DAISY, digitala talböcker: Från svensk idé till internationell standard

Abstract

To read talking books on cassettes is similar to the ancient way of reading scrolls. There is a lot of winding and rewinding. In a digital talking book the reader has random access to the sections via the talking table of contents. You can also place bookmarks, "underline" and make marginal notes. DAISY, Digital Audio-based Information System, has been developed to record, store, transfer, and read digital audio books. The Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille started the DAISY project, and now the DAISY Consortium is establishing the international de facto standard for the production, exchange, and use of digital talking books. Presently, digital talking books are distributed on cd-rom, but the system can adapt to new distribution technology in the future. In Sweden, Internet distribution of digital talking books is tested in co-operation with county libraries and university libraries. This article gives an overview of the present situation and some ideas about future developments.