Opportunities in the Studio
Volunteering with the Talking Book Program is an interesting, rewarding
experience that produces materials that benefit Texans with disabilities.
By donating their time and energy, volunteers make an invaluable
contribution to the thousands of Texans who are unable to read standard
print. Volunteers of the Talking Book Program gain valuable experience
in a professional recording environment, receiving training and
opportunities that are rarely offered at commercial broadcasting
or recording facilities.
Did you know?
- Since 1978 volunteers in the Talking Book Program recording
studios in Austin and Midland have produced more than 3,700 books
and magazines on tape for distribution to TBP clients and also
to libraries in the National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped (NLS) network.
- Volunteers record Texas books and magazines, including materials
in Spanish (no textbooks). Volunteers work as narrators, session
monitors, and reviewers of recorded material.
- More than 100 volunteers contribute approximately 600-service
hours to the Austin studio each month.
- Fifty-eight percent of the active volunteers in the Austin Recording
Studio have been volunteering for three years or longer. Some
volunteers have been with the program for as long as 20 years.
- The Texas studio has placed three books into the national catalog,
more than any other library in the NLS network.
- Materials are recorded in accordance with rigid standards provided
by NLS and in accordance with copyright laws.
Volunteer Opportunities
There are three positions available to volunteers in the studio:
Reviewer, Monitor,
and Narrator. These positions are unified
under what we call "the recording team." The team works together,
under the guidance of studio staff, to produce books on tape. A
new volunteer can work either as a reviewer or a monitor. Orientation
and training are provided by Volunteer Recording Studio staff during
the initial session and usually take about two hours. A volunteer
who has worked in the studio for a minimum of six months (40-hours)
can then audition to be a narrator.
Basic Requirements for Reviewers:
- Good vision and hearing.
- Exceptional listening skills.
- Ability to offer objective feedback and criticism as well as
appropriate solutions.
- Sensitivities to the technical and aesthetic challenges involved
in translating a printed text into the spoken word.
- Fluency in the language in which the text is printed (English
or Spanish).
- Broad literary background, strong research skills.
The Reviewer operates the Media Player software to listen to the
recorded material The reviewer's job is to insure a quality recording
by scouring the tape for errors in narration, unwanted noises from
the recording booth, and general misrepresentation of the author's
intent. The reviewer's objective criticisms are crucial to the production.
Basic Requirements for Monitors:
- Good vision and hearing.
- Good ear-eye-hand coordination.
- Ability to listen and communicate effectively.
- Ability to work well with others and to accept critiques from
Narrators, reviewers and studio personnel.
- Ability to notice potential problems and offer constructive
criticism.
- Sensitivities to the technical and aesthetic difficulties involved
in translating a printed text into the spoken word.
- Fluency in the language in which the text is printed (English
or Spanish).
- Broad literary background, strong research skills.
The Monitor operates the Digital Sound Recorder software and signals
the narrator when to start and stop narration. The challenge presented
to the monitor is to assure that the narrator is reading correctly
and that the digital equipment is recording properly. The monitor
keeps track of side/tape lengths and make corrections to recorded
material. The monitor takes care to make sure that recording levels
remain constant, that the narrator does not shift in front of the
microphone, that pages don't rustle and chairs don't creak. The
monitor ensures smooth transitions in the narration, as well as
proper format and documentation during production.
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Basic Requirements for Narrators:
- Voices that are clear and distinct.
- Ability to sustain energy over a long period of time.
- Voices that are free of regional coloration or accents.
- Voices that are free of mannerisms such as lip smacks and other
oral and guttural interferences.
- Skill in securing proper emphasis.
- A sense of timing and inflection.
- Ability to read in a conversational manner.
- Ability to retain a collective understanding of the material.
The Narrator is a seasoned monitor or reviewer who presents the
text of the book in a professional, yet conversational manner. The
narrator must prepare for each session by researching pronunciations
of difficult words, practicing awkward phrases, and consulting the
manual and studio staff about format issues. Special attention is
paid to providing continuity in vocal volume, communicating with
the monitor and foreseeing challenging text. The narrator is the
only member of the three person production team who cannot be replaced
because he or she must read the book from start to finish. Therefore
it is necessary for the narrator to make a strong commitment to
the program. Along the same lines, it is important for the narrator
to maintain good health.
Every volunteer who is interested in being a Narrator must pass
an audition. The audition consists of reading two selections onto
tape: one that contains dialogue and the other narrative. This audition
is a cold reading that determines if the volunteer has the natural
ability to read both kinds of materials. If accepted as a Narrator,
the volunteer will be assigned materials suitable to his or her
voice.
Re-trys will be offered to volunteers no sooner than three months
after the previous audition, and only if the volunteer continues
working in the studio during that time.
Contact Us
The Volunteer Recording Studio is located in Room G25 of the Lorenzo
de Zavala State Library and Archives Building, 1201 Brazos, just
east of the capitol between 12th and 13th street on San Jacinto.
If you live in the Austin area and are interested in volunteering
to record books, please call 463-5546 for more information.
On behalf of the Texas State Library Talking Book Program and the
people we serve across Texas, we thank you for your interest in
the Volunteer Recording Program. Please feel free to visit us at
the studio or call for more information about volunteering with
us.
Janice Jones and Stephen Miles Lewis, Studio Managers
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Stain glass by Lefty and Jane
Whynaught
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Office Hours: Rm G25
Monday 10:00am-7:00pm
Tuesday-Thursday 9:00am-7:00pm
Friday 8:00am-6:00pm
Saturday 9:30am-1:30pm
Talking Book Program
Texas State Library & Archives Commission
PO Box 12927
Austin TX 78711-2927
1-800-252-9605 (in Texas)
512-463-5458 (in Austin)
512-936-0685 (fax)
tbp.services@tsl.state.tx.us
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