[Dtb-talk] AFB to Close its Audio Production Division in October 2009

[David Andrews]

AFB to Close its Audio Production Division in October 2009



AFB to Close its Audio Production Division in October 2009

New York (November 17, 2008)­After 75 years of 
participating in the National Library Service 
(NLS) Talking Book Program, the American 
Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is closing its 
audio book division in October 2009 with the 
expiration of AFB's New York headquarters' lease. 
Fans of talking books will continue to have 
access to high quality audio books from the many 
other accomplished audio book producers 
participating in the NLS program, as well as 
through increasingly popular, accessible, and 
affordable commercially produced books and internet downloads.

Since pioneering the development of recorded 
books in the 1930s, AFB has produced tens of 
thousands of Talking Books for the Library of 
Congress­a program championed by Helen Keller 
during her tenure at AFB. AFB expects to continue 
producing audio material for NLS and our other 
customers until AFB leaves its present facility.

"As a Talking Book user myself, I take enormous 
pride in the role AFB has played in providing 
high-quality audio books to people who are blind 
or visually impaired," said Carl R. Augusto, AFB 
President & CEO. "While we are saddened to be 
exiting the Talking Book business, we are 
confident that other audio book producers have 
sufficient studio production capacity to handle 
NLS requirements and that blind and visually 
impaired consumers will continue to have access 
to audio material through the NLS program and other avenues."

AFB's decision to exit the Talking Book program 
was based on a number of factors, including the 
financial costs that AFB incurs by participating 
in the government-funded NLS program and the need 
to apply donor funds to those programs that AFB 
is in a unique position to deliver.

"AFB is proud to have produced so many amazing 
audio books, and we owe a huge thank you to AFB's 
audio book production staff and to the actors and 
narrators whose much-loved voices have created 
wonderful and enduring recordings," added Augusto.