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One in a series focusing on specialty libraries located near the TJU campus.
What library has its operating budget paid for by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, its materials provided by the Library of Congress' National Library Service (NLS), and its administration supplied by the Free Library of Philadelphia? The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at 919 Walnut Street--just a block away from TJU's Scott library.
Many of our Nursing, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy students are familiar with this library. Richard Riddell--librarian at this specialized library--says "Jefferson students often visit to looking for rehabilitation material on blindness to help their patients." Materials are not loaned to sighted Jefferson students, but the staff makes photocopies of material for the students' use.
Journals Available at Library for the Blind supplementing the Scott Library collection:
- Paraplegia News
- Exceptional Child Educational Resources
- Exceptional Parent
- Braille Monitor
- Braille Book Review
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Currently, the Library for the Blind's holdings are included on the online catalog for the Free Library of Philadelphia, but Mr. Riddell informs us that they have just secured a grant to develop their own online catalog.
From a beginning of 19 libraries, the network of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped has expanded to 57 regional and 81 subregional libraries throughout the U.S. many were originally subscription libraries or run by philanthropic organizations. Under a special provision of the U.S. copyright law and with the permission of authors and publishers of works not covered by the provision, NLS selects and produces full-length books and magazines in braille and on recorded disc and cassette.
Who Else Uses the Library for the Blind?
The average library patron is female, widowed, 85 years old, suffering from macular degeneration. She contacts the library over the phone and materials are loaned to her via postage-free mail. All of the library's holdings are print or braille and/or audio recordings.
The books chosen to loan are selected on the basis of their appeal to people with a wide range of interests. Bestsellers, biographies, fiction, and how-to books are in great demand. A limited number of titles are produced in Spanish. More than seventy magazines on audio cassette and disc and in braille are offered through the NLS program. Readers may request free subscriptions to U.S. News and World Report, National Geographic, Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and many other popular magazines.
The next largest group of library users are juveniles. The 919 Walnut location provides recreational reading and collateral study books for students but does not record textbooks. Students can have textbooks recorded by Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D), located in Princeton, New Jersey.
Volunteers play an important role at this library. Over 2,200 hours were contributed last year by volunteers recording audio books at the Library's recording studio as well as other activities.
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