Reading Resource Profile – NLS

National Library Service Network Produces Braille and Talking Books

Nov 24, 2008 Andrew Leibs

With classics and bestsellers in braille and audio, as well as music, magazines, and playback machines, the NLS is an indispensable reading resource for the blind.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), administered by the Library of Congress, is a free program providing specially formatted books to those with documented print disabilities.

The NLS circulates free, full-length books and magazines in braille and audio through its network of state and regional libraries to borrowers with documented print disabilities. Reading materials and playback machines are sent and returned postage-free. NLS’s Web-Braille makes some braille materials available online.

Congress Established the NLS in 1931

Congress established the NLS in 1931 to serve blind adults. The program was expanded in 1952 to include reading materials for children and in 1962 to include music materials. In 1966, persons with physical and print disabilities became eligible for membership.

About 80 percent of the NLS $60 million annual federal appropriation is spent on the production of reading materials and equipment; the other 20 percent on services. NLS network libraries also receive state and local funding.

How the NLS Benefits Blind Readers

The NLS avails blind readers of:

The world’s largest library of over 15,000 braille books
Nearly 70,000 audiobooks including bestsellers, classics novels and poetry, popular nonfiction, biographies, and how-to books
More than 70 popular magazines in braille or audio, including: Good Housekeeping, National Geographic, the New York Times Book Review, Playboy (braille only) and Sports Illustrated
A 20,000-title music collection including Braille and large-print scores and textbooks and self-instructional and appreciation music cassettes
Free loan of special slow-speed players necessary for listening to NLS four-track audiocassettes.

NLS audiobooks are professionally narrated and are a better educational choice than volunteer-read books, especially for reading assigned classics such as novels: voice quality and proper enunciation can increase comprehension and reading enjoyment.

The NLS is also where one turns for popular books, including New York Times bestsellers, business and self-help titles, celebrity bios, and Star Trek novels. The NLS also features children’s books a small selection of titles in Spanish.

New additions to the NLS collection are announced in the bimonthly publications, Braille Book Review and Talking Book Topics, available in braille, cassette, large print, and on the NLS website.

Another role in blind literacy the NLS plays is serving as the certifying authority for braille transcribing and proofreading in the United States, crucial for the availability of consistent, nigh-quality braille instruction.

How to Borrow NLS Materials

Use the "Find a Library" tool on the NLS website (or call 888.657.7323) to locate the nearest network library and submit an application with proof of disability. Eligible dissabilities include blindness or visual impairment, physical disabilities, or a "reading disability from organic dysfunction."

Network libraries try to send playback equipment within three business days after certifying an application. An initial shipment of books and catalogs is usually sent within five days. New members can select accessories such as headphones and options for receiving books.

Note: Developing a relationship with the NLS library staff is vital: phone orders are processed immediately on demand; the default "turnaround" service may prevent shipment till other books are returned. Librarians can often suggest resource-based solutions to reading challenges.

NLS Statistics

Headquarters: 1291 Taylor Street, NWWashington, DC 20011
Phone: 1.888.657.7323
Director, Frank Kurt Cylke
Established: 1931 by Act of Congress
Annual Operating Budget (federal & state): c. $175 million
Membership: c. 815,000
Circulation: 26 million braille and audiobooks

The copyright of the article Reading Resource Profile – NLS in Special Needs Education is owned by Andrew Leibs. Permission to republish Reading Resource Profile – NLS in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Man Reads NLS Print/Braille Book to His Son