Free audiobook and braille service recognizes local libraries for keeping

blind and physically handicapped readers connected to the written word and

each other

    WASHINGTON, March 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As we celebrate our
 nation's libraries during National Library Week (April 15-21), the National
 Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of
 Congress, is recognizing the many ways its network library partners engage
 people in reading and keep them connected to the world around them. For
 more than 75 years, NLS has provided blind and physically handicapped
 readers with free reading materials. Through its talking-book program,
 books on tape and special playback equipment are mailed directly to patrons
 at no cost to them. The program is a lifeline to many, enabling them to
 read independently.
     "National Library Week is a wonderful time to honor and showcase the
 numerous ways libraries throughout the country promote reading," says NLS
 director Frank Kurt Cylke. "The National Library Service and its network of
 local and regional libraries play a special role in ensuring all people can
 access and be inspired by the written word."
     The program does more than facilitate reading -- it also brings people
 together. Talking-book clubs, offered through NLS regional and subregional
 libraries, provide patrons with the opportunity to discuss the books they
 have read and to share their love of reading with others. "My interest in
 books has developed," says talking-book club member, Michael Conrad, a
 patron of the Los Angeles regional library. "The meetings also get me out
 to socialize. I have great discussions and meet new people."
     The clubs often create friendships and a sense of togetherness and
 community. "The meetings are a time when patrons can discuss their lives,
 feelings about going blind, and challenges they face daily," says Dawn
 Fuller, the talking-book club coordinator for Braille Institute Library
 Services, the NLS regional library in Los Angeles.
     Talking-book clubs also expose patrons to new materials, broadening
 their appetites for literature, expanding their imaginations and
 encouraging them to pursue new pastimes. With a collection of more than
 400,000 titles, including the latest bestsellers, classics, biographies,
 romances, mysteries, and westerns, NLS offers no shortage of inspiration.
 Recent book-club discussions have focused on top-sellers such as The Kite
 Runner, Marley and Me, Wicked, The Secret Life of Bees, and The Black
 Dahlia. "I've been introduced to things I wouldn't have thought of
 reading," says talking-book club participant Bea Thaxter of Los Angeles.
 "Now I am even writing -- and I never knew I could."
     Book club discussions often inspire NLS patrons to explore new ways to
 connect with the world around them. A number have taken on leadership roles
 in their local communities, starting their own book discussion groups.
 Others have used talking-book resources to participate in other book clubs
 not affiliated with their local libraries.
     About NLS Talking-Book Clubs
     NLS regional and subregional libraries offer book groups to readers of
 all ages. Many of the 132 cooperating libraries host summer reading clubs
 for young patrons and participate in NLS's national 102 Talking-Book Club,
 which honors centenarian patrons for their lifelong devotion to reading.
 Those unable to attend NLS book-club meetings can often participate by
 telephone or computer. Online-only clubs are also available, allowing NLS
 patrons nationwide to connect with other sighted and visually impaired book
 lovers without leaving home.
     About the National Library Service
     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 in braille and on cassette and
 audio playback equipment directly to enrollees at no cost. Further
 information on talking- book clubs and eligibility requirements and
 enrollment procedures for the talking-book program are available through
 http://www.loc.gov/nls or 1-888- NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323).
 
 

SOURCE The Library of Congress