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Marcia Keith
SLIS 580
Dr. Lamb
Final Project
June 17, 2013
That All May Read: Milestones in Library Service to the Blind
“One of the hallmarks of a civilized, humane society is the extent to which it cares for its people who have disabilities.” --Kurt Cylke, director of the National Library Service
Today, digital technology and sophisticated audio systems are available to assist persons who are physically unable to read print materials. However, before the creation of a national library for the blind, millions of Americans had limited or no access to the contents of books.
After researching the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped for a short assignment I felt that there was more to uncover about the important milestones in the foundation of a program that serves so many, so well. What motivated the U.S. government to extend a nationally-sponsored program to blind Americans? Which developments could be labeled as “hits” or “misses?” What might be the next advancement in service to blind and physically challenged readers?
The website of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (http://www.loc.gov/nls/) provides a wealth of information about the program and its patrons. And publications such as American Libraries and Library Trends publish interesting looks at the physical devices developed and distributed by the NLS to bring books to a print-impaired pubic. However, I included publications such as Braille Monitor and Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness in my research to get a perspective on NLS services from outside the library community.
In addition, I interviewed Renee Lewis, Talking Book Librarian at Lake County Public Library in Merrillville, Indiana. LCPL is a sub-regional library in the NLS system. Renee gives orientations in use of talking book devices and helps patrons complete the application process to register for NLS services. She was able to give first-hand knowledge of which devices have been the most user-friendly and the most popular with her patrons.
I also interviewed the grandfather of a co-worker. He has been a patron of the talking books program since the late 1950s. He was proud that his grandson had chosen librarianship as a profession, but insisted that he did not want to be mentioned by name in my project. I’m including him in my Backstory write-up because he was just so darn fun to talk to! A great fan of spoken-word books, he still prefers the original talking book records. Since many required several discs to contain the text of an entire book, the cardboard album covers opened like book pages. He said that of all the types of talking books he has enjoyed, the records felt the most like someone reading a book to him. (Now I ask you, how could I not include that in my project? It’s almost the best part!)
I chose to develop an internet timeline using Dipity software. I enjoyed the experience of using such a creative tool. It did, however, make mincemeat out of my listing of sources, so I will also include the bibliography in this portion of the assignment, in case anyone is interested in reading further about this engaging topic.
Works Cited
Burns, E.B. (2013, March/April). Reading: It’s more than meets the eye. Horn Book Magazine, 89(2), p. 47-52.
Charleson, K. (January 15, 2007). Visionary ideas: Developments for blind and visually impaired readers and those with physical or reading disabilities. Kirkus Reviews, 75(2), p. 12-13.
Cylke, F.K., Moodie, M.M., and Fistick, R.E. (2007). Serving the blind and physically handicapped in the United States of America. Library Trends, 55(4), p. 796-808.
Dixon, J.M. (December, 2011). Braille: The challenge for the future. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 105(12), p. 742-745.
Jimenez, Javier. (Jan-Feb, 2009). Biography of Louis Braille and invention of the braille alphabet. Survey of Ophthalmology, 54(1), p. 142-149.
Layman, M. (April, 2011). An expression of best in America: NLS celebrates 80 years of service. Information Bulletin, 70(4), p. 359.361.
Lewis, Renee. Interview with Renee Lewis, Talking Book Librarian at Lake County Public Library, Merrillville, IN. on May 31, 2013.
Mates, B.T. (October, 2012). Information power to all patrons. In Making libraries accessible: Adaptive design and assistive technology (C. Booth, ed.). Chicago: American Library Association.
Niebrugge, N. (2012, Oct/Nov). How a braille contest serendipitously accelerated the use of digital audio players. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 106(10), p. 699-704.
Taylor, J.M. (December, 2004). Serving blind readers in a digital age: LC’s National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped moves forward toward a digital future. American Libraries, 35(11). p. 49-51.
That all may read . . . (2013). Website of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Retrieved May 25, 2013 at http://www.loc.gov/nls/index.html.
Yee, Tom. (March, 2009). Interview: Kurt Cylke on the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Braille Monitor, 52(3), p. 1-6.