Connecticut Volunteer Services for the Blind and Handicapped, Inc.
There are many opportunities for volunteering at each of the five studios (see Recording Studios). Contributing time on a regular basis and a dedication to a long term commitment are required of each volunteer. Patience, normal hearing and vision, a command of the English language (foreign languages are helpful also), and a background in literature are necessary to translate the written work to its audible meaning. Auditions are required for narrators.
Three volunteers work together to produce a recorded book. A narrator prepares and reads the material into a microphone in a soundproof booth, a monitor operates the reel-to-reel tape recorder outside the booth and directs the narrator while following along with a second copy of the material, and between recording sessions a reviewer listens to the recorded material while following the text to check for accuracy and quality. If the reviewer finds any errors, mispronunciations, or extraneous noises, the monitor and narrator must make these corrections at the beginning of the next recording session. This position adds an element of quality control that gives credibility to the finished recording.
Each completed reel, and each completed recorded book (possibly containing 16 or more reels), is appraised by an evaluation panel made up of volunteers and talking books users. The panel forwards their comments to the recording team, and if they notice any problems, the tape is returned for more corrections.
Once the recordings are accepted, they are then duplicated onto cassette and the cassettes are labeled in print and Braille, packaged, and shipped to the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
Additional volunteer opportunities could involve tape duplication or clerical activities.
For information about related volunteer opportunities contact Kathy Hotchkiss, Coordinator of Volunteer Recording Services at the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 198 West Street, Rocky Hill, CT 06067 call (860) 566-2151 or toll-free 1-800-842-4516, Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM.