The Fred C. Rummel Foundation of Westfield, NJ has awarded a $5,000 grant to the Building Fund of the New Jersey Unit of Recording for the Blind & Dylsexic (RFB&D) of Princeton, NJ. The funds are to be used toward the costs of relocating the unit's facilities to St. Joseph's Seminary in Plainsboro, NJ and to help convert its recording technology from analog to digital.

RFB&D, a Princeton-based nonprofit, is the nation's educational library for students who cannot read standard print effectively because of a disability. Founded in 1948, RFB&D serves more than 117,000 students from kindergarten to graduate school and beyond with its library of 93,000 recorded textbooks. More than two-thirds of RFB&D's members have learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

The New Jersey Unit is home to one of 31 recording studios throughout the nation that records material distributed by the national library. Nearly 500 volunteers record texts, provide audio production support and assist with the unit's fundraising efforts. Volunteers also help the unit provide educational outreach services to schools throughout the state. More than 5,000 New Jersey students are RFB&D members.

In 2003 the unit consolidated its operation, moving from sites in Princeton and West Windsor to Plainsboro.

The Fred C. Rummel Foundation provides grants to organizations for human services activities, including organizations that provide assistance to youth, elderly and children with disabilities. Special areas of interest include hospitals, organizations that provide care and assistance to the elderly, and to children with disabilities.

Introduced in 2002, digitally recorded AudioPlus books on CD allow students to navigate through a book by page, chapter or heading with the touch of a button, a significant advantage over analog cassette books that can only be navigated by fast-forwarding or re-winding tape. Students also can bookmark text selections in a digital textbook for instant reference. In addition to convenience and ease of use, digital books are far more portable. Books in analog format often require multiple four-track cassettes - as many as eight to twelve cassettes - for an average textbook. On the other hand, a single CD can hold up to 45 hours of recorded content.