alexander Pope Jr., 1878. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.]

04/07/2026

With the Braille and Audio Reading Download service, NLS can put a library in your pocket! Join us this Thursday, April 9, at 7 p.m. eastern for this month’sMany Faces of BARD program spotlighting the BARD Mobile app for Android devices. After the presentation and demonstration, BARD experts will take your questions about all things BARD for the remainder of the hour, including how to sign up. Or if you want to begin that process now, visit www.loc.gov/nls/how-to-enroll/sign-up-for-bard-and-bard-mobile. Learn more about how to attend Many Faces of BARD at www.loc.gov/nls/many-faces-of-BARD.
Want a library in your room? The following Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m. eastern, our Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker online program will be an open forum. For the entire hour, we’ll answer any questions you have about the My Talking Books skill for Alexa-enabled smart speakers. Get details on how to join at www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/smart-speaking-to-the-smart-speaker.
[Image: A smartphone and a tablet running the BARD Mobile app.]