RFB&D Newsletter

In late January, RFB&D President & CEO John Kelly recorded a special message to RFB&D members who still use only analog cassettes and playback equipment to urge them to convert to digital.

This is John Kelly, President of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D). The information I am about to share with you is so important that I wanted to tell you personally.

You’ve been using our audio books on analog cassettes — like the one you’re listening to now — for a long time. We want you to know that after June 30, 2007, just a few months from now, we will stop producing books on cassette. RFB&D’s audiobooks will be on CD in the format known as DAISY, which lets us fit 45 hours — that’s right, 45 HOURS — of listening onto ONE CD. This means that most of your books will be contained on one or perhaps two CDs instead of a hefty box of cassettes.

You also will be able to go RIGHT to the page you want. And bookmark pages to which you want to return. This is a BIG improvement over those familiar but now outdated cassettes!

Why are we doing this? There are several reasons. First, the equipment on which we duplicate cassettes is no longer manufactured. The machines themselves here at RFB&D headquarters are wearing out; when they finally stop working, it will be difficult, if not impossible to get replacement parts for them.

Secondly, as a nonprofit organization, we pride ourselves on taking good care of all donations generously given to us. Funds are limited, and we must use our money wisely. Currently, it costs RFB&D about $167,000 per month to produce both cassettes AND CDs. We can produce CD books faster and with better quality than we ever could with cassettes.

And finally, the world has changed in its use of technology. The world has gone digital — and RFB&D needs to do the same. The digital format not only lends itself to the CDs, but to downloadable books as well in the future. This is an invitation for you to come along with us!

We've noted you are part of a small percentage of members who haven't yet tried our digitally recorded books on CD — and we’d like to make this transition as easy as possible for you. Perhaps you’re waiting for the Library of Congress to provide a free player for the new format they will begin to adopt in 2008. There are so many books to read in RFB&D’s extensive library in the meantime — with hundreds of textbooks, classics and best sellers being added each month — and we want you to be able to hear all of them on CD.

I look forward to your coming aboard as RFB&D goes digital.

Until then, this is John Kelly on behalf of all of us at RFB&D, wishing you continued good learning through listening.

If you are part of the small percentage of RFB&D members who have not yet “gone digital,” please visit the following links for more information, or call our Member Services Department at 800-221-4792.

For information on the complete line of playback devices available to help you Go Digital!, visit https://custhub.rfbd.org/BrowseProducts.asp.

If you have an inquiry about RFB&D’s digital transition, many of the most frequently asked questions can be found at www.rfbd.org/DigitalTransitionFAQs.htm