Arizona Talking Book Library

09/04/2026

We will be closed on Monday, September 7th, in observance of Labor Day.

Our normal business hours will resume on Tuesday, September 8th at 8 AM.

09/02/2026

September is Library Card Sign Up Month!

Although our patrons do not get a physical library card, they get access to thousands of free books, magazines, and more in audio and braille format. We serve all Arizonans who cannot read standard print due to low vision or blindness, physical disabilities, or reading disabilities.

To learn more about how to celebrate Library Card Sign Up Month by becoming a patron, please call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl.

08/28/2026

Great news! Our building construction project is complete, and we are once more open for walk ins!

Our building is open Monday - Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM, except holidays.

If you have questions about us or the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578, visit our website at azlibrary.gov/tbl, or come visit us at 1030 N. 32nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85008.

08/27/2026

This week, we lost two amazing pop culture icons, Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. We will certainly miss them, but their legacy lives on in our collection, which features several titles narrated by Parton and Curry themselves.

The book Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones (DB 133565) is a beautiful celebration of Dolly Parton's iconic sense of style through entertaining personal stories and 450 full-color photographs, including exclusive images from her private costume archive.

In his memoir Vagabond (DB 133317), Tim Curry takes readers behind-the-scenes of his rise to fame from his early beginnings as a military brat to his formative years in boarding school and university, to the moment when he hit the stage for the first time. He goes in-depth about what it was like to work on some of the most emblematic works of the 20th century, constantly switching between a camera and a live audience. He also explores the voicework that defined his later career and provided him with a chance to pivot after surviving a catastrophic stroke in 2012.

You can find these titles and more on BARD, or request them from your librarian today.

All of our audiobooks, as well as our other braille and audio materials, are completely free for Arizonans that cannot read standard print due to low vision or blindness, physical disabilities, or reading disabilities.

For more information about us and the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/talkingbooks

08/21/2026

08/18/2026

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) is looking for patrons who would be interested in beta testing a web player that can be used to play audio books from BARD. This player will be available to NLS patrons and can be used while logged into the BARD website.

The NLS is looking for up to 250 patrons who would be interested in beta testing this new player. By signing up for this beta:
• You will be expected to read at least five hours per week using the web player.
• You will be required to provide feedback on the player through email, focus groups, or other mediums to be announced.
• You will be on a listserv with other Web Player Beta participants to share your experiences and receive feedback from NLS.
• You must agree not to publicly demonstrate or provide recordings of the web player until it is released into production. Violation of this agreement will result in removal from the beta as a participant.

To sign up for the web player beta, send us an email at [email protected]. The body of the email should include your name, the email connected to your BARD account, and a statement saying you would like to participate in beta testing the NLS web player.

08/10/2026

Back to school season is finally here! If you are looking for books in audio or braille for your child's assigned reading homework, we have you covered!

We have children's literature classics, Newbury award winners, and hot new releases for all ages, from Pre-K and kindergarten all the way up through 12th grade. Our services are completely free to any Arizona resident who cannot read standard print due to low vision or blindness, a physical disability, or a reading disability.

For more information about us and the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl

08/05/2026

Our Summer Reading Program has officially ended! For all of our patrons that participated, thank you for Unearthing a Story with us and discovering more of the wonderful books we have in our collection!

If you have not yet submitted your completed bingo card, please call us at 602-255-5578 so we can record your progress or return it to us in the mail. Later this month, all participants that completed the program will be entered into our prize drawing!

Even though Summer Reading may be over, we still have plenty of other stories in our catalog waiting to be unearthed. For more information about us and the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/tbl

07/24/2026

We are deep into summer here in Arizona, with temperatures climbing above 110 degrees in some parts of the state. Fortunately, most of us have air conditioning, but what about the plants and animals in the desert that don't?

In Sonoran Desert Summer (DB 32572), professor John Alcock delves into the lives of the plants and animals that survive in the hostile environment of the southern Arizona desert. Divided into five sections, May through September, chapters discuss empress butterflies, ground squirrels, carpenter bees, the culinary preferences and sexual practices of big-jawed beetles, and the lifestyles of various other denizens of the desert.

You can find this title on BARD or request it from your librarian today!

For more information about us and the services we offer, call us at 602-255-5578 or visit azlibrary.gov/talkingbooks

07/20/2026

Starting TODAY, the library will be CLOSED to walk in visitors due to construction. We will still be sending out book cartridges and braille materials, assisting with BARD and machine questions, and answering patron requests during this time.

You can call us at 602-255-5578 and we will be happy to assist you. During construction, staff may be unavailable to answer calls immediately. Please leave a voicemail message with your full name, phone number with area code, and message and we will return your call within one business day. If you do not require a call back, please note that in your message. You can also email us at [email protected].

Stay tuned for updates on when we will reopen, and please reach out to us if you have any questions.