Kansas Talking Books Service

09/03/2026

National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled has some great online events coming this month, starting tonight at 6. They'll be Introducing the BARD Web Player, which allows a patron to listen to BARD titles directly on the BARD website and stream them across multiple NLS devices. Details at www.loc.gov/nls/MFOB

Join us on Zoom for a full slate of practical, patron-focused events this month. All take place at 7 p.m. eastern time. Get details on how to join each session and listen to recordings of previous sessions at the links below.
The next Many Faces of BARD program will be held this Thursday, a week earlier than usual. The topic will be Introducing the Web Player. Our new Web Player allows a patron to listen to BARD titles directly on the BARD website and stream them across multiple NLS devices. After the presentation and demonstration, we will take your questions about all things BARD for the remainder of the hour. Find out more at www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/many-faces-of-bard?loclr=fbnls.
(The Many Faces of BARD will return to its usual date on the second Thursday of the month in October.)
The topic for the Thursday, September 17, Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker program will be Effective Use of the Reading History and the Streaming History and What’s the Difference. Get details at www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/smart-speaking-to-the-smart-speaker?loclr=fbnls.
And the topic for the Tuesday, September 29, That All May eRead program will be Effectively Using the Dictionary on the eReader. Get details at www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/that-all-may-eread?loclr=fbnls.

[Image: An NLS Braille eReader on top of a sheet of hard-copy braille.]

08/31/2026

September is coming in extra hot this year and so are the Talking Books staff picks for August. Grab a book, a glass of iced tea and cool off with one of these hot titles. https://library.ks.gov/blogs/19675/186127

State Library of Kansas

[Image: Four covers for the books The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei, Vera Wong's unsolicited advice for murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto , Palaces of the crow by Ray Nayler and The transmigration of Timothy Archer by Philip K. Dick . To the right of the book covers is the text August 2026 Staff Picks with the State Library of Kansas logo and talking books website below.]

08/28/2026

Join State Library of Kansas online next Wednesday for an engaging conversation about Kansas Agriculture and Rural Life. Register at https://calendar.library.ks.gov/event/17329020?hs=a

Join Kaye McIntyre's Sep. 2 conversation w/5th-generation Kansan, Lucas Bessire, and grown up Kansas farm-kid, Lindsay Hanson Metcalf! They'll talk about telling Kansas stories and maybe inspire YOU to tell your own. Registration & information link in comments. You must register (it's free!) to join the conversation and get your event link. Kansas Department of Agriculture Kansas Talking Books Service Kansas Public Radio Kansas Water Office Kansas Historical Society

08/26/2026

Find a list of books by and about Dolly Patron in our collection here https://kstb.klas.com/search/search.jsf?q=Dolly+Parton

Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at age 80, was many things over her 60-year professional career: singer, songwriter, actor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, cultural icon – and a tireless advocate for literacy. “Everywhere I go, the kids call me The Book Lady,” she said in a PBS interview. Parton’s Imagination Library has been sending books to children — one book a month until they turn five — since 1995. And on February 27, 2018, she came to Washington, D.C., to dedicate the 100 millionth Imagination Library book — a story she wrote, “Coat of Many Colors” — to the Library of Congress. (Watch and listen to the video of her appearance at https://www.loc.gov/item/2021687564?loclr=fbnls.) Imagination Library is still going strong; in 2023 it gifted its 200 millionth book.
Parton’s 1994 memoir, “Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business (DB39868),” is a definitive account of her life, from her impoverished childhood in East Tennessee to her rise to fame in Nashville and beyond. Parton also told her story in last year’s “Star of the Show: My Life on Stage (DB133565).” “Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters (DB92810)” collects interviews with Parton going back to 1967, when she was 21.
Parton discusses her passion for fashion in “Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones (DB117524),” and she and her sister share favorite recipes in “Good Lookin’ Cookin’ (DB127729).”
The NLS collection also has children’s books by Parton, including the autobiographical “Coat of Many Colors (DBC32781)” and “Dolly Parton’s Billy the Kid Makes It Big (DB114353),” about a bulldog with an ear for music.
“Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics (BR24608, DB102063)” is an annotated collection of lyrics from 175 of her songs. The NLS Music Collection has piano scores for “I Will Always Love You (DBM04628)” and “Hardcandy Christmas (DBM03726).” And Popular Music Lead Sheets, No. 132 (BRM37679) includes a braille score for “Jolene.”
Search the NLS catalog for many more books by and about Parton.
[Image: In a screenshot from a video of her appearance at the Library of Congress on February 27, 2018, Dolly Parton reads “Coat of Many Colors” to a group of children.]

08/20/2026

NFB-Newsline can now be used on your DA2 talking book machine. Update your machine’s software over wi-fi or contact Kansas Talking Books to request the update on a cartridge.
The new software also delivers an enhanced Bookshelf and an app for Bookshare. The updated user guide is available on the unit and at the following link: www.loc.gov/nls/services-and-resources/equipment-for-nls-materials/da2-user-guide

State Library of Kansas

[Image: Photo of a DA2 digital talking book machine on a white background. Text above reads DA2 Talking Book Machine Now with NFB-Newsline.]

08/17/2026

August is the best time to join the VIP book club because you can help select the next 11 books to be read and discussed. Join the fun tomorrow at 1:00 and share your opinions. Email [email protected] for meeting details. State Library of Kansas

[Image: Book Club Flyer. Text reads Kansas Talking Books VIP Virtual Book Club. Aug. 18. 1 PM. In the center is a photo of four older ladies sitting outside, around a talking book machine on a table.}

08/07/2026

National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled has an August full of programs for patrons. Visit their website for details https://tinyurl.com/mwe7z3sr Whether you’re downloading through BARD, listening on your smart speaker, or reading on your braille eReader they’ve got a session for you.

Join us on Zoom for a full slate of practical, patron-focused events this month! All take place at 7 p.m. eastern time. Get details on how to join each session and listen to recordings of previous sessions at the links below.
First up, on Thursday, August 13, is the Many Faces of BARD. This month’s topic is Updating the DA2, the next-generation NLS audiobook player. After the presentation and demonstration, we will take your questions about all things BARD for the remainder of the hour. https://www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/many-faces-of-bard?loclr=fbnls
The topic for the Thursday, August 20, Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker program is Updated Preference Options in the My Talking Books Skill on Alexa, Part 2. A recording of Part 1 from last month is available at the link below. After the presentation and demonstration, we will answer any questions you have about the My Talking Books skill for Alexa-enabled smart speakers. Get details at https://www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/smart-speaking-to-the-smart-speaker?loclr=fbnls.
Finally, the topic for the Tuesday, August 25, That All May eRead program will be Previewing the New Features of Version 3.1 of the NLS Braille eReader. https://www.loc.gov/nls/news-and-updates/that-all-may-eread?loclr=fbnls.

[Image: Close-up photo of a DA2 audiobook player in a patron’s hands.]

08/05/2026

Discover the north shore of Cape Cod, featuring the area around the Life-Saving Station Museum and Highland Lighthouse – you may even encounter a humpback whale. https://tinyurl.com/3wsvw8cz
Brought to you by Braille Institute National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled and Kim Charlson, Executive Director of Perkins Library
State Library of Kansas

[Image: Photo of a lighthouse, white at the bottom, red at the top, with a black railing and cupola encasing the windowed lantern room atop the tower with text reading Take a Sea Shore Tour.]

08/04/2026

Register for tomorrow's author event with Deb Goodrich, author of "From the Reservation to Washington: The Rise of Charles Curtis" and the State Library of Kansas, https://calendar.library.ks.gov/event/15979913

August begins with Deb Goodrich, author of “From the Reservation to Washington: The rise of Charles Curtis,” in conversation with you, August 5, 7 p.m., online. Together, we'll kick off “Spotlight on Notable Kansans” and you don’t want to miss it. Register Today! Link in comments. America250 Kansas Tourism