Factsheet: The National Library Service for 

the Blind and Physically Handicapped

2018 www.loc.gov/nls 

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), 

Library of Congress, administers a free national library program that provides braille 

and recorded materials to people who cannot see regular print or handle print materials. Established by an Act of Congress in 1931 to serve blind adults, the program was 

expanded in 1952 to include children, in 1962 to provide music materials, in 1966 to 

include individuals with other physical disabilities that prevent reading regular print, 

and in 2016 to permit NLS to provide refreshable braille displays. The NLS program 

is funded annually by Congress, and books and materials are mailed as “Free Matter 

for the Blind or Handicapped” through a separate appropriation to the U.S. Postal 

Service. Cooperating network libraries are funded through a combination of state, 

local, and/or federal sources.

Under a special provision of the U.S. Copyright Law, 

and with the permission of authors and publishers 

of works not covered by that provision, NLS selects 

books and magazines for full-length publication in 

braille, ebraille, and digital audio format. Reading 

materials are circulated through a network of libraries across the United States and its territories and to 

American citizens living abroad. The materials and 

free playback equipment needed to read audiobooks 

(called talking books) and magazines are circulated to 

patrons by libraries by postage-free mail. Digital audio 

and ebraille materials also are available through the 

NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) 

service and the BARD Mobile app for iOS and Android devices.

Eligibility

Any resident of the United States or American citizen living abroad who is unable 

to read or use regular print materials as a result of temporary or permanent visual or 

physical limitations may apply for service.

Beginning with 19 libraries 

in 1931, the network has 

expanded to 55 regional 

libraries, 30 subregional 

libraries, and 15 advisory 

and outreach centers

serving all 50 states, the 

District of Columbia, Puerto 

Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, 

and Guam. 
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Book Collection

Books are selected for the NLS collection on the basis of their appeal across a wide 

range of interests. Approximately two-thirds are fiction and one-third are nonfiction. 

Bestsellers, biographies, fiction, and how-to books are in 

great demand. The collection includes books in Spanish 

and a limited number of titles in other languages. Books 

for youth—from preschool to young adult—are provided 

in audio, braille, and print/braille. 

Registered borrowers learn of new books added to the 

collection through two bimonthly publications: Braille 

Book Review and Talking Book Topics. The NLS book 

collection and other resources from cooperating agencies 

are listed in the NLS Union Catalog, which is searchable 

at www.loc.gov/nls by selecting the Catalog Search link. 

Magazines

Magazines are selected for the program based on reader interest. Currently 59 audio 

and 44 braille magazine titles are available through NLS by subscription, and others 

are available on BARD (see below). Readers may subscribe to such titles as People, 

National Geographic, Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, and Consumer Reports in audio, 

and ESPN: The Magazine and the New York Times Large Print Weekly in braille. 

A variety of magazines for children also are available. Current issues are mailed to 

subscribers shortly after print issues are released. 

Music Scores and Books

Individuals who are interested in music materials may 

receive them directly from the NLS Music Section in 

Washington, D.C. The collection consists of braille and 

large-print music scores and instructional materials. 

Music appreciation materials on a wide variety of topics 

and self-instruction for voice, piano, organ, keyboard, 

guitar, recorder, accordion, harmonica, and other instruments are available on audio cartridge. Audio and braille 

music materials also are available through BARD. The Music Section may be reached 

at nlsm@loc.gov or 1-800-424-8567, and more information may be found on the NLS 

Music Notes blog at blogs.loc.gov/nls-music-notes.

The NLS Union Catalog 

contains more than 

269,000 book records, 

of which more than 

71,000 are braille books 

and braille music scores 

and 198,000 are talking 

books.

The NLS music collection 

(braille, audio, large print) 

is the largest of its kind 

in the world, with about 

25,000 titles.
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Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) and BARD Mobile Apps

BARD provides access to thousands of special-format books, magazines, and music 

materials. The same materials that are offered on digital cartridge and braille are also 

available for download in compressed digital audio 

and ebraille formats. The password-protected service is operated as a partnership between NLS and 

its network of cooperating libraries. Readers with 

a personal iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch can download and read audio and ebraille materials with 

the BARD iOS Mobile app. A refreshable braille 

display with a Bluetooth connection is required to 

access ebraille materials. Readers using Android 

devices, including the Amazon Kindle Fire, may 

use the BARD Mobile app for Android to access BARD’s audio materials. BARD 

Express, at nlsbardpractice.loc.gov/LOC_02/BARDExpress.html, provides NLS 

patrons with an easy way to access BARD on Windows-based computers.

Equipment and Accessories

Patrons are loaned playback equipment free of charge for use with talking books and 

magazines. Players are available in two models (standard and advanced), provide 

high-quality sound, offer variable speed controls, and have built-in audio instructions. 

The advanced player also enables bookmarking and navigation, allowing readers 

to skip to different parts of a book. Accessories for the players include lightweight 

headphones, a pillow speaker, adapters to facilitate the use of commercial USB flash 

drives, and a breath switch. Readers with significant hearing loss may request a 

high-volume player and headphones. 

Currency Reader

NLS has partnered with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) in support of 

BEP’s U.S. Currency Reader Program, which provides currency readers, free of 

charge, to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The program is part of the 

government’s Meaningful Access Initiative to assist individuals who experience difficulties identifying U.S. currency.

The currency reader, called the iBill Talking Banknote Identifier, is a compact device 

that announces a note’s value by voice, a pattern of tones, or a pattern of vibrations. 

Users insert a bill into the device and press a button to have the denomination identified. Visit www.loc.gov/nls/resources/currency-reader to download an application for 

the currency reader. 

BARD contains more than 

100,000 book titles, 69 digital audio magazine titles, 

and 52 ebraille magazine 

titles, with new materials 

added regularly.
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Volunteer Services

Volunteers contribute important services to the NLS program in the areas of braille 

transcription and proofreading, talking-book production, library service, and machine 

repair. NLS sponsors free correspondence courses leading to certification in braille 

transcribing (literary, music, and mathematics) and braille proofreading, and local 

recording groups may request training in talking-book production. Network libraries 

engage volunteers in a variety of service maintenance projects. National volunteer 

groups also assist network libraries in repairing playback equipment.

Reference Services

NLS and its cooperating libraries respond to questions about various subjects relevant 

to people who are blind or have a physical disability. This free service is available to 

individuals, organizations, and libraries. Publications resulting from such queries are 

available for free in a variety of formats. For a list of what is available, visit 

www.loc.gov/nls/about/services/reference-publications.

Consumer Relations

The NLS consumer relations officer maintains regular contact with consumer groups 

and individual users of the program to identify and resolve service problems and 

to ensure that the needs of NLS patrons are met. NLS also meets biennially with 

two advisory groups that include patrons, members of consumer organizations, and 

network librarians: the Collection Development Advisory Group and the Reading 

Technology Advisory Group (formerly the National Audio Equipment Advisory 

Committee). These groups provide critical feedback to help shape NLS policy in 

providing service to its patrons.

Find Out More . . . 

If you or someone you know is interested in receiving more information about the 

braille and talking-book program, call 1-888-NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323) toll-free 

and follow the prompts to be connected to the braille and talking book library in your 

state. Or go to www.loc.gov/ThatAllMayRead and select the Apply for Service link. 

Complete and submit the form, and someone from your local talking-book library 

will contact you. To find the nearest library serving people who are blind, visually 

impaired, or have a disability, visit www.loc.gov/nls and select Find Your Library.

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