News
ISSN 1046-1663
July-September 2000, Vol. 31, No. 3
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
The Library of Congress
Digital planning takes shape
As the Digital Talking Book Standard being developed by the National
Information Standards Organization (NISO) nears completion, NLS is forging
ahead with a range of product developments and procedures that are bringing
the domain of digital technology ever closer to hand. A computer mockup of a
digital talking-book (DTB) file is under way; innovative duplication
procedures are successfully undergoing rigorous scrutiny; and full-length,
digitally mastered recordings are being developed.
     "We're moving carefully and steadily forward as outlined in Digital
Talking Books: Planning for the Future," says NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke.
"Getting beyond theory to the first working systems is a very positive
step."
     By September 30, a draft of the NISO Digital Talking Book Standard
will be circulated for public review. Preparation of the standard began in
late 1996 to evaluate and codify the desirable features of DTBs for blind
and physically handicapped readers in the light of evolving technology. Many
details have yet to be refined, but the draft standard is well enough
established that experimentation with software and equipment can move ahead.
     NISO progress. Work toward the development of a standard for DTBs
continued at a meeting in Los Angeles, March 19-21 of this year. Members of
the NISO DTB standards committee identified areas where significant work
still remains to be done and assigned subcommittees to schedule and carry
out these tasks. The Navigation Control Center, a text file that provides
readers using portable players quick access to the main structural
components of a book (chapters, sections, pages, notes, graphics), was
identified as the key area in which substantive work was still required; a
group began work on the open issues immediately after the main meeting
adjourned. The committee also decided to develop a selection of sample books
and prepare at least two playback devices to demonstrate the capabilities of
DTBs. NLS and several other agencies made commitments to build the sample
books over the summer and to devise a test plan that will determine how well
a player or a book meets the requirements of the standard.
     The full NISO committee will next meet in October at the Canadian
National Institute for the Blind in Toronto.
     DTB simulation project. NLS has made significant progress developing a
prototype of a DTB file. The software is partially operational, but some
functions remain to be implemented, according to Tom McLaughlin, assistant
head of the NLS Quality Assurance Section, who has guided the development of
the prototype to this point.
     An outside contractor has been engaged to work with NLS to help create
capabilities for basic and advanced navigation through a document. These
features include immediate access to a given page, setting multiple
bookmarks, allowing users to hear or deliberately skip footnotes, navigating
through tables and lists, and various speed-control possibilities. The
simulation that will result from this phase of the project will operate on a
standard PC using conventional software.
     MSCE tape duplication facility. The digital recording and duplicating
facility at the Multistate Center East (MSCE) is operating smoothly in the
production of digital running masters for network-produced magazines. The
Telex digital duplication equipment, installed in May 1999, converts open-reel masters to digital files at eight times real time. It then duplicates
these digital files at sixteen times real time on to four-track analog
cassettes for distribution to regional libraries. The digital equipment is
contributing significantly to the MSC's production of 300-500 four-track
cassettes every week.
     The apparatus, still under experimental development at the MSC, is
largely the responsibility of audio duplication technician Mary Crain, who
consults regularly with Telex personnel and NLS audio book production
specialist Bill West. Not only are efficiency, speed, and consistency of
output superior, but the digital recording procedures yield end products of
a noticeably higher acoustic quality than comparable analog operations can
generate.
     Recording Studio. The NLS Recording Studio has completed the recording
phase of its first digital talking-book master, a collection of fairy tales
by Charles Perrault, and has five more digital recordings in process.
     Peter G. Peterson's Gray Dawn, selected as the studio's second major
project, is a book that presents particular problems that are characterized
as "abstruse" in NLS parlance. Laden with specialized language, charts,
figures, and graphs, as well as an index, Gray Dawn will provide a challenge
to the developers of digital navigation software, who must find ways of
marking these features for ease of comprehension, location, and retrieval by
the reader. At the same time the book is being recorded, a contractor is
applying special codes to the text file of Gray Dawn. When work on the audio
and text files is completed, they will be combined with other components to
create a full-featured DTB compliant with the draft NISO standard. Four
novels, comparatively straightforward in terms of production, are also in
process.
     Studio director Marge Goergen-Rood is enthusiastic about the digital
developments at NLS despite the occasional frustrations inherent in
establishing new procedures and attaining a comfortable measure of
familiarity with new technology. The digital mastering equipment has
entailed a sharp learning curve and a variety of systems management
challenges, but the long-term gains in sound quality, editing speed, and
overall efficient production will amply repay the effort.
(Digital Talking Books: Planning for the Future and other documents
pertaining to digital strategy are available on the NLS web site
<www.loc.gov/nls/dtb.html>.)
(photo caption: The first digital talking-book master produced in the NLS
Recording Studio is a familiar childhood favorite that contains eleven
classic fairy tales.)
Collection-building group praises book collection
The National Advisory Group on Collection Building Activities met at NLS May
24-26 to develop recommendations for the national book and magazine
programs. Having gathered views from their local constituencies, the
representatives conferred to consider targeted areas and to establish
priorities as a group. The resulting recommendations concerned procedural
matters, quality issues, statistics, and access.
     Book collection. The group commended NLS "for its excellent work in
building its collection of classics and contemporary literary work and
continuing to develop the breadth and depth of these collections," for
increasing the production of Spanish titles, for achieving diversity and
balance in its holdings despite budget constraints, for improving
PRINT/BRAILLE book covers, and for restrained selection of debut or
experimental fiction.
     Access. Commendation was also expressed for the Web-BLND and Web-Braille projects and for providing libraries with copy allotment procedures
on the World Wide Web. The representatives asked that NLS make subject
bibliographies and catalogs available on computer diskette and that NLS give
priority to new bestseller and biography bibliographies.
     Statistics. Among the issues mentioned for improvement were providing
more information to the committee on readership, collection distribution by
genre, and magazine subscriptions. The representatives recommended that NLS
develop and conduct a study to quantify the changing composition of the
patron population served by NLS and its impact on network services.
     Procedures. The members asked that NLS continue to work to develop a
mechanism for purchasing materials from out-of-print book vendors. The
committee also would like NLS to revise the online copy allotment screen to
put juvenile and young adult materials together and to include the modified
Dewey code for juvenile titles.
     Quality. The group requested that NLS give priority to identifying and
deleting obsolete, dated materials and that subject bibliographies be
compiled taking currency and relevancy of materials into account. The
members also recommended that finished cassettes be randomly tested as to
sound quality, especially at higher volume levels. Another recommended
improvement was to revise NLS specification 300 (book mastering) to spell
authors' full name(s) at the beginning of each recorded book.
     Magazines. It was recommended that NLS develop and conduct a patron
survey concerning magazines. Also, the committee requested that NLS search
for a new magazine on classical, popular, and country music and that NLS add
Teen People to fill a gap in the magazine program for young people.
     Radio reading services. One recommendation was addressed to the
network. The committee encouraged network libraries and radio reading
services to work collaboratively to provide local materials to registered
users.
The recommendations are being considered by NLS staff, who will have
responses compiled and sent to committee members.
(photo caption: Librarians Lois Gross and Celia Holm (standing) exchange
remarks with patrons Michael Richman and John Taylor.)
(photo caption: Patron Barbara Walker examines a PRINT/BRAILLE book with a
cover using the print book art.)
Committee members
Consumer group representatives: John Taylor (Iowa), American Council of the
Blind; Corinne A. Blank (Virginia), Blinded Veterans of America; Barbara
Walker (Nebraska), National Federation of the Blind.
Readers-at-large: Gary Adelman (Illinois), Midlands; Michael Richman
(Vermont), North; Michael Duke (Mississippi), South; Michael Jones
(Colorado), West
Librarians: Maggie Bacon (Michigan), Midlands; Carol Taylor (Connecticut),
North; Barbara L. Moyer (Florida), South; Lois Gross (Colorado), West; Celia
Holm (New York), Children's and Young Adult
New software development enhances Web-Braille
In July NLS announced the activation of a software feature that will link
its Web-Braille system on the Internet to the NLS International Union
Catalog for braille and audio materials, enabling electronic braille readers
for the first time to make full use of the search capabilities of the
catalog. Electronic braille books may now be accessed by author, title,
subject, language, keywords, and other search terms.
     Web-Braille, inaugurated on August 24, 1999, was a milestone in the
history of library service for blind and visually disabled individuals,
providing eligible braille readers with a direct channel to thousands of
electronic braille files. The program has proven successful, with nearly
1,000 patrons already involved. More than 3,000 titles are currently
available to individuals, schools, and libraries with Internet connections
and output devices such as braille embossers or refreshable braille display
equipment. The collection is growing at the rate of about forty titles every
month.
     For the first ten months of its existence, the Web-Braille program
offered only limited search options; but, because of its success, an
initiative was launched to increase the accessibility of available books.
"The enthusiasm that greeted the Web-Braille program called for an
accelerated response by NLS to the wishes of patrons for improved search
capabilities," says Robert Axtell, head of the NLS Bibliographic Control
Section. "The undertaking involved a united effort by Library of Congress
information technology specialists, NLS consumer relations officer Judith
Dixon, and Bibliographic Control staff, all working together to realize for
our braille-reading constituency the full functionality of the automated
catalog."
     Now the records of the International Union Catalog contain direct
links to the electronic Web-Braille files. For books that are retrievable
through Web-Braille, readers will receive a message that notes the
availability of the book as a grade 2 braille digital file. New users of the
system are directed to register with a cooperating network library to
establish their free user ID and password. Registered readers may proceed
directly to the online text of the book they want with virtually a single
keystroke.
     The NLS International Union Catalog is a database of records for
finding books in braille and recorded formats. The 325,000 titles listed,
represented in 23 million copies, are from the NLS collection as well as
other agencies serving blind and disabled readers throughout the English-speaking world. Patrons may search the full catalog of books in all special
formats (including, optionally, books that are in process) or choose to
limit their search to Web-Braille titles.
David Whittall appointed network consultant
David M. Whittall joined the NLS staff on June 5 as a network consultant and
will be responsible for the libraries in the Northern and Southern Regions
of the NLS network beginning in October. He has more than thirteen years of
network library service.
     His duties include providing consultant services through visits and
communication with libraries serving blind and physically handicapped
individuals. He will work collaboratively to improve library services, as
well as write reports and collect statistics that will help identify service
trends throughout the network. He will also serve as a liaison at national
and regional exhibits, conferences, and meetings.
     Whittall, a native of Shawnee, Oklahoma, is an enrolled member of the
Citizen Band Potawatomi tribe of Oklahoma. His family moved to the San
Joaquin Valley of California when he was twelve. He received a bachelor of
arts degree in fine art from California State University of Los Angeles.
     In 1983 he worked at the Braille Institute Library in Los Angeles,
California, where he was machine coordinator. In 1988, Whittall returned to
college and worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, becoming full-time upon
graduation. He worked on a Space Shuttle experiment called Radiat 7 that
flew on the International Microgravity Laboratory, IML-1, Flight STS 42,
before returning to talking-book library service. In 1992 he joined the
Arizona State Braille and Talking Book Library in Phoenix, Arizona, where he
was machine supervisor, working with the Telephone Pioneers of America,
Chapter #66, repairing cassette players for the patrons in Arizona as well
as those of fourteen other regional libraries. Whittall expanded the
sublending agency network throughout Arizona to provide new alternatives for
patrons' needs.
     Whittall is happy about working at NLS. "It is a great program, and
I'm excited about working with so many network libraries and with living on
the East Coast," Whittall says. This is the first time he has lived east of
the Mississippi River. Whittall says he plans on seeing places that he has
only read about in history books or seen on television. Both of the NLS
Regions he will cover are almost entirely new territory for him.
     His outside interests are in art, Grand Prix auto racing ("really in
driving fast in/on anything with wheels"), Native American culture and
history, and the natural sciences.
(photo caption: David Whittall)
Michigan libraries reach out
The Michigan regional library at Lansing, along with several of its
subregionals, sponsored a series of three events this spring--all including
displays by vendors--to call the attention of potential patrons, librarians,
and educators to technology and services available to blind and partially
sighted individuals. A separate activity targeted doctors.
Vendor activities
"It was one of the best things I've done here," said Cindy Lou Poquette,
director of the Indian River Public Library. By May 12, 2000, eight Michigan
libraries for the blind and physically handicapped, two public libraries,
more than thirty vendors, and a host of patrons all walked away tired but
very satisfied with the effort to bring ideas about using hi-tech/lo-tech
adaptive technology and service agencies together with the people who need
them the most. It all began with a big bang in Washtenaw County on April 25.
The Washtenaw County subregional, working closely with the Ann Arbor
District Library, pulled the largest audience. Included with the vendors'
exhibits were two displays for the southeastern Michigan libraries for the
blind and physically handicapped contingency--the Wayne County regional and
the subregionals at Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw Counties. The library for
the blind and physically disabled was bursting at the seams with patrons,
vendors, and service agencies (see News, April-June 2000).
     Following the success in Washtenaw County, on May 9 the Library of
Michigan regional held a professional conference, Libraries without Walls
2000, for librarians and educators. The purpose of the conference was to
introduce and demonstrate to educators and librarians how adaptive
technology meets the information needs of persons with visual or physical
impairments through the Internet, online catalogs, and electronic media.
Professor Emeritus Norman R. Coombs gave the keynote address on distance
learning and students with disabilities. Professor Coombs received the
Francis Joseph Campbell Award from the American Library Association at its
summer convention in Chicago for his work in making libraries more
accessible to people with disabilities.
     Scott Norris, adaptive technology coordinator for the regional library
and conference coordinator, said, "Based on the success of both the
conference workshops and vendor area, we have no choice but to continue
planning more of these events each year. Conference participants went
straight from the training area to the vendors to see the product displays--up close and personal."
     The final event of Libraries without Walls 2000 was held at the Indian
River Library in Indian River, Michigan, on May 11. And the place was
hopping!
     "Transportation is such an issue in northern Michigan for our patrons.
We really had no idea whether asking vendors to come that far north would
bring us success, but we wanted to try to move this whole concept
statewide," said Norris.
     Thanks to the efforts of the Upper Peninsula, Northland, and Grand
Traverse subregionals, the opportunity for vendors to work with interested
patrons was terrific. People were lined up to see the computer equipment,
the CCTV, and the glasses (called Jordie) that made you feel as if you were
a part of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The vendors and patrons were
thrilled with the response.
     The success of all three programs has already resulted in the
development of more plans for 2001. The Library of Michigan regional is
working with the Kent District and Muskegon County subregionals for a large
event in western Michigan, and with the Mideastern Michigan and St. Clair
County Library subregionals for an event in mideastern Michigan.
Services to doctors
In March of 1999, the Library of Michigan Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped received an $18,000 grant from Consumer's Energy
through the Library of Michigan Foundation. The purpose of the grant was to
develop promotional materials targeted toward medical professionals. A
dramatic brochure entitled "A More Colorful World" was developed in black
and white with hints of gold to catch the eye of the doctors (or their
staff) and to describe, as simply and concisely as possible, the wonderful
services available through Michigan Libraries for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped. The graphic design firm of Ciesa and Associates of East
Lansing, Michigan, designed the brochure and the mailing envelope and worked
with staff and patrons in writing the copy. Each packet, mailed in the month
of May, contained an application, a brief description of the service, and a
tabletop poster for display in the doctor's office.
     "Doctors are often the first professionals to see the people who may
be eligible for talking-book and braille library service. They are the ones
who can help us get the word out about this terrific service," said Christie
Brandau, Library of Michigan State Librarian. The grant covered printing,
assembling, and mailing the finished packets.
(Material for this article was provided by Maggie Bacon, regional librarian
at the Library of Michigan.)
(photo caption: Patrons throng the vendor areas at Libraries without Walls
2000.)
(photo caption: Information packets on available services were mailed to
Michigan doctors in May.)
South Carolina regional moves to new quarters
The Department for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the South
Carolina State Library has moved to its new home at 1430 Senate Street in
Columbia. Formerly the location of the South Carolina Department of Archives
and History, the impressive building, which was erected in 1954, was
expanded to twice its size in 1971. It was acquired by the State Library in
1999, and major renovation began that summer.
     Throughout the building, minor fixes are still under way, and new
designs are under development for improved handicapped access, but the
building was ready for occupancy by late April of this year. Although
services were suspended during the move, patrons were reconnected with their
library the first week of June.
     The Talking Books Library is now in the same structure as the State
Library's Administrative and Library Development departments and directly
across the street from the State Library's other building, which houses its
Information Resources Center, Network Services, and Interlibrary Loan
Departments. Now patrons who visit the Talking Books Library also have the
opportunity to use the State Library's reference resources.
     The new building has five levels. The latest additions to the large-print book collection are on display in the second-floor reading room, along
with selected braille resources and materials for children. Accessible
computer work stations will be placed in the second-floor reading room.
CCTVs are available, and the Information Resources Center building has an
accessible computer workstation and a CCTV. Directly adjacent to the reading
room are the information desk and the offices of the reader advisors. The
office of the director of the Talking Books Library and a conference room
are located on the administrative wing.
     Mail room operations, tape duplication, and volunteer work areas are
located on the first floor, and the move has provided expanded stack space
for the library's collection.
     The relocation is allowing the Department for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped to become more integrated with other functions of the State
Library--a move that will lead to expanded and improved library services for
South Carolinians with disabilities.
     An open house for talking-book readers is planned for later in the
year.
(Material for this article was provided by Guynell Williams, South Carolina
regional librarian.)
(photo caption: Imposing home of South Carolina Talking Book Library)
Network exchange
New Hampshire (Concord). New Hampshire's Talking Book Library doesn't have a
Friends group, but it does have friends in many places, and in 1998 those
friends came together to do a group of five 30-second radio spots promoting
the service.
     In one, a man complains that after a stroke, the marks on a page are
just so many squiggles; in another, a man comments that even large print has
gotten hard to read; in a third, a woman speaks of being able to continue
reading after an accident left her unable to hold a book; and in a fourth, a
teen tells of learning through listening after his dyslexia is diagnosed.
The fifth was based on the simple declarative, "Every seven minutes someone
in America loses his vision."
     A major local radio station, WJYY, provided studio time and duplicated
tapes at no cost to the library, and the station manager, Stuart Richter,
provided a current list of radio station managers across the state. Each one
received a tape and a copy of the print texts of all the spots along with a
personal letter and a return postcard, and every one responded that his
station would indeed run the spots over the course of the year. It probably
didn't hurt that the cover letter credited the generosity of the local
station and its manager, who just happened to be serving as president of the
state's broadcast association for that year--something the library didn't
know in advance.
     "We heard from readers in every area," says regional librarian Eileen
Keim, "telling us that they had heard something about their library on their
local radio stations. Using  real people,' not trained voices, made the
spots stand out.
     "Unfortunately, library staff didn't ask each new reader how he
learned about Talking Books, so we couldn't establish any direct link
between number of applicants and the public service announcements."
(This article was provided by New Hampshire regional librarian Eileen Keim.)
Missouri (Jefferson City). The spring 2000 issue of Wolfner News reports
that major renovations at the regional library have brought the public
services section from its previous location at the back of the building to
an area just a few steps away from the front door. Reader advisors are
available to patrons in the first office after entering the building, and
the whole area is much more accessible to patrons.
     Wolfner's circulation and tape duplication departments have expanded
into the space vacated by the public services staff, giving both much-needed
room to grow. In addition, a new position was added to the staff on January
3, when Deborah Stroup assumed the duties of coordinator of volunteers.
Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh). The Regional Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped was honored with the William Van Essen Award from the Western
Pennsylvania Optometric Society (WPOS), according to the lead article in the
spring 2000 Three Rivers News. Dr. Van Nessen was a Pittsburgh area
optometrist who was a leader in both state and national organizations.
     The award is presented for dedicated and distinguished service on
behalf of visual welfare of the public only when the WPOS membership feels
that an individual or group is worthy of recognition.
     Assistant director Kathleen Kappel accepted the award at the March 28
ceremony and stated that "We are honored to be awarded the William Van Essen
Award and hope that all members of WPOS will pass along word of our
services."
California (Los Angeles). Bob Thomas, dean of motion picture correspondents,
described his fifty-seven years covering the Hollywood beat for the
Associated Press (AP) to a standing-room audience of 160 patrons and guests
celebrating National Library Week at the Braille Institute Library on April
12. In addition to his byline appearing more often than any other writer in
AP history, Thomas is the author of thirty books on Hollywood.
     His biggest story, he told his audience, was breaking the news of the
1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel--a 10-minute
scoop.
     NLS has recorded his biographies of Walt Disney, William Holden, Ethel
Merman, and Liberace. Two more Thomas books were recorded locally at the
Braille Library: The Road to Hollywood, written with Bob Hope, and Roy O.
Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire.
     While chronicling the Hollywood scene from the big studio era through
television and beyond, Thomas has covered fifty-five Academy Awards. In 1988
he became the first writer-author to be given a star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame.
New York (Suffolk County). "See for Yourself 2000: An Adaptive Technology
Fair for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired" drew over 350 talking-book patrons and their family members, special education teachers, vision
service providers, librarians, and members of the general public. The event,
sponsored by Talking Books Plus--the subregional library at Bellport, New
York--was held on June 9.
     The fifteen exhibitors included commercial vendors of voice, braille,
and large-print equipment, as well as representatives of local consumer
groups and nonprofit organizations that provide training, information, or
support.
     The fair, which is held biennially, is part of Talking Books Plus's
growing range of assistive technology services. The subregional library also
has a full-time access and assistive technology librarian, an assistive-device demonstration center, local resource information, and related
services.
(This article was provided by Julie Klauber, subregional librarian at
Talking Books Plus.)
(photo caption: Visitors to Talking Book Plus's "See for Yourself 2000: An
Adaptive Technology Fair for People Who Are Blind or Visually Handicapped"
explore displays of assistive technology devices and discuss features with
vendors.)
International briefs
Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Society for Disabled in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is a
nongovernmental organization that provides library services and other
programs for people with impaired vision or physical handicaps. The
society's volunteer workers read textbooks and reference materials to
students in several local schools, and they imprint textbooks in braille for
readers of all ages. The voluntary organization also distributes Perkins
braillers, slates and styluses, and cassette players, as well as talking
watches and calculators, white canes, crutches, glasses, and hearing aids.
     For patrons seeking jobs, the Bangladesh Society for Disabled provides
basic skills training; for those whose aim is self-employment, loans and
credit assistance are sometimes available. The society also arranges
physical rehabilitation and basic health care for children and adults.
Fundraising is done largely through national and international appeals for
donations of money, services, and items for use by volunteers and patrons.
     Bangladesh's population of some 130 million includes more than one
million people who are visually impaired. Many are children who were born
blind or with conditions that have been exacerbated by malnutrition, injury,
or disease. Government agencies attempt to provide opportunities for
advancement and self-sufficiency, but voluntary organizations make up an
important link in the social service network. Widespread poverty often
impedes the delivery of medical care, educational services, and job
training.
     The Bangladesh Society for Disabled is a member of the country's
National Forum of Organizations Working with the Disabled and of the South
Asian Network of Self-Help Organizations of People with Disabilities. It is
registered under the Directorate of Social Services and the NGO Affairs
Bureau of the government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
(Information for this article was provided by Kaniz Fatema, librarian for
the Bangladesh Society for Disabled.)
Canada (Montreal). The Montreal Association for the Blind (MAB) provides
a range of library services for more than 7,000 registered patrons. In 1999
MAB transcribed some 33,674 pages of print into braille, mostly English-language textbooks for primary- and secondary-school students. MAB also
works in partnership with the Fraser-Hickson Institute to provide recorded
books on cassette.
     In 1999 MAB opened its new Technical Aids Boutique--a display room
filled with more than 200 assistive devices, aids, and games for individuals
with impaired vision. About 3,000 people visited the boutique in its first
year of operation. Blind visitors and family members appreciate being able
to try out devices and gain hands-on experience using different products
before purchasing them.
     MAB was established in 1908 with the goal of "assisting and empowering
blind individuals in a caring and inclusive manner to establish or
reestablish themselves as independent and self-sustaining individuals to the
extent that their capacities will permit."
     MAB operates with both government funding and private contributions
acquired through special appeals and public fundraising efforts. Some 350
volunteers help in areas that serve blind and visually impaired persons.
Eighteen MAB patrons found jobs through the organization's employment
assistance program in 1999.
Indexes to newsletters
Indexes for the newsletters News and its companion Update, which covers
volunteer activities, can be found on the NLS home page at
<www.loc.gov/nls/promotional/>. The index for News covers the years 1978-1999; the index for Update covers 1985 to 1999. The site also contains text
of these newsletters beginning with the 1995 issues.
Pinellas County library moves to Clearwater
On May 7 the grand opening was held in the new location of the Pinellas
Talking Book Library. The library moved from its first and only home in
Largo to Clearwater, where it now has double the shelf space, a browsing
area, display of sports equipment and games, and other amenities lacking in
the old location.
     More than 200 people were able to join in the grand-opening
celebrations, including many library patrons. The opening ceremony took
place outside the library, followed by tours of the new facility and
refreshments. Speakers included Barratt Wilkins, State Librarian of Florida,
and Linda Redmond, head of the NLS Reference Section. A grand-opening
preview gala was held the previous evening, hosted by the Pinellas Public
Library Cooperative Board of Directors.
     The library shares the new Bernadette Roberts Stork facility with the
administrative offices of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative, which
coordinates the activities and funding of twenty-four member libraries and
branches. The building is named for the cooperative's administrator, who was
instrumental in establishing the Talking Book Library in 1993.
(Information for this article was provided by Marilyn Stevenson, subregional
librarian for Pinellas County, Florida.)
(photo caption: Bernadette Roberts Stork, for whom the new building is
named, attends the preview gala with great-granddaughters.)
(photo caption: Linda Redmond, head of the NLS Reference Section, and
Marilyn Stevenson, Pinellas subregional librarian, at the gala.)
The Program
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the
Library of Congress publishes books and magazines in braille and in recorded
form on discs and cassettes for readers who cannot hold, handle, or see well
enough to read conventional print because of a temporary or permanent visual
or physical handicap.
     Through a national network of state and local libraries, the materials
are loaned free to eligible readers in the United States and to U.S.
citizens living abroad. Materials are sent to readers and returned by
postage-free mail.
Books and Magazines
Readers may borrow all types of popular-interest books including
bestsellers, classics, mysteries, westerns, poetry, history, biographies,
religious literature, children's books, and foreign-language materials.
Readers may also subscribe to more than seventy popular magazines in braille
and recorded formats.
Special Equipment
Special equipment needed to play the discs and cassettes, which are recorded
at slower than conventional speeds, is loaned indefinitely to readers. An
amplifier with headphone is available for blind and physically handicapped
readers who are also certified as hearing impaired. Other devices are
provided to aid readers with mobility impairments in using playback
machines.
Eligibility
You are eligible for the Library of Congress program if:
 You are legally blind--your vision in the better eye is 20/200 or less
with correcting glasses, or your widest diameter of visual field is no
greater than 20 degrees;
 You cannot see well enough or focus long enough to read standard print,
although you wear glasses to correct your vision;
 You are unable to handle print books or turn pages because of a physical
handicap; or
 You are certified by a medical doctor as having a reading disability, due
to an organic dysfunction, which is of sufficient severity to prevent
reading in a normal manner.
How to Apply
You may request an application by writing NLS or calling toll-free
1-800-424-9100, and your name will be referred to your cooperating library.
News is published quarterly by:
National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped
Library of Congress
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All correspondence should be addressed to the attention of Publications and
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Editor: Vicki Fitzpatrick
Writers: Rita Byrnes, Peggy Cytron, Robert Fistick, Michael Moodie, and Ed
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