Resource of the Week: National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
By Shirl Kennedy, Senior Editor

National Library Week isn’t until next month (April 15-21), but an interesting press release from the Library of Congress (LoC) crossed our radar screen this week describing the extensive services of LoC’s National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). We felt that this outstanding free program — now in its 75th year of operation (who knew?) deserved some attention. In an era of large-scale government waste, fraud and abuse, this service is truly an excellent use of your tax dollars.

Through a national network of cooperating libraries, NLS administers a free library program of braille and audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States by postage-free mail.

First of all, I like the website. You don’t have to be vision-challenged to appreciate a simple-to-navigate Internet destination that is completely devoid of “enhancements” such as Flash-based menus (phooey), etc. Just scroll up and down and click on links of interest.

“Talking book libraries” have been around for a long time. Undoubtedly, there is one near you, and most NLS services are delivered indirectly, via these locations. Who is eligible for these services? Well, the blind of course, but also folks with other types of handicaps whose disabilities prevent them from using standard printed reading material. This even includes people with certified reading disabilities — e.g., dyslexia. Services are also available to American citizens living abroad. Find detailed eligibility information here.

The NLS offers a few direct services, including:
+ Music scores and instructional materials in braille and audio format: “This collection, which excludes musical performances, is provided nationally to eligible borrowers who are studying music.”
+ Factsheet on Web-Braille, which “explains our electronic files for registered braille readers.”
+ Certification in braille transcribing and proofreading “in cooperation with a network of volunteer groups throughout the United States and tests for competency in literary braille.” Some basic information about braille and the braille alphabet is available here. You can order some of these materials for free, including an embossed braille alphabet card that, in my experience, seems to fascinate children with normal vision.
+ Reference publications of potential interest to library patrons and staff, including:

• Bibliographies (Few in number, but the most recent one — Library and Information Services for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals — is quite extensive and a must-read for librarians serving this particular population.
• Printable circulars about such topics as assistive technology products, traveling for those with physical or visual disabilities, and organizations focused on different types of disabilities.
• Directories of libraries, sources of braille materials and more.
• Fact sheets about NLS and its services, including some in Spanish.
• A list of Subject Headings Used in the NLS Reference Collections on Visual and Physical Disabilities, which may interest technical services librarians.

Of course there is an OPAC here, which offers a “quick search” form as well as a more advanced Voyager interface. A Kids Catalog search is also available that “will find books for a wide range of ages, pre-school through Grade 8.” (The NLS Kids Zone focuses on materials of interest to children.)

Other items that caught our attention:
+ Non-English audio and braille materials
+ Newsletters
+ Say How? A Pronunciation Guide to Names of Public Figures, created to help those who make recordings for the blind.
+ The ABC Book, A Pronunciation Guide, is a similar resource, focused on commercial names.
+ Extensive information about digital talking books and periodicals, set to replace the longstanding cassette format
+ Bibliographies of braille and talking books on a wide variety of topics
+ Mapping for the Visually Impaired
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Oh, and here is a related resource — another serendipitous find which I stumbled across while looking for information about Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Mapping for the Visually Impaired, developed and maintained by Natural Resources Canada, is a portal that offers:

• Maps for Education: tactile maps showing the general geography of Canada, including thematic maps and the Tactile Atlas of Canada
• Maps for Mobility: sample maps to download and print and procedures to make mobility training maps, to help visually impaired persons be more mobile
• Maps for Transportation and Tourism: sample maps to download and print and procedures to make maps to help visually impaired persons visiting travel destinations in Canada
• Maps for Web-4-All: project of Industry Canada, sample audio-tactile city approach and city core maps to download and print or use online

There’s some fairly interesting technology behind these maps, including (who knew?) Flash.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 22nd, 2007 at 12:59 am and is filed under Libraries and Librarianship, Resource of the Week, Source File. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.