Recorded materials on audio disc and cassette are available on free loan by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a division of the Library of Congress. Both disc and cassette recordings require specially designed playback equipment which is also supplied on free loan to eligible individuals and institutions. The Roanoke Public Libraries' talking book service covers the cities of Roanoke, , and , and the counties of , , and .

What materials are available?

A wide variety of books and magazines are available on recorded media. Just a few of the categories you can choose from are adventure, bestsellers, religion, business, children's materials, gardening, history, poetry, sports, travel, and westerns. "TALKING BOOK TOPICS," a bi-monthly catalog of titles, is available in large print, on record, or on cassette.

Who is eligible for this service?

• Blind persons whose visual acuity is 20/200 or less;
• Persons whose visual disability, with correction and regardless of optical measurement, prevents them from reading standard printed material;
• Persons unable to read or unable to use standard printed material as a result of physical limitations;
• Persons having a reading disability resulting from organic dysfunction and of sufficient severity to prevent their reading printed material in a normal manner.