A Million Reasons to Cheer National Library Service
By Penny Reeder
When a National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped patron from Kentucky downloaded the millionth digital
talking book from the NLS Braille and Audio Reading (BARD) website in February,
the special needs library that has served the nation's community of blind and
print disabled readers for nearly 80 years reached an amazing milestone: a
million digital books accessed.
It was quite an achievement because the library had
inaugurated its online digital books download service less than a year earlier.
In addition, there is a relatively small population of people whose sensory and
physical disabilities prevent them from accessing printed materials
independently and an even smaller percentage of that population that uses
accessible computers and the high-speed broadband connectivity that makes
downloading digital texts possible.
The fact that so many digital books have made their way
onto SD (secure digital) cards, digital book players, computers and the
cartridges that work with the library's brand-new digital talking book machines
is truly remarkable.
The NLS has come a long way since the program, established
by congressional mandate in 1931, began providing hard-copy Braille and
recorded books for blind adults. Through the years, the NLS has continued to
expand services, experiment with various accessible formats and playback
equipment, and extend its services to meet the needs of increasing numbers of
people with print disabilities.
To respond to the epidemic of retinopathy of prematurity,
which coincided with the postwar baby boom, Congress expanded the NLS program
in 1952 to serve children. In the 1960s, printed materials slated for
conversion to accessible formats were expanded to include music, and the NLS'
guiding precept, "That all may read," became even more of a reality in 1966,
when Congress expanded eligibility to include individuals with other physical
impairments that prevent reading of standard print. Over the years, delivery
methods have evolved from the extra-long-playing records of the 1950s to some
flexible disc recordings in the 1960s and '70s. In 1975, the library began
producing some books on slower-speed audiocassettes and adding tones to
indicate pages and chapters.
During the next several years, NLS engineers developed a
special audiocassette player that allowed for playback of recorded materials on
all four tracks of an audiocassette, and in 1977, Alex Haley's "Roots" became
the first 15/16 ips (inches per second), 4-track cassette book to be produced
and distributed by the library service. Playback machines, books on recorded
disk and audiocassette, and catalogs were all distributed, free of charge, by
the U.S. Postal Service. By 1978, circulation of materials in the alternative
formats of hard-copy Braille and audiocassette exceeded 14 million items, and
nearly 64,000 people with print disabilities were reading books produced in
Braille or read aloud onto cassette by NLS narrators.
In 1979, the NLS began developing a foreign language
collection. By 1980, library patrons could freely subscribe to a number of
magazines produced in the alternative formats of hard-copy Braille and
audiocassette, and the individual producers began sending out their Braille and
audio publications automatically. By 1983, more than 600,000 people with print
disabilities were borrowing books, musical recordings and magazines from the
NLS.
In 1990, the NLS was one of the participants at an
international meeting of specialized library service providers to investigate
improved talking book media possibilities. In 1996, when President
Bill Clinton signed into law legislation known as the
Chafee Amendment, people with print disabilities celebrated the most
significant improvement in the national reading program since the NLS had been
established more than 60 years earlier. Because of the Chafee Amendment,
producers of reading materials for people with print disabilities don't have to
gain permission from copyright holders before they begin production in
specialized formats. Later that year, the NLS announced a plan to develop a
technical standard for digital talking books.
In 1999, the NLS launched its Web-Braille program, which
makes Braille files for selected books available for download over the Internet
by library patrons. Although there may be Web-Braille users who use Braille
translation software and Braille embossing hardware to convert digital files
into hard copy for personal use, most library patrons read the books and
magazines they download in digital Braille format with personal digital
assistants (PDAs) that contain refreshable Braille displays or specialized book
readers that can convert Braille files into audio files. The NLS continues to
make available hundreds of new Web-Braille titles each year. Eventually the
Web-Braille collection will take up residence on the BARD website along with
digital talking books.
In 2004, 34 NLS patrons were selected to participate in a
pilot project to distribute two digital audio magazines over the Internet.
Other pilot projects followed. The number of magazines available in digital
audio format was expanded, and online access was made available to an
ever-increasing number of patrons who could volunteer to participate in the
project. On April 30th, 2009, the BARD website was formally
launched, and less than a year later, Tonia Gatton downloaded the millionth
digital talking book from it.
"Finally having instant access to thousands of books and
magazines that I can download and read as desired, rather than waiting and
hoping for new books to come in the mail, has been an incredible experience,"
said Gatton, who achieved the NLS milestone when she downloaded "Charlotte's
Webb" on February 25th.
Currently, more than 15,000 people access the National
Library Service via the Internet. To learn more about NLS for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped, visit: http://www.loc.gov/nls.
Penny Reeder became blind as a result of retinopathy of
prematurity. She lives with her husband and their six children in Montgomery
Village, Md. |
