Hawaii State
Public Library System

Library for the Blind and Print Disabled

Machine lending

LBPD distributes digital audio players, braille e-readers, and accessories to patrons in the State of Hawaii and U.S. territories in the Pacific.  We have machine-lending agencies on the Big Island, Maui and Kauai to expedite the loan and exchange of equipment needed to play NLS audiobooks.  Here is the contact information for the agency on your island:

For Oahu, Molokai and Lanai:

Hawaii State LBPD
402 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815
Phone: (808) 733-8444
Toll-Free:  1-800-559-4096

For the Island of Hawaii:

Hilo Public Library
300 Waianuenue Avenue
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Phone: (808) 933-8890

For the island of Maui:

Kahului Public Library (currently closed)
90 School Street
Kahului, Hawaii 96732
Phone:  (808) 873-3097

For the island of Kauai:

Lihue Public Library
4344 Hardy Street
Lihue, Hawaii 96766
Phone:  (808) 241-3222

Machines and accessories like headphones, can be mailed directly to your home or may be picked up at your nearest public library or at LBPD. Keep the mailing/packing materials in case you have to mail back any equipment.

Equipment policy

Equipment necessary to read the recorded materials may be borrowed on extended loan for as long as you are using it to read materials provided by the library. If no materials are borrowed within one year, equipment should be returned.  Registered users are allowed only one machine per format.

If the equipment needs repair, contact LBPD or the machine lending library on your island to arrange for repair or exchange.  All equipment and accessories produced by NLS remain the property of the Federal Government.

Equipment operation and maintenance

The Digital Talking Book Machine (DTBM) is the device used to play the digital cartridges provided by the library.

User Guide: An audio user guide is available on all machines.  To listen to the user guide, press and hold down the Play/Stop button on the standard machine and the Info button on the advanced machine. The user guide can be accessed any time the player is powered on.  Audio instructions are also available for the various device functions by pressing the respective button on the machine (e.g. play, rewind, fast forward, etc.)

Battery Recharge: When the machine is turned on, it will tell you how many hours remain on the rechargeable battery. It will take about two and a half hours to fully charge a completely discharged battery.  You may continue to listen to a book while the battery is being charged.  You may leave the machine plugged into the wall outlet for as long as you like. This will not harm the machine or the battery.

Repair and Maintenance: all maintenance and repair are handled by library staff.  If you are experiencing problems, contact LBPD on Oahu or the respective machine-lending agency on the neighbor islands to make arrangements for an exchange.

All equipment loaned remains the property of the federal government.  You may be contacted when we conduct our annual inventory of equipment.