Electronic Textbook Resources

The resources below can help you find electronic textbooks that may be used with text to speech software, such as Kurzweil 3000. There are also resources for how to create electronic files from your physical textbooks. 

NOTE: As with physical books, copyright laws are still applicable to electronic and digital texts. Please make sure you observe copyright laws that apply to your electronic texts.

Purchase an e-textbook

Many electronic or digital textbooks are protected by Digital Right Management (DRM) systems. This means that most times you are only able to use the text in a specific e-book reader such as the VitalSource Bookshelf, Adobe Digital Editions, Kindle, etc. However, many times these readers have built-in text to speech features you can use instead of Kurzweil 3000 for these books. Before you purchase an e-textbook check to see what file type you will be recieving and if the required e-book reader has a built-in speech to text tool.

Where to Purchase E-Textbooks:

• Titan Direct Access Program
• Titan Shops (select digital option)
• Vital Source

Open Edition Digital Textbooks

It is unlikely you will find your assigned or required textbooks in these repositories. However, they are excellent resources to find supplemental texts that may be a helpful complement to your studies.

• Open Stax
• Open Textbook Library
• Scholarworks

Physical Textbooks – How to Digitize to use with Kurzweil

Scanner Apps

Use a scanner app on your phone to scan textbook pages. The scanned files can then be opened in Kurzweil 3000. When choosing a scanner app make sure you choose one that has OCR (optimal character recognition). This will make the text searchable. Consider the following apps:

• Adobe Scan (Android, iOS, free)
• Microsoft Office Lens (Android, iOS, free)

Scanner Apps with Built-In Read Aloud

These apps allow you to scan your printed materials into a digital format. You can then have them read aloud to you in the same app.

• Text to Speech – Read Aloud (android, free)

• Speechify Text Reader (iOS, free)

• Voice Dream Scanner (iOS, $6 one-time purchase)

De-bind and Scan your Textbooks

If you want to digitize an entire physical textbook the most efficient option is to have the book de-bound and scanned. Most copy centers, such as FedEx Office and Staples, provide this service. Prices will vary depending on the size of the book.