Text-to-Speech Option Now in Library's Ebsco Databases

Ebsco has added text-to-speech (read aloud) support to our library databases--adding a valuable benefit provided at no additional cost to the user. You'll be able to take advantage of this new feature with any full-text articles available in HTML format. Text-to-speech support allows users to read along while a human-sounding voice speaks the text on the screen.

The support toolbar provides significant assistance to those for whom text-to-speech capabilities are highly valued such as:

-English Language Learners
-users with low vision
-slight physical and/or learning disabilities as well as eBook and PDA users

Recent studies have shown that students using literacy support tools demonstrated significant improvements in both reading comprehension and writing performance. Utilizing the text-to-speech feature via the EBSCOhost platform provides many advantages. Users have the ability to read-aloud by selected text, sentence, paragraph, or continuous reading with dual color synchronous highlighting (highlighting of the passage being read with a second color highlighting the specific word being read aloud at that moment). 

User control of read-aloud personalizes the learning experience for each user. Users can control reading speed as well as select between three different high-quality voices—American, British, or Australian. These options also enable teachers and professionals to incorporate the features as a tool for teaching English and reading.

Ask your librarian about this easy-to-use, helpful new tool.