The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1937-04-15
Talking Books
Latest Add to
S. C. Library
Designed To Bring Worlds
Literature To Blind Per-
sons, Says Librarian
LOANED TEMPORARILY
People of Faulty Vision In
vited To "Hear Books Talk"
In Modern Way

Books actually speaking fol
| themselves is the latest develop
,ment intended to bring the worlds
store of literature to the blind.
A new wrinkle in an older in.
vention is the development Of the
Talking Book machine-a cross be-
tween a monograph and the radio
now found at the Sank Centre
Bryant Library. Designed to pro-
mote a way to bring to more blind
persons the worlds literature, the
Talking Book, manufactured under
WPA, sponsored by the Library OF
Congress-, and under the supervis-
ion of the American Federation for
the Blind, is circulated among IL
braries upon application through
blind person. Application was
made locally through Clarence See
blind vendor.
Persons who are blind Or those
who have difficulty in reading be
cause of faulty vision are invited
to come to the library to hear
book talk" announced Librarian
Miss Eloise Ebert this week. Appli
cations have been made to Fari.
bault, distributing point. for re-
cordings to be used with the ma
chine. Library heads are anxious
that persons avail themselves OF
this opportunity.
Since only rs percent of the
blind population can master an en-
bossed alphabet such as the Braille
system, this Talking Book has been
declared by Helen Keller, noted
blind woman, "the greatest boon to
the blind since the invention Oh
Braille." Harry L. Hopkins, WPA
administrator, has termed it, 1.-THE
most comfortable form of reading
known to man."
Seeing this pressing problem, the
Federal Government undertook
through the Works Progress Ad.
ministration to manufacture 5000
Of these machines. While 1000 o1
them have been sold privately to
blind parties, the remaining mach
ines are being circulated as proper
ty of the Government to the sever.
al states according to the blind
population. From the central point
the machines are circulated
through libraries to reach as many
blind persons as possible in a grea'
many communities. Copyright or
the machine entities only blind per
sons the privilege Of their use.
In appearance the machine Is
much like a portable phonograph
Upon opening it still resembles
such a machine except to the front
Is the speaker and volume and
tone controls. It is really phono
graph with radio amplification and
developed electrically. Convenient
to operate, it plays records. Re
cords are made using the voices OF
prominent stage and radio person
ages, and book length novels, and
non-fiction of all sorts are obtain
able. Records are distributed
through the library OF Congress to
u distributing centers, one OF
which is Faribault. The loudspeak.
er may be used for group read.
ing" or IL a blind one desires pri.
vate reading headphones are avail.
able.
Each year Federal grant spon
, sors the manufacture Of recordings
In 1886 Congress appropriated $76,
900 for recording alone. Books or
history, travel, religion, poetry fic'
ton, all the known branches Of the
literary world, may be had upon ap-
plication to the nearest distribut.
CONTINUED on Page 10. Col. 81