Network Bulletin No.: 08-01
Date: January 11, 2007
Subject: Digital talking books (DTBs)
Index term: 2008 Audio Production Plan
For fiscal year 2008 NLS requested a budget increase of $19,100,000 each year for four years, totaling
$76,400,000, to expedite the transition of the audio program from analog to digital. When the omnibus
domestic spending bill was signed into law on December 26, 2007, it included a budget increase for NLS
of $12,500,000 each year for six years, as opposed to the requested $19,100,000 each year.
As a result of the lower amount, NLS will produce and distribute an average of 694 copies of 2,000 RC
titles and 516 copies of 650 DB titles in calendar year 2008. In fiscal year 2008, NLS will contract to
produce 12,000 digital players per month.
NLS will provide each network library a 2008 quota for RC books and for DB books. Each library will
receive a minimum of one copy of each cassette title (2,000) and a minimum of one copy of each new
digital title (650) and may use the remaining quotas to select additional copies of titles deemed most
popular with its readers.
A special copy allotment cycle for digital titles recorded prior to 2008, known as the DB Retrospective,
will be implemented in mid 2008. During this special cycle libraries will have six months to review and
select copies of titles of interest to readers. For the DB Retrospective cycle in 2008, NLS will provide a
total of 216,000 copies for the libraries to select from a list of 10,000 titles.
Requests For Proposals (RFPs) for cartridges and digital player are in process. Once contracts have been
awarded, NLS will have a firmer time line for distribution.
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PROJECTED NLS AUDIO BOOK PRODUCTION PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008
Format Titles Average Copies (1) Total Copies
Recorded Cassette (RC) 2,000 694
1,388,000
Digital Book (DB) 650 516
335,400
Digital Book (DB)Retrospective (2) 10,000 22(3) 216,100
Total DB Copies 551,500
PROJECTED NLS AUDIO BOOK PRODUCTION PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009
Format Titles Average Copies (1) Total Copies
Recorded Cassette (RC) 2,000 443
886,000
Digital Book (DB) 1,049 600
629,400
Digital Book (DB)Retrospective (2) 8,000 13 (3) 106,120
Total DB Copies 735,520
(1) Average copies per title libraries may select up to their assigned quota (minimum 1 copy)
(2) 2007 and earlier books
(3) Libraries may select copies up to their assigned quota. (No minimum required.)
For more information contact:
Emilio del Campo
Administrative Section
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