[blindlaw] FW: National Library Service Commemorates 75 Years of Pioneering Service to Blind and Physically Handicapped Readers

[McCarthy, Jim]

I realize that this is somewhat off topic.  However, many of us have a
relationship with NLS, and those few who do not should.  Also, there is
some legal history that may not be well known.
Jim McCarthy 

-----Original Message-----
From: James Elekes [mailto:jelekes at sc.rr.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 10:27 AM
Subject: National Library Service Commemorates 75 Years of Pioneering
Service to Blind and Physically Handicapped Readers

FYI, JJE.



>PR Newswire, New York
>Tuesday, December 26, 2006
>
>National Library Service Commemorates 75 Years of Pioneering Service to

>Blind and Physically Handicapped Readers
>
>  Free library service celebrates long history and bright future in
keeping
>     patrons engaged in literature and connected to the world around 
> them
>
>     WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- This month, as the nation 
>reflects on the past year and looks toward the future, the National 
>Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library

>of Congress, is commemorating 75 years of providing free library 
>service to people who cannot see standard print or who have problems
handling print materials.
>Established in 1931 by the Pratt-Smoot Act, NLS provides free reading 
>materials in braille and on audiocassette, as well as audio playback 
>equipment to eligible enrollees of all ages. As NLS celebrates its 75th

>year of ensuring that all may read, the program continues its tradition

>of innovation and service. In 2008, a revolutionary transformation will

>occur when NLS launches the digital talking-book system, harnessing the

>latest technology to enhance the way patrons stay connected to the 
>written word and the world at large.
>     "This is a monumental milestone in NLS history," says Frank Kurt 
>Cylke, NLS director. "For the past 75 years, we have remained committed

>to meeting the unique needs of blind and physically handicapped 
>readers. As we enter the digital future, NLS will continue to explore 
>ways to enhance the reading experience of our patrons, thereby 
>improving the quality of their lives."
>     A long history of keeping people connected
>     Known today as the talking-book program, NLS was born on March 31,

>1931, when President Herbert Hoover signed the Pratt-Smoot Act into 
>law, authorizing the Library of Congress to provide embossed books for 
>blind people in the United States and its territories. The legislation 
>was the outgrowth of efforts dating back to the nineteenth century to 
>foster literacy in the blind community. While the Library of Congress 
>had offered an in-house collection of braille materials since 1897, it 
>wasn't until President Herbert Hoover signed the Pratt-Smoot Act into 
>law that such materials became accessible to blind readers on a
national level.
>     It became apparent early on that the braille collection did not 
>meet the needs of older patrons who lacked the tactile sensitivity to 
>learn braille. In 1934, laying the foundation for a service that puts
patrons'
>needs first, Congress supplemented the original legislation with 
>additional funding to produce books on phonograph records -- the first
audiobooks.
>Thus the talking-book program was born. Always exploring the 
>technological horizons for new methods of improving service to readers,

>NLS made cassette books and special playback machines available to
patrons in 1969.
>     When Senator Reed Smoot and Representative Ruth Pratt introduced 
>the legislation that created this special library service in 1931, they

>could hardly have envisioned the phenomenon spawned by their efforts. 
>Today, NLS provides services to more than 700,000 avid readers. The NLS

>staff has grown from one professional staffer in 1931 to a staff of 
>more than 100 individuals. The 19 affiliate libraries have expanded to 
>a national network of 132 cooperating libraries found throughout the 
>United States and in its territories. Moreover, the NLS collection has 
>increased from a mere 15 book titles to a collection of more than 
>400,000, including the latest bestsellers, circulating 24 million 
>copies annually. In addition, NLS provides music materials in braille, 
>recorded, and large-print formats; and offers readers a selection of
braille and recorded magazine subscriptions.
>     Moving into the digital future
>     The 75th anniversary of NLS ushers in a new era for the 
>talking-book program. Building on its past tradition of implementing 
>cutting-edge technologies to enhance user-friendliness, NLS is in the 
>midst of converting its analog-based system to a digital system, and 
>developing new digitally based talking books and playback machines.
>     The digital talking-book system will greatly enrich the user 
>reading experience through improved audio quality, navigation features,

>accessibility, portability, and durability. NLS expects to begin 
>distributing the digital talking books and players to patrons in 2008.
>     Users play a key role in shaping NLS's digital future. In 
>partnership with the National Federation of the Blind, NLS is engaging 
>a broad range of blind and physically handicapped consumers in a series

>of rigorous product tests to ensure that the medium and player are 
>functional and accessible to readers of diverse ages and skill levels.
>     "It's been wonderful to be part of this process," says NFB 
>spokesperson Marc Maurer. "Throughout its history, NLS has proven 
>itself a forward- thinking organization and a leader in developing as 
>well as implementing assistive technologies to improve service to its
patrons."
>     The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically 
>Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress, administers the talking-book 
>program, a free library service available to U.S. residents or American

>citizens living abroad whose low vision, blindness, or physical 
>handicap makes reading a standard printed page difficult. Through its 
>national network of regional libraries, NLS mails books and magazines 
>on cassette and in braille, as well as audio equipment, directly to 
>enrollees at no cost. Further information on eligibility requirements 
>and enrollment procedures for the program is available at 
>http://www.loc.gov/nls or 1-888-NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323).
>
>
>SOURCE Library of Congress
>
>Related links:
>
>http://www.loc.gov/nls
>
>
>http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/
>12-26-2006/0004496729&EDATE=
>