[nfbwatlk] FW: [Nfb-announce] National Library Service Commemorates 75 Years ofPioneering Service to Blind and Ph

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Subject: [Nfb-announce] National Library Service Commemorates 75 Years
ofPioneering Service to Blind and Ph

 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=&STORY=/www/story/12-2
6-2006/0004496729&EDATE=

David Andrews
Chief Technology Officer
Minnesota State Services for the Blind
2200 University Ave. W., #240
St. Paul, MN  55114-1840
(651) 642-0513  Office
(612) 730-7931  Cell
(651) 649-5927  Fax

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