Listen to Your Digital Textbooks with Bookshelf Read Aloud!
Please note: Bookshelf does not have the ability to translate the text within the eTextBook, the Read Aloud function will only read aloud in the language in which the text is published. If your book is reading with a strange accent please follow the instructions in this brief article: My book is reading in a different language or with a strange accent and not English.
Today’s students are busier than ever. Make the most of your valuable study time by reading on the go with our newly redesigned feature, Read Aloud.
From your phone or tablet
To begin using Read Aloud, click the speaker icon on the toolbar. The player will open and the reading position will be highlighted; tap the play button to start. By default, the player will begin reading from the top of the page. To start reading from another location on the screen, long press on the desired start location and select Read from here on the menu.
As the player reads, the words will highlight on the screen. Scrolling the page or navigating to another place in your book via page swipe, scrubber, or the table of contents will trigger the Recenter and Read from Here buttons to display. Tapping Recenter will scroll the screen back to the content that the player is reading. Tapping Read from here will begin reading from the top line of the text currently visible on the screen and will resume audio from this location.
Player Settings
On the face of the player, you will find key settings, such as skip ahead, skip back, and speed. Additional functionality, including voice selection and content settings, can be discovered by pulling or sliding up on the screen.
Change Player Voices
Tap Voices on the full-screen player to change the language or voice. The default language corresponds with the language of the book and under each language are the voices that have been downloaded to your device. To change the player language, tap the arrow to display the language picker. To download additional voices, follow the instructions on the Change Voice screen.
Content Settings
To optimize your listening experience, we have added Content Settings that will enable you to choose either a Detailed Reading Mode, which reads all of the content on the book page, or a Simplified Reading Mode, which provides a focused listening experience by skipping footnotes, image descriptions, and URL hyperlinks. Note the Simplified Reading Mode is only available on EPUBs.
From your PC, Mac, or Browser
To begin listening to your textbook with Read Aloud, click the 3-dot more options menu and select Read Aloud
Click the play button to start listening. The player will begin reading from the top of the screen and the starting position of the player will be highlighted.
To start reading from another location on the screen, click the text at the desired start location and select Read aloud from here on the menu.
Change Speed, Voice, and Content Settings
To change the player speed, voice, or content settings, click the settings icon on the player.
A modal that displays tabs for speed, voice, and content settings will be displayed. To change the player speed, move the move the speed bar along the slider.
Click the Voice tab to change the player’s language and voice. The default language corresponds with the language of the book and under each language are the voices that have been downloaded to your device. To change the player language, select from the available languages and voices in the drop-down menus. To download additional voices, follow the instructions on the modal. Note, language selection is only available on Mac and Windows platforms.
To change the Content Settings, click the appropriate tab on the settings modal. Select from a Detailed Reading Mode, which reads all of the content on the book page, or a Simplified Reading Mode, which provides a focused listening experience by skipping footnotes, image descriptions, and URL hyperlinks. Note the simplified reading mode is only available on EPUBs.
When is it available?
The new read aloud experience will be available on the 10.4 release on Mac, Windows,
iOS, Android and Kindle Fire in August 2023. Improvements in the Online platform are expected in September 2023
More information:
If you need more information regarding Accessibility, please visit VitalSource and Accessibility.
Please let us know if you need any further assistance by contacting our Support Team.
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