A banner reading “Lend Us Your Voice” hangs from the one-story brick building. Inside, volunteers read aloud textbooks in eight recording booths.

In 1948, Anne T. MacDonald of the New York Public Library’s Women’s Auxiliary founded the program Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic to aid World War II veterans that were blinded or physically disabled and seeking an education but could not read Braille.

Today, textbooks are digitally recorded onto CDs and serve those found disabled by medically qualified professionals.

The Georgia unit of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic began in Athens with recording sessions for textbooks in the University’s main library in April 1953. The organization moved around campus until 1967 when it settled at 120 Florida Ave. near the Student Learning Center.

The studio is one of 29 locations scattered across the country.

The organization has a group membership deal with all public university support systems in the U.S., such as the Disability Resource Center at the University.

By obtaining a membership with the organization, a borrower gains access to the database of more than 500,000 circulating textbook titles.

The Athens location is open Monday through Friday and records about one book a day.

According to Fred Smith, production director of the Georgia site and a retired University professor, this is made possible by the 220 volunteers who come in weekly and donate 1.5 hours per session.

The combined efforts result in recording 20 textbooks a month.

The studio puts out half of that monthly figure, about 10 books, during its annual Record-A-Thon that lasts five days.

Every April for the past 15 years, the studio has held the Record-A-Thon during which guest readers, including novelists and public figures such as University President Michael Adams, donate their time.

Smith said 20 percent of students today suffer from some form of learning disability that prevents them from performing their best in school.

An estimated 36,000 in Georgia need this type of learning tool. More than 6,000 people are registered with Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic as borrowers.

“Our biggest obstacle is trying to serve those that just don’t know about us,” Smith said.

The organization has more than 7,000 volunteers nationwide and serves about 180,000 members.

For more information on Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, visit its Web site at www.rfbd.org.