Almost all users of the Library prefer the voiced information and read “talking” books. Since the 1970s, these books were recorded on audio cassettes in a special format (4 tracks, 2.38 cm/s playback speed). With the advent of digital recording the Library started to acquire audio books on CD-ROMs.

Since 2008 RGBS started to form the fund of digital “talking” books in a special cryptoprotected format (in accordance with the requirements of the Russian legislation); this fund is formed on tangible media – flash cards, hard drives, and in a virtual environment – in the form of a database. Virtual library of digital “talking” books with cryptoprotection, posted on the website www.rgbs.ru, includes more than 35 thousand items. Any registered user can get the desired edition from the data base of the library, by e-mail or through the Internet (by means of a personal login and password). The users have several options for access to the voiced publications both independently and with the help of a librarian, namely:

– get on the subscription audio recording in a convenient form;

– make an order to record books on a personal flash card;

– put the required books on a virtual bookshelf;

–listen books online.

Access to the documents created in cryptoprotected format is possible with special soft and hardware –tiflo-flash player, as well as using a mobile digital device, such as a smartphone running on the operating system Android and iOS, for which a special application is developed. The reader can use one or more tools depending on the specific conditions, needs and opportunities. Tiflo-flash players are provided to visually impaired people by the Social Insurance Fund according to the Federal list of rehabilitation technical means of rehabilitation. Other devices are purchased independently, for personal funds. As Social Insurance Fund is not able to provide all persons with disabilities who need devices for listening to “talking” books in the country in a short time, the Library creates its own rental Fund of technical means that are provided to subscribers for temporary use.

In particular, 1140 readers of the Russian state library for the blind use tiflo-flash players and some hundreds readers – smartphones and tablets. It should be noted that the number of online connections is growing every month and in the last half of the year it has reached 60 % of the total number of requests to the virtual library.