Frank Kurt Cylke

Serving the Blind and Physically Handicapped in the United States of America

Since the early 1930s federal legislation has enabled the Library of Congress to offer free library service to blind and physically handicapped individuals resident in the United States as well as to U.S. citizens overseas. Technological changes in the program have mirrored and sometimes anticipated transformations and developments in the world of consumer electronics. Braille is now accessible over the Internet by means of specialized keyboards; audiobooks, originally cut onto rigid shellac 78-rpm disks, have progressed to flexible discs and a refined analog cassette technology that will in turn soon be replaced by digital flash-memory cartridges playable on efficient, reliable, lightweight, and portable machines. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped looks forward to the inauguration of its new digital system in 2008.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically handicapped, Library of Congress

Following establishment of a library service for blind and physically handicapped individuals in the Library of Congress on March 3, 1931, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped programme has grown to serving nearly 800,000 adult and juvenile patrons with an audio/braille collection in excess of 23,000,000 items (325,000 titles). In 1999, 22,665,000 books and magazines were circulated to eligible patrons resident in the United States and to US citizens living in other countries. The advent of digital technology has led to extensive provision of bibliographical and locational information as well as the direct provision of braille materials. Work is under way to develop a digital audio book standard through the National Information Standards Organization (NISO). Scheduled for acceptance in December 2000, the next step being pursuit of an International Standards Organization (ISO) standard and to promulgate the standard through the world.