Attachment J14 - Network Library Manual Master 02-08-2024.pdf
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Library of Congress
About this file
This file is a comprehensive Network Library Manual for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), detailing the operational procedures, policies, and standards for a national library service network serving blind and print disabled readers. The manual covers the entire ecosystem of library services, including historical context, legal foundations, collection development, equipment management, bibliographic services, and administrative procedures for approximately 55 regional libraries, 26 sub-regional libraries, and 13 advisory and outreach centers across the United States.
The manual provides extensive guidance on serving approximately 274,000 readers out of a potential three million eligible individuals, with NLS producing around 7,000 audio books and 400 braille books annually. Key service components include managing book and magazine collections, distributing specialized playback equipment, maintaining interlibrary loan services, supporting volunteer transcription efforts, and ensuring accessibility through various formats like digital talking books, braille, and large print materials. The document serves as a comprehensive operational guide for network libraries, detailing everything from patron eligibility and application processes to equipment retrieval policies and international cooperative efforts in making reading materials accessible to individuals with print disabilities.
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. History of Service to Blind and Print Disabled Readers
3. Laws
3.1. General Laws Relating to Library Service
3. Laws
3.2 Postal Regulations
3. Laws
3.3 Eligibility and Certification
3. Laws
3.4 Confidentiality of Reader Records
4. Overview of NLS
4.1 Mission and Objectives
4. Overview of NLS
4.1.1 Research and Development
4. Overview of NLS
4.1.2 Data
4. Overview of NLS
4.2 Advisory Committee and Ad Hoc Groups
4. Overview of NLS
4.2 Advisory Committee and Ad Hoc Groups
4.2.1 Collection Development Advisory Group
4. Overview of NLS
4.2 Advisory Committee and Ad Hoc Groups
4.2.2 Reading Technology Advisory Group
4. Overview of NLS
4.3 Meetings and Workshops
4. Overview of NLS
4.4 Orientation Program
5. Overview of Service Network
5.1 Philosophy and Standards of Service
5. Overview of Service Network
5.2 Network Organization
5. Overview of Service Network
5.3 Multistate Centers
5. Overview of Service Network
5.4 Regional Libraries
5.4.1 Structure and Planning
5. Overview of Service Network
5.4 Regional Libraries
5.4.2 Services
5. Overview of Service Network
5.4 Regional Libraries
5.4.3 Materials
5. Overview of Service Network
5.4 Regional Libraries
5.4.4 Personnel
5. Overview of Service Network
5.4 Regional Libraries
5.4.5 Physical Facilities
5. Overview of Service Network
5.5 Subregional Libraries
5. Overview of Service Network
5.6 Deposit Collections
5. Overview of Service Network
5.7 Advisory and Outreach Centers
5. Overview of Service Network
5.8 Machine-Lending Agencies
5. Overview of Service Network
5.9 Consumer Advisory Committees
5. Overview of Service Network
5.10 Service to Visiting Readers
5. Overview of Service Network
5.11 Deposit Collections in Schools with General Enrollment
5. Overview of Service Network
5.12 Deposit Collections (Institutions/BARD)
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.1 Selection Policy for Reading Materials
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.2 Collection Building Activities
6.2.1 Book Selection
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.2 Collection Building Activities
6.2.2 Magazine Selection
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.2 Collection Building Activities
6.2.3 International Language Selection
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.3 Automated Copy Allotment System
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.3 Automated Copy Allotment System
6.3.1 Book Delivery Verification
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.4 Magazine Collections
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.5 Music Collections
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.6 Warranty Procedures
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.7 Book Inspection
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.8 XESS (Redistribution of Excess Books)
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.9 Withdrawal of Books
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.10 Disposal
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.11 Network-Produced Materials
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.12 Magazine Issues at MSCs/NLS
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.13 Braille Collections
6. Book and Magazine Collections
6.14 Recall
7. Equipment
7.1 Available Equipment and Accessories
7. Equipment
7.1 Available Equipment and Accessories
7.1.1 Remote Control Unit
7. Equipment
7.1 Available Equipment and Accessories
7.1.2 High-Volume Player
7. Equipment
7.1 Available Equipment and Accessories
7.1.3 USB Breath Switch
7. Equipment
7.2 Playback Equipment Distribution
7. Equipment
7.3 Warranty Procedures
7. Equipment
7.4 Disposal
7. Equipment
7.4 Disposal
7.4.1 Battery Disposal
7. Equipment
7.4 Disposal
7.4.2 Guide for Repair Technicians
7. Equipment
7.5 Retrieval of Equipment
7. Equipment
7.6 Redistribution of Usable Playback Equipment
8. NLS Services
8.1 Network Consultant Services
8. NLS Services
8.2 Circulation Systems
8. NLS Services
8.3 Patron Information and Machine Management System (PIMMS)
8. NLS Services
8.4 Multistate Center Services
8. NLS Services
8.4 Multistate Services
8.4.1 General Services
8. NLS Services
8.4 Multistate Services
8.4.2 MSCE Quality Assurance Program for Local Recordings
8. NLS Services
8.5 Interlibrary Loan
8. NLS Services
8.6 Music Services
8. NLS Services
8.7 Reference Services
8. NLS Services
8.8 Bibliographic Services
8. NLS Services
8.8 Bibliographic Services
8.8.1 Bibliographies and Minibibliographies
8. NLS Services
8.9 Volunteers—Training and Use
8. NLS Services
8.10 Service to US Citizens Abroad
8. NLS Services
8.11 International Cooperative Efforts
8. NLS Services
8.12 Publication Services
8. NLS Services
8.13 Public Information
8. NLS Services
8.14 Disaster Preparedness
8. NLS Services
8.15 NLS Information Request Form
8. NLS Services
8.16 Bureau of Engraving and Printing/Currency Reader
8. NLS Services
8.17 Duplication on Demand
9. Administrative Procedures
9.1 Communications
9. Administrative Procedures
9.2 Reports
9. Administrative Procedures
9.2 Reports
9.2.1 Readership and Circulation Statistics
9. Administrative Procedures
9.2 Reports
9.2.2 Annual Survey
9. Administrative Procedures
9.2 Reports
9.2.3 Book Machine Repair Survey
9. Administrative Procedures
9.3 Ordering Supplies
9.3.1 Web Ordering and Warehousing System
9. Administrative Procedures
9.3 Ordering Supplies
9.3.2 Machine Parts
9. Administrative Procedures
9.4 Establishment and Closing of Network Agencies
9. Administrative Procedures
9.4 Establishment and Closing of Network Agencies
9.4.1 Regional Libraries
9. Administrative Procedures
9.4 Establishment and Closing of Network Agencies
9.4.2 Machine-Lending Agencies
9. Administrative Procedures
9.4 Establishment and Closing of Network Agencies
9.4.3 Subregional Libraries
9. Administrative Procedures
9.4 Establishment and Closing of Network Agencies
9.4.4 Advisory and Outreach Centers
9. Administrative Procedures
9.5 Reader Application Forms
9. Administrative Procedures
9.6 Patron Transfers
9. Administrative Procedures
9.6 Patron Transfers
9.6.1 Instructions for Completing Patron Transfers
9. Administrative Procedures
9.7 Active Reader Policy
9. Administrative Procedures
9.8 Security of Federally Owned Property
9. Administrative Procedures
9.9 Loan Policies/Books and Equipment/Suspension of Service
10. Appendixes
10.1 Address Lists
10. Appendixes
10.2 Network Consultant Services--Assignments
10. Appendixes
10.3 Sample Lending Agreements
10. Appendixes
10.3 Sample Lending Agreements
10.3.1 Lending Agency Service Agreement
10. Appendixes
10.3 Sample Lending Agreements
10.3.2 Sublending Agency Service Agreement
10. Appendixes
10.3 Sample Lending Agreements
10.3.3 Marrakesh Pilot Agreement
10. Appendixes
10.4 Active Reader Policy—Sample Letter
10. Appendixes
10.5 Sample Loan Policy
10 Appendixes
10.6 BARD Demonstration-Only Books
10 Appendixes
10.7 Battery Return Bill of Lading
10 Appendixes
10.8 Equipment Retrieval Letters
10. Appendixes
10.8 Equipment Retrieval Letters
10.8.1 Sample Retrieval Letter
10. Appendixes
10.8 Equipment Retrieval Letters
10.8.2 Retrieval Letter from NLS Director
10. Appendixes
10.9 Network-Produced Audiobooks Specifications
10 Appendixes
10.10 Trademarks
NLS Network Library Manual
1. Introduction
Purpose The Network Library Manual gathers in one place background and procedural descriptions of the programs of the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) and its network of cooperating libraries. It is meant to be a reference for network staff when policy and procedure questions arise. If a specific question is not answered here or requires further clarification, the manual also can point network staff in the right direction to find help. In cases where procedures are fully described in other manuals and publications, reference is made to the proper source.
Description The Network Library Manual is a collection of policy and procedural documents.
Comments Users of the manual are encouraged to direct their comments to the NLS staff member or office associated with the described procedure. Comments and suggestions about this manual should be directed to the education and training specialist.
Patron and Network Engagement Division
Last updated 2021 For more information, network librarians should contact their network consultant.
2. History of Service to Blind and Print Disabled Readers
Service Prior to 1931 Records indicate that library service for blind patrons began in the late nineteenth century. As early as 1868, the Boston Public Library established a department for the blind after receiving eight embossed volumes. In 1882, the Pennsylvania Home Teaching Society and Free Circulating Library for the Blind was founded in Philadelphia and in 1899 was incorporated with the Free Library of Philadelphia. The Chicago Library, in 1894, received a collection of embossed books from a local women's club. The New York City Free Circulating Library for the Blind was organized in 1895 by a blind man who had a private collection of embossed books. In 1903, this collection became the nucleus of the Library for the Blind of the New York Public Library. The Detroit Public Library placed 110 volumes on the shelves in 1896, and in the same year New York became the first state to create a department for the blind in a state library. Other state libraries soon followed New York's example.
Few books were generally available and with five separate embossed systems in use, the number of titles from which a blind person could choose was low indeed.
The concept of a national library for the blind was developed in 1897 by John Russell Young, the Librarian of Congress, when he established a reading room for the blind with about 500 books and music items in raised characters.
In 1913, Congress provided that one copy of each book in raised characters made for educational purposes under government subsidy by the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) in Louisville, Kentucky, was to be deposited in the Library of Congress. Other materials were acquired by gift and purchase. Services, too, were expanding: instruction was available for those desiring to learn reading by touch; displays were arranged; and plans were developed for exhibiting products made by blind persons.
In 1930, identical bills were introduced in Congress by Representative Ruth Pratt (H.R. 11365) and Senator Reed Smoot (S. 4030), to provide adequate service on a national scale through an appropriation to be expended under the direction of the Librarian of Congress.
National Library Service Established The Pratt-Smoot Act became law on March 3, 1931. The Librarian of Congress was authorized to arrange with other libraries "to serve as local or regional centers for the circulation of such books, under such conditions and regulations as he may prescribe." On the following day a Joint Resolution was passed appropriating $100,000 for fiscal 1932 to carry out the provisions of the act to provide books for blind adults, and the program that would become the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in 1966, and later the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, was established.
The book project for blind adults began operating on July 1, 1931. Its primary concern was selecting titles to be embossed. The Annual Report of the Librarian of Congress for 1931 stated that "By the middle of September, fifteen titles were selected as an experimental group and contracts for the reproduction of them in Braille, placed with the four American presses submitting proposals, to wit:
American Printing House for the Blind, Louisville, Kentucky; Universal Braille Press and American Brotherhood of Free Reading for the Blind, Los Angeles, California; and Clovernook Printing House for the Blind, Cincinnati, Ohio, the experiment including a need of testing out the relative competence of those several presses." The first order was for Woodrow Wilson's George Washington to meet a demand created by the commemoration of the bicentennial of Washington's birth.
The designation of distributing libraries was less difficult. After consultation with the American Library Association and American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), the Librarian selected eighteen libraries, in addition to the Library of Congress, because of their ability to provide adequate service and regional coverage of the country.
Two important developments occurred in 1933: the establishment of a uniform system of braille (Standard English Braille) for all English-speaking countries and the development of the talking book. The second development is described as "the recording on a disc of the voice of a good reader, and its reproduction at will through the instrumentality of a reproducing machine or phonograph."
Experimentation on the development of sound recordings for the blind had begun many years earlier.
Aided by the Carnegie Corporation, AFB and the Braille Institute of America had been researching the development of suitable records and reproducers. Finally, in 1933, AFB produced two types of machines— one spring driven and the other a combination electric radio and phonograph. A durable record was perfected, recorded at 150 grooves to an inch, so that a book of 60,000 words could be contained on eight or nine double-faced, twelve-inch records. The turntable ran at 33-1/3 revolutions per minute, which permitted thirty minutes of reading time on each record.
By 1934, the talking book was developed and the number of reproducers in the hands of blind readers was sufficient to justify using part of the congressional appropriation for purchasing records. Among the titles chosen for the first orders of talking books were the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution of the United States; Washington's Farewell Address; Lincoln's Gettysburg Address; Shakespeare's As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, and Hamlet ; Kipling's Brushwood Boy; and Wodehouse's Very Good, Jeeves! The Library's appropriation did not at first include funds for machines; they had to be purchased at a cost between thirty-five and sixty dollars, either by the blind person who desired to borrow the recorded books or on his behalf (as was frequently the case) by philanthropic organizations.
The basic Act was amended several times, not only increasing appropriations, but also deleting the word "adult," on July 3, 1952, thus opening the service to blind children. In 1962, the program was authorized by Congress to collect and maintain a library of musical scores and instructional texts for the use of blind residents of the United States.
Service Extended to Physically Handicapped Readers Blindness is only one of the disabilities that make a person unable to read printed media. Some individuals who have lost the use of one or both hands are unable to hold a book or magazine or turn pages. Others whose visual disability does not meet a strict definition of blindness still cannot see well enough to read standard print. Many persons who had requested talking books were ineligible because the program was specifically limited by law to blind persons. By the end of fiscal year 1966, Congress passed Public Law 89-522 authorizing the Library to provide talking-book services to all persons who could not read standard print because of visual or physical disability.
The revised law brought an immediate need for an expansion of program activities. To accomplish this, the book collections in NLS and those in the more than forty established regional libraries were strengthened by building a reserve collection of books and increasing the number of copies of recorded and braille titles produced. All procedures were reexamined and, where necessary, revised to permit rapid growth in service with a minimum expenditure of time and workforce. An amendment to the Library Services and Construction Act in 1966 (Public Law 89-522) aided in the establishment of additional regional libraries.
Development of Talking Books Until the beginning of fiscal year 1937, there was but one source for talking-book records: AFB, which had been instrumental in their development. When the talking book proved successful, however, other philanthropic institutions engaged in providing reading matter for blind people entered the field. Among these was APH, the major producer of braille books for the program. APH made extensive changes in its plant and equipped itself to manufacture talking books, from the recording through the plating and pressing processes. In the first year of operation, fiscal year 1937, APH furnished thirty-two of the recorded titles distributed by the Library of Congress.
There was virtually no format change in the original 33-1/3 rpm, twelve-inch, talking-book records circulated at the inception of the program until 1958, when the Library of Congress negotiated contracts to test the feasibility of using recordings at slower speeds. In mid-1958 two books were recorded at 16- 2/3 rpm; these prototype records could be played on existing machines.
In spring 1962, the Library of Congress began ordering talking books for juveniles recorded on ten-inch records at 16-2/3 rpm, and all talking-books ordered after January 1963 were recorded on 16-2/3 rpm records. This smaller, slower-speed disc provided forty-five minutes of recorded time on each side of the record, thus reducing the number of records required for each book. The savings affected by the change of speed were used to increase the number of copies of each talking book that could be produced and to add five popular magazines to the talking-book program.
In 1969, magazines began to be recorded at 8-1/3 rpm, and the recording of all disc talking books at 8- 1/3 rpm began in January 1973. Use of these slow recording speeds made it possible to include almost twice as much material as on a disc of corresponding size recorded at 16-2/3 rpm. Savings thus effected allowed for an increase in the number of copies issued for each title selected. Since fewer records were required for each book, readers and librarians could handle, store, and ship the ten-inch, 8-1/3 rpm records much more easily and economically than the larger, bulkier records.
The Library of Congress program began to use flexible discs in 1968, when a recorded version of the Talking Book Topics section that announced talking-book acquisitions was bound in the print edition as an experiment. The format proved overwhelmingly popular and, subsequently, national-circulation magazines were recorded on flexible discs.
The first national-circulation magazine to be produced in quantity on flexible disc was U.S. News & World Report, done on a subscription basis in 1971 by the magazine publisher. The first national-circulation magazine to be produced on flexible disc by the Library of Congress was the popular weekly Sports Illustrated. The first issues of flexible discs reached readers in the spring of 1972. The 8-1/3 rpm flexible disc was used experimentally for a full-length book for the first time in fiscal year 1972, for recording Wheels by Arthur Hailey.
Because flexible-disc recordings could be produced quickly in large quantity and at relatively low cost, this format proved highly successful in satisfying readers' demands for popular titles on a timely basis.
The economic viability of the flexible-disc format was a significant step toward eventual demise of the heavier, space-absorbing rigid disc format.
An analysis of the NLS program revealed potential for cost savings by shifting the program to a single audio product: cassette. After further analysis of the impact of shifting magazine production from flexible disc to cassette, NLS began to phase out production of national-circulation magazines on flexible disc. The shift to cassette format was completed in fiscal year 2001, when all NLS audio books, magazines, and program materials were produced on cassette only.
Talking-Book Machines In 1935, a venture was initiated to meet the need of blind adults who could not afford to purchase talking-book machines and to provide employment to those receiving financial assistance from the government as a result of the Great Depression. President Roosevelt allotted $211,500 to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for the construction of 5,000 talking-book machines "for the purpose of enabling the blind to use the books now provided by the Library of Congress" (letter to the Secretary of the Treasury, September 19, 1935). Both an electric and a spring-driven (hand-cranked) machine were produced. The machines remained the property of the Library of Congress. The President's instructions stated that the machines were "to be loaned by the Librarian of Congress to such libraries as he may judge appropriate to serve as local or regional centers for the use of such book machines under such conditions and regulations as he may prescribe, for the purpose of enabling the blind to use the books for the blind now provided by the Library of Congress." In every state and in several of the territories, agencies were designated for the distribution of the machines.
During the years 1935-1942, improvements were made in the motor, pickup arm, and amplifier. The manufacture and repair of machines under the WPA project stopped after June 30, 1942, and no machines at all were manufactured for the rest of World War II. New talking-book machines from stock continued to be distributed to the libraries, however, and these government-owned disc players, many of which had been in constant use since 1935 (when the first lot was distributed), continued to be indispensable to talking-book borrowers, who could not play the slow-speed records on ordinary home phonographs. An appropriation for machine repair was approved in 1943; AFB was awarded a contract under competitive bidding and repaired library-owned machines until the end of the war.
In 1946, AFB resumed manufacturing the latest-model talking-book machine, and the Library of Congress purchased 550; during 1947, the Library purchased 3,500 machines manufactured commercially. With this purchase, the Library of Congress, for the first time, was fully committed to providing machines from its own appropriation.
From 1949-1967, NLS had no testing facility of its own and relied on outside test centers to perform needed evaluations. Since 1967, the program has had its own research and development facilities, including an anechoic chamber for evaluating machine performance. Detailed specifications, originally developed by AFB and, from 1948-1952, the National Bureau of Standards, were adopted to which all commercial manufacturers producing talking-book machines for NLS must conform. As a result, uniformly high quality in equipment for the talking-book program can be maintained.
Over the years, improvement of the talking-book machine continued. Notable developments include model D, the seventeenth disc player, which was introduced in fiscal year 1957. Model D and improved models in the AD series, subsequently manufactured through 1964, had two-speed motors to accommodate records at 33-1/3 and 16-2/3 rpm. In 1965, the AE-1 talking-book machine with a three-speed motor to operate the additional speed of 8-1/3 rpm was put into service. Three-speed motors were installed in thousands of existing two-speed machines by the volunteer group Telephone Pioneers of America, who worked diligently on this project over a number of years. Model AE-5, introduced in 1968, was the first machine with a transistorized amplifier and a lightweight, colored plastic case. The AE-5 weighed about twelve pounds, as compared to the early model of 1935 that weighed thirty pounds. It was designed to accommodate optional accessories for greater ease of operation by physically disabled persons lacking digital dexterity.
The A-70 machine, produced in 1970, had a completely redesigned base to provide greater stability.
That model, along with the A-71, A-72, and A-73, produced with funds from those fiscal years, featured three operating speeds (8-1/3 rpm, 16-2/3 rpm, and 33-1/3 rpm). Beginning with the A-77 model, and continuing through the A-80 model, additional refinements included an automatic cut-off switch that stopped the motor and the turntable at the end of the record, a two-sided needle that could be switched by turning the flip lever, a detachable lid containing a speaker that could be set up separately, and retractable tab guides that helped center the record so that the hole dropped on the spindle.
Several years elapsed with no production of talking-book machines; then, in 1990, the A-1 was manufactured. It differed from the A-80 and earlier models in having a variable-speed control that allowed discs to be played at speeds faster and slower than normal, and a tone arm equipped with a device for locating the edge of the disc and the grooves leading to the beginning of the recording.
Cassette Books and Machines By 1968, the Philips-Norelco-type cassette-tape system, developed commercially, became recognized as the industry standard. The potential for using this system in the program was quickly recognized. A pilot study was begun in July 1968 to test commercially available cassette players for their suitability in the talking-book program. As a result, by the summer of 1969, the Library of Congress had initiated measures to distribute cassette tapes and players throughout the regional library network as a supplement to the talking-book program.
The first cassette machines produced according to program specifications were contracted for delivery in January 1971. Under this contract, 14,000 cassette machines in two models were produced. Although basically similar in design to cassette equipment on the commercial market, these units included some new features to facilitate use by blind and print disabled readers.
One of the models, of which 9,000 were produced, was a playback-only unit. This unit contained rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries. Chargers for the batteries were provided to regional libraries and machine-lending agencies so that readers with no access to electricity could mail batteries for recharge. The other model, of which 5,000 were produced, could also function as a recorder and operated on six size-C dry-cell batteries. These units were intended for students and other readers who needed to record material not otherwise available. Both the play-only and the recorder units were capable of operating at two speeds: 1-7/8 and 15/16 inches per second (ips).
No cassette machines were produced in 1972, as the model designed by General Electric was rejected because it was too big. The C-73, C-74, and C-75 models, produced with funds from those fiscal years, used a four-track system so that a single cassette could provide up to six hours of playback. The C-76 was the first cassette machine to have automatic shutoff, a tape-motion sensor that would shut off the machine whenever the cassette take-up reel stopped, and a built-in variable-speed control. No major changes were made in the models produced from 1977-1979. The first cassette title recorded at 15/16 ips on four tracks was sent to regional libraries for circulation in March 1977. This first title—Roots by Alex Haley—required five cassettes. Each four-track tape cassette held six hours of playing time, about the equivalent of 200 pages of print.
In 1980, a pitch-restoration feature was built into the C-80 model so that cassettes could be played at fast and slow speeds without a "Donald Duck" or a low-pitched drone effect. In 1981, the standard cassette machine, the C-1, began production and continued in production until 2007, when the last one was produced with the serial number 1,248,113. In 1992, a second manufacturer for cassette machines built to NLS specifications began producing the C-2. Both the C-1 and C-2 are considered the standard cassette playback equipment.
Several years in development, the E-1 cassette machine began production in 1986. Called the “Easy Machine,” it has only two main controls: a sliding switch to start, play, and stop the machine, as well as to control the volume; and a push button to rewind tape. Designed for use by patrons who were intimidated by the standard cassette machine with its many controls, and for those severely physically disabled, the E-1 is a very complex instrument using microprocessors to control the various functions. At the end of each side, the motor reverses, switching the track so the patron never has to turn the cassette over to receive six hours of listening.
Combination Machine A machine combining the best features of the standard cassette and talking-book models and appropriately named the combination machine (CT-1) began production in 1991 after years of development. It is equipped for both the record player and the tape deck, with one rewind switch (the needle moves backward over the record), and with fast-forward and variable speed capabilities. Pressing down on the tone arm, rather than lifting it up, removes it from the record, retracts the needle automatically, and prevents damage to the disc. The cover of the CT-1 can be closed without removing the needle from the record and the machine can be moved with no change to the needle's position on the disc. Cassette features include automatic reverse and track-switching so that an entire cassette can be played with no action from the user.
Machine Repair The machine-repair program was decentralized in 1958 in an effort to reduce growing backlogs of machines needing maintenance or repair. Major repairs were still to be made at a central point, but minor ones (such as replacement of fuses, defective tubes, and other parts) were to be handled by the distributing agencies. Unfortunately, personnel in the machine-lending agencies lacked the technical knowledge to make the system workable. Forced to look elsewhere for a solution, the Library of Congress turned to the Telephone Pioneers of America.
In the spring of 1960, pilot studies were undertaken in two machine-lending agencies, one in a metropolitan area and the other in a rural community. Under the pilot program, the Pioneers, drawing on their technical and electronics skills, made major repairs of machines and trained agency personnel to make minor repairs. By September 1960, both regional agencies declared the study an unqualified success, and the Library of Congress requested extension of the service to other areas. The Telephone Pioneers are now an integral part of the national program, repairing thousands of machines annually and providing more than two million dollars worth of volunteer labor.
Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) The precursor to BARD was Web-Braille, a download site for braille titles that was implemented in 1999.
It began with .brf files of NLS-produced braille titles, with braille magazines and volunteer-produced braille titles added later. In 2006, NLS launched a download site for audio magazines with 100 patrons.
This proved both popular and successful and NLS began to add audiobook titles as well. In 2007 Humanware introduced the Victor Reader Stream and NLS expanded the pilot to include any patron who acquired this third-party player. When NLS opened this site to all NLS patrons who had received an NLS digital player in 2009, the site already had 5,000 users. Today every new title added to BARD has a corresponding catalog entry in Voyager with a live link to BARD.
Web-Braille and the audio download site (already called BARD) were merged in 2013, making it a single source for both audio and braille books and magazines. Since then a number of NLS music titles have been added to BARD and it began accepting volunteer-produced audio titles. Apps were developed for BARD that enabled first iOS devices to be used and later Android devices. NLS also developed BARD Express, which provided a simpler method of downloading and transferring recorded books and magazines to a cartridge for playback on the NLS digital player.
Digital Talking Books NLS knew by the early 1990s that the analog technology was becoming obsolete. It began a project to determine how books could be recorded digitally and what format would be the most satisfactory. The first step was the development and approval of an ANSI/NISO standard for digital recording and the acceptance of a compression algorithm, and storage of metadata within each title. These goals were accomplished in the early 2000s although refinements are continuous. Having decided on the media there was still the question of format. At that time, there were Digital Audio Tape (DAT), Digital Compact Cassettes (DCC), CDs, DVDs, mini-Discs, and flash memory. In the 1990s, flash memory was the most expensive, but also showed the most potential. DAT and DCC offered digital recording, but came with most of the problems experienced with cassette technology. CDs were relatively new at that time and were considered robust and almost indestructible. A notion that was rebutted with multiple years of experience by the public. Flash memory showed more promise and with the price dropping due to technological advances, became affordable in time for Digital Books (DBs) to be introduced to our network libraries and patrons in 2009.
Multistate Centers The increase over the years in the number of borrowers, combined with the distribution of more talking-book machines and the steady growth of collections, placed a heavier burden on NLS to provide support services to distributing libraries. Therefore, Congress increased the appropriation to the Library of Congress for fiscal year 1974 to provide for two centers serving multistate areas as decentralized storage and distribution points. Subsequently, Congress provided for two more such centers and, by 1977, all libraries in the national network were served by one of four multistate centers.
In 1986, the center serving the southern region was closed due to federal budgetary constraints. In 1990, the center serving the northern region was closed after NLS determined that two strategically located centers could effectively and efficiently supply NLS materials to the network. The Multistate Center East in Cincinnati, Ohio, now serves libraries east of the Mississippi River, and the Multistate Center West in Salt Lake City, Utah, serves the libraries west of the Mississippi River.
Cataloging Because of a resolution proposed at the Conference on Volunteer Activities in Recording and Transcribing Books for the Blind in 1952, centralized cataloging was begun for all titles issued as talking books and press-braille materials. Adapted cards were printed and distributed to the regional libraries, beginning with fiscal year 1955, the first full year of centralized cataloging of books in braille and talking book formats.
The first computer-produced catalog of 16-2/3 rpm talking-book titles was presented at the eighth National Conference of Librarians Serving Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals, held in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 15-17, 1972. The catalog included talking-books numbered 1-3374 at the Library of Congress. This printout represented a milestone in the development of a national union catalog of materials for blind and print disabled readers. In addition, it was part of an overall investigation of the use of automated techniques to provide timely and comprehensive book production and fiscal management information.
The first edition of the computer-output-microfiche (COM) catalog, Reading Material for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and microfiche readers were distributed by the Library of Congress to network libraries early in 1977. This publication, issued quarterly, marked the first step in the creation of a catalog that would be the most complete record available of loan materials in braille and recorded form.
In 1992, the first edition of a CD-ROM catalog of loan materials was distributed to network libraries. This catalog could be accessed by patrons as well as by libraries.
Suggested Further Reading More detailed accounts of the developments leading up to the establishment of the NLS program can be found in As I Saw It, by Robert B. Irwin, (New York, American Foundation for the Blind, 1955), and The Unseen Minority, by Frances A. Koestler (New York, David McKay, 1976).
A full description of the struggle to establish a uniform system of touch reading for blind persons is contained in Irwin's As I Saw It.
That All May Read: Library Services for Blind and Physically Handicapped People, (Washington, D.C., The Library of Congress, 1983) is a collection of original essays on all aspects of the history and then current state of library service to the disabled population.
Talking Books: Pioneering and Beyond, by Marilyn Lundell Majeska (Washington D.C., The Library of Congress, 1988) is a history of the playback equipment and recorded books and magazines in the national program.
Chronology of Developments in the National Program Passage of Pratt-Smoot Act establishes a national library program administered by the Library of Congress.
Standard English Braille, the first uniform braille code for the English-speaking world, is adopted.
The American Foundation for the Blind publishes the first issue of Talking Books Bulletin, later changed to Talking Book Topics.
Funds are allotted to the WPA for the construction of 5,000 talking-book machines.
Manufacture and repair of talking-book machines by the WPA is discontinued because of the war effort.
The Library of Congress makes first purchase of talking-book machines from appropriated funds.
National Bureau of Standards develops specifications for a low-cost, reliable talking-book machine.
The word "adult" is deleted from enabling legislation, making children eligible for service.
Research is undertaken on feasibility of slower recording speeds.
Braille printing houses adopt English Braille, American Edition, as the standard for braille produced in the United States.
Books on open-reel tape are circulated to readers as a supplement to the talking-book program.
Telephone Pioneers participate in pilot machine-repair project to handle increasing repair program.
National music library services are authorized by Congress.
Talking books for children are produced on ten-inch discs at 16-2/3 rpm.
All talking books are produced on ten-inch discs at 16-2/3 rpm.
AE-1 talking-book machine equipped with a three-speed motor (33-1/3, 16-2/3, 8-1/3 rpm) is put into service.
Telephone Pioneers begin installing three-speed motors in thousands of existing talking-book machines.
First large-print music score is produced for the collection by volunteers from Sigma Alpha Iota women's music sorority.
Legislation is passed by Congress (Public Law 89-522) to extend free library service to physically handicapped readers.
First transistorized, lightweight talking-book machines are produced.
All magazines are recorded at 8-1/3 rpm.
Talking Book Topics becomes first flexible-disc magazine.
Computers are used for production of press braille.
Pilot program is launched to test reader response to cassette books.
Cassette books are recorded at 1-7/8 ips on two tracks and machines are made available for general circulation.
A national survey of readers' interests and needs is published.
U.S. News & World Report on flexible disc is made available by subscription from the publisher.
Wheels, by Arthur Hailey, becomes the first flexible-disc book circulated.
Sports Illustrated becomes the first flexible-disc magazine produced for the program.
A catalog listing 4,000 titles is produced by computer; plans proceed for a comprehensive catalog of all titles available through the national program.
All talking books are recorded at 8-1/3 rpm.
Congress appropriates funds for establishment of two multistate centers.
NLS assumes editorial control of Braille Book Review and Talking Book Topics from the American Foundation for the Blind.
Tone indexing is used for the first time for talking books.
Cassette books are produced at 15/16 ips on two track tapes.
Bestselling books are produced regularly in the flexible-disc format.
NLS sponsors the development of high-speed braille plate embossers to replace manually-operated stereographic equipment.
First edition of the computer-output-microfiche (COM) catalog, Reading Materials for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, is distributed to the network.
Four-track cassettes are introduced.
Round Table of Libraries for the Blind is organized as part of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA).
The Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is renamed the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped on June 5.
Research and development begins on a combination disc/cassette machine.
Reading Material for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is made available for on-line searching through Bibliographic Retrieval Systems, Inc. (BRS).
Introduction to Braille Mathematics is produced in braille and a training and certification program for math braille transcribers begins.
Holdings of network libraries begin to be added to the microfiche catalog as the first step in planned production of a union catalog.
Development of foreign-language collection is augmented through addition of a foreign-language specialist to NLS staff.
The American Library Association publishes Standards of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
Field testing and evaluation of cassette braille machines are initiated.
All magazines produced for the program are distributed by direct circulation.
Voice-indexing is used for the first time in talking books (Access to National Parks: A Guide for Handicapped Visitors).
The first full-time network consultant is appointed to assist in coordinating the national effort of over 150 libraries cooperating with the Library of Congress.
A national survey to determine the extent of the eligible user population is published.
Special headset amplifier is made available to hearing-impaired readers.
Study is begun on reader acceptability of Grades 1 and 2 braille.
Comprehensive mailing list system (CMLS) becomes operational to include all recipients of program materials.
C-80 cassette machine is produced with built-in pitch restoration for use in conjunction with the variable-speed selection switch.
Pilot braille production center is established at American Foundation for the Blind under NLS sponsorship.
A second national survey of readers' interests and needs is published.
NLS Consumer Relations Section is created to strengthen responsiveness to patrons and consumer groups.
C-1 cassette machine begins production with fast-forward, fast-rewind, end-of-tape sensor, and a track-selector switch.
Evaluation of paperless braille is published.
Solar battery chargers are made available to patrons without access to electricity.
Remote control units for cassette and talking-book machines are redesigned.
New cassette-container design is field tested.
Multistate Center for the South is closed.
Standards of service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is revised by the American Library Association.
E-1 simplified cassette machine is produced.
Tactile map circulation begins from NLS and a catalog is published listing the holdings.
The last rigid-disc title is produced in May; titles formerly produced on rigid-disc are now produced on cassette.
Telephone Pioneers reach milestone of one millionth repair to talking-book machines.
A-1, the first talking-book machine with a variable speed control, is produced.
Telephone Pioneers complete 30 years of volunteer service in the machine repair program.
Study begins on possible braille and machine-lending agency centralization (Phase I).
Standard automated format for braille books presented to braille producers.
Multistate Center for the North is closed.
CT-1, the first combination talking-book machine and cassette player, is produced.
Digital recording of books formalized into contracts with producers.
Braille centralization study continues (Phase II).
Seedlings and the National Council for the Blind of Ireland catalogs added to the International Union Catalog.
Friends of Libraries for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals of North America, Inc., established in Washington, DC.
Combination talking-book machine and cassette player produced.
Beta test CD-ROM version of the International Union Catalog made available.
International Yearbook of Library Service for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals published by K. G. Saur, in cooperation with the Friends of Libraries for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals in North America and NLS.
Volunteer Repair Project launched to establish standards for the repair of audio machines.
International Union Catalog made available on the Internet. The manual was prepared to enable users to search the NLS online catalog more effectively.
National Literary Braille Competency Test released for validation.
Production Control data processing moved to an in-house Production and Information Control System
(PICS).
E1 cassette book machine awarded Exhibit Honorable Mention by the American Society on Aging’s 1994 New Products for Mature Markets Design Competition, recognizing its ease of operation by persons with limited manual dexterity.
Promotional video Meeting the Need published and distributed.
Internet electronic distribution list for network librarians established and maintained by the Oregon regional library.
Telephone Pioneers of America honored in a gala reception sponsored by NLS in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building.
Answering the Call: Telephone Pioneer Talking-Book Machine-Repair Program 1960–1993 published.
Described the development of a nationwide network of repair workshops staffed by Telephone Pioneers of America volunteers.
International delegation of 30 representatives from blindness organizations meet in Canada to discuss audio-technology developments.
Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) honored during its 50th anniversary observance with a reception at NLS headquarters.
Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped published by ASCLA/ALA with support from NLS.
Sixty thousand braille and recorded books from Canadian libraries added to the International Union Catalog, bringing the total number of titles in the catalog to nearly 240,000.
The 10,000th braille book, Brother Eagle, Sister Sky, published.
NLS collection of 33-1/3 rpm discs archived.
NLS and Friends of Libraries for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals produce 52" x 20" educational poster, Library Service for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals: A World Perspective, and distribute it to libraries and educational institutions around the world and to individuals and corporate members of the Friends.
Solar-powered unit to charge cassette-machine batteries tested.
Internet mailing list for exchange of ideas among researchers and developers of digital talking books implemented.
New injection molding tool for six-cassette plastic mailing containers produced to yield savings on container costs.
Say How, a manual of pronunciation of the names of famous people and places that had been compiled over the past twenty-three years, published and distributed to NLS producers, volunteer agencies, and interested network libraries.
First production lot of the C-2 cassette machines approved.
North Dakota Talking Book Services becomes 57th regional library to open since the inception of the NLS network.
https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/organization/standards-guidelines/nls-other-writings-say-how/
The Copyright Law Amendment, introduced by Senator John H. Chafee and known as the Chafee Amendment, is signed by President Clinton and becomes Public Law 104-197. The most significant improvement in the national reading program since the Pratt-Smoot Amendment more than sixty years earlier, the new law provides that groups producing books in specialized formats for blind people no longer have to gain permission from the copyright holder.
The Volunteer Repair Project, a national “train the trainer” program, launched to train—and recognize— the Telephone Pioneers of America, GE Elfun, and other volunteer repair groups nationwide.
New Zealand titles added to the International Union Catalog, bringing it to 251,000 titles. Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind contributes 1,217 entries.
Biography of the Blind, a compilation of essays about noted people who are blind, published by the Friends of Libraries for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals.
Author Daniel Quinn donates 576 audio copies of his book Ishmael.
Web-BLND, an easy-to-use interface to the International Union Catalog, made available on SCORPIO, a Library of Congress online system.
More than 500 catalog records for cassette books about music added to the International Union Catalog.
Braille books obtained for the first time from the China National Publishing Trading Council.
NLS Technology Assessment and Research Program compiles Technology in Transition, which describes a long-term technical vision and plans to achieve it.
Plans announced to initiate the development of a technical standard for the digital talking book through the National Information Standards Organization (NISO).
Magazine content study conducted to determine patron satisfaction with the selection of audio and braille magazine titles and to identify potential areas for change.
NLS and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind undertake pilot project to circulate the French-language edition of Reader’s Digest (Sélections du Reader's Digest) on cassette to interested NLS patrons.
New audiocassette brochure, My Books Adapt to Me, prepared for promotional distribution at national conferences and exhibits.
New braille-book mailing container field-tested at the Massachusetts and Oregon regional libraries.
Troubling a Star by Madeleine L’Engle becomes the first digital book narrated in the NLS recording studio.
NLS releases bar code labeling of new C-1 cassette machines and their cartons for equipment inventory control.
NLS-developed system for producing print-braille labels (P&B Labels) for cassettes implemented.
NISO digital talking-book (DTB) standards committee holds its first meetings to begin designing a DTB system.
Three-day forum held to review service patterns and discuss appropriate approaches to…
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