CalMAX Connection: Spring 2005

If that is the case, you can “read by listening” via the free audio book library service Books Aloud, Inc. Books Aloud records and distributes books from its facility in San Jose. It is the result of a project that began in 1970 as the vision of its late founder, Florence Peer.

When Peer’s children were small and her mother’s sight was failing, she would take them all to the local library and drop them off for an hour of story time. They enjoyed themselves, and Peer appreciated the brief respite.

Some time after her mother died, the West Valley Federated Women’s Club asked Peer to take over its youth program. Her fond memories of listening to stories led Peer to start Books Aloud. In 1972, it grew from the original project of a few club members who recorded from home for local children and blind people to an organization that was incorporated a year later.

More than 30 years later, Books Aloud has evolved into a service that covers the entire United States and parts of Canada. The group has some 1,500 clients of all ages who have a visual, physical, or learning disability that requires them to “read by listening.” Books Aloud now has two full-time on-site recording studios, a website (www.booksaloud.org) and more than 5,000 titles. The organization employs three full-time and six part-time employees, more than 70 volunteer readers, and a multitude of volunteers who help with circulation, fundraising, shipping, checking books in, researching, selecting books, and various other clerical duties. Clients have a variety of titles, authors, and subjects from which to choose for their monthly shipment.

Books Aloud’s mission is “to improve the quality of life for people unable to benefit directly from the printed page, by providing a service to stimulate minds, stir emotions, and foster independence through its ‘Reading by Listening’ program.” Books Aloud provides its service in a number of ways. The majority of clients are individuals who receive books at their home once a month via U.S. mail. A self-addressed label is enclosed each time, and books are returned to Books Aloud in the original packaging, which is re-used and mended over and over until no longer serviceable.

Some special education teachers are also clients who receive books at their schools for students with learning disabilities. In this case, the teacher is responsible for the books.

Books Aloud’s goal is to increase the number of child clients by making contact with more teachers, parents, and caregivers of children. Books that are on a school district’s core curriculum list are recorded and made available for children who need them. Teachers and educators only need to provide a list of the books that will be assigned reading. Everything from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to Harry Potter is in the collection and the online catalog.

Through a partnership with the local Meals on Wheels, qualified clients in the Silicon Valley area can opt to have their books hand-delivered along with a meal. Each client is assigned a specific day of the month—for instance, second Tuesday or third Friday. That is when that individual’s books will be sent out each month.

In addition to these individual clients, Books Aloud also services adult day centers, rehabilitation centers, and other groups with a large matching clientele base. Executive Director Joyce Meurer has even set up a number of on-site mini-libraries at these locations, and she plans at least six more in the coming year.

Because Books Aloud has been in operation for so long, its albums (plastic containers that hold the tapes that are sent out repeatedly to clients) have gotten quite a bit of use. In 2004, in an effort to replace the more worn containers, volunteers and staff began transferring tapes to new albums. The problem was what to do with the old ones. Although Books Aloud recycles paper, bottles, and cans, the staff could find no avenue for the albums. A newspaper posting to pick up the free albums resulted in fewer than 50 given away. The rest of the ongoing supply appeared headed to the landfill.

Connection
Outreach Coordinator Marsha N. Stewart, who had previously worked for the City of Hayward’s Solid Waste and Recycling Department and knew about CalMAX, decided to post an ad on the CalMAX website. Before long, someone from Resource Area for Teachers (RAFT, www.raft.net) in San Jose contacted her. They found a recipient for an ongoing supply of 200 albums per month.

RAFT serves more than 5,000 teachers, including 10 local public school districts. These teachers are reaching 800,000 children per year with interactive learning materials. Each month about 100 different companies donate surplus materials. Each month RAFT diverts approximately 10,500 cubic feet of reusable items from the landfill.

Books Aloud and RAFT
That was the beginning of the relationship between the two nonprofit organizations. Since that time, Books Aloud has staffed an information table on Saturday events at RAFT to let teachers know about the free service available for their qualified students. Many of the educators take client and volunteer applications and free printed books for their students. The teachers also appreciate hearing about Books Aloud’s Kidscast program, which allows a class who has thoroughly prepared to do a one-time recording.

Books Aloud, which has historically recorded onto and distributed regular cassette tapes, now records digitally and will begin offering some of its books on CDs along with donated commercial recordings. Last year, commercial audio books on cassettes began circulating for the first time in Books Aloud’s history.

Contact Information:
Books Aloud, Inc.
P.O. Box 5731
San Jose, CA 95150-5731
www.booksaloud.org
info@booksaloud.org
Office: (408) 808-2613
Fax: (408) 808-2625
 

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Last updated: December 30, 2008