Have you or someone you know benefited from the Talking Books Division's services and programming? Consider volunteering with Talking Books as a trained Talking Book Ambassador or Audiobook Production editor, reader or monitor. You will get to know the team and Talking Books patrons as you help Kansans with physical or visual impairments live the lives they want. Once a volunteer is approved and accepts the invitation to serve, they commit to complete at least one assignment on behalf of Kansas Talking Books.
Kansas Talking Books Community Ambassadors are trained and empowered to serve as advocates, educators and promoters of Talking Books services in their hometowns. Ambassadors will work to increase awareness and use of accessible reading materials and services among eligible individuals.
Kansas Talking Books seeks volunteers who will assist in making written material accessible for the visually and physically impaired. Editing audio, monitoring narration in progress and narrating are activities volunteers can participate in depending on need and the individual's skills.
Talking Books staff encourage people with audio editing experience or familiarity with computers and a willingness to learn to volunteer.
Talking Books determines the selection of material, and provides the material to volunteers. The Talking BooksDivision director takes into consideration a volunteer's interests, reading and computer skills, schedule and needs of the program when matching volunteers to assignments.
An assignment may take multiple sessions, in one hour increments, to complete. Sessions at the Talking Books facility in Emporia are held during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kansas Talking Books is located at Emporia State University in Memorial Union in the lower level. The location is accessible by stairs or elevator. Contact Talking Books staff in advance of your first visit for more specific directions.
Volunteers interested in narrating must audition in person at Kansas Talking Books. The audition is recorded and will include a test for pronunciation using brief excerpts from books and magazines. This audition is a "cold reading," material is not provided in advance and normally takes 30 minutes to complete.
Volunteer auditions are evaluated for the following characteristics:
Volunteers are notified as soon as possible. If a person is not selected as a narrator they are encouraged to consider other volunteer positions and can audition again at a later date.
