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Contact Us Home > Technical Writings > Flash Memory Distribution
of Digital Talking Books by Neil Bernstein, Information
Technology Specialist In 2008 the National Library Service for
the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) will begin to replace
its existing cassette-based talking book system with a new
system based on digital talking books (DTBs). These books,
recorded and played back using digital audio technology, will
provide the same top-quality narration NLS patrons have come to
expect. Along with digital audio must come a new medium to
replace the analog cassette. This new medium must be as easy to
use, as durable, and as simple to duplicate as the cassette.
Ideally it would also hold far more audio, be reusable, and
still be of reasonable cost. For these reasons NLS has chosen
the USB (Universal Serial Bus) Flash Drive for the circulation
of DTBs This choice was made after considering alternative
digital media carriers such as CD-ROM