The radio reading service projects started with federal assistance offered as matching funds to municipal governments in the mid-1970s. Tennessee, through local efforts, was one of the first states to participate. The Talking Library program in Nashville has been around since the December 17, 1975. The next step will be a dial-in phone service so that listeners may request selected portions from recorded broadcasts. A typical week's programming includes excerpts from the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Wall Street Journal, and other national, regional and local newspapers, a wide variety of magazines, and new books.
Some volunteers produce feature programs such as trivia quizzes, shopping, and game shows.
Every day, Ray spends time recording at the Talking Library and also volunteers for another organization where he drives cancer patients to appointments and coordinates the schedule for other drivers. Ray has logged over 2,200 hours with the library and has read 97 books. When he selects a title, he often chooses a mystery or crime novel. David VartBadrigian David is a Nashville home builder who got interested in the Talking Library when a friend encouraged him to share his love of reading in this way. He started in 1982 by reading newspapers, left the program , and then came back in 1994 to read books.