National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) is a free library program of braille and audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States by postage-free mail. The program is a service sponsored by the Library of Congress. People may be eligible for the program if they are blind or have a visual and/or physical disability. Persons with a reading disability may also qualify for this free program.[1] Library materials are distributed to regional and subregional libraries and are then circulated to eligible patrons.[2]

Contents

History

The NLS was established by an act of Congress in 1931. The program was expanded in 1952 to include blind children, in 1962 to include music materials, and in 1966 to include individuals with physical impairments that prevent the reading of standard print.[3]

The Chafee amendment of 1996 (Chafee)[4] added title 17 United States Code section 121 to the copyright portion of US law; section 121 established specific limitations on the exclusive rights in copyrighted works. The amendment allows authorized entities to reproduce or distribute copies or phonorecords of previously published nondramatic literary works in specialized formats exclusively for use by blind or other persons with disabilities. The definition of authorized entities under Chafee is very narrow; "a nonprofit organization or a governmental agency that has a primary mission to provide specialized services relating to training, education, or adaptive reading or information access needs of blind or other persons with disabilities." A "nonprofit organization" is understood to mean an organization that has been granted nonprofit tax exemption under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The NLS notes that this authority to make or distribute copies may be delegated to "volunteers, special education teachers, and commercial producers."[4]

Limits on access

Confirmation from a "certifying authority" is required to qualify for service with the NLS. In cases of blindness, visual impairment and/or physical limitations doctors of medicine; doctors of osteopathy; ophthalmologists; optometrists; registered nurses; professional librarians; therapists; and professional staff of hospitals, institutions, and welfare agencies are able to satisfy this requirement.

Persons with reading disabilities should seek authorization through doctors of medicine or doctors of osteopathy.[5]

Blindness and Visual Impairments

In order to qualify for service through the NLS, blind persons must have vision that is 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses, or whose widest diameter of visual field subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees. Persons may also qualify for services if they are visually impaired and unable to read standard print materials.

Physical Limitations

Persons with physical limitations that hinder their ability to read standard print materials also qualify for service with the NLS.

Learning Disabilities

Although the definition of learning disabilities may include reading disabilities, dyslexia, problems with spoken language, writing, and reasoning ability, Public Law 89-522 states that NLS materials will be loans to readers that have a "reading disability resulting from organic dysfunction," and requires certification from a medical doctor.[1] An individual whose reading disability is not physically based is not eligible for services.

Foreign Access

The NLS is for residents of the United States or American citizens only. Blind individuals in other countries or foreign libraries serving the blind do not have direct borrowing privileges, although some materials may be made available through inter-library loan, when permission from the publisher or author has been obtained.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.loc.gov/nls/eligible.html
  2. ^ The Library of Congress. National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. "Talking Books and Reading Disabilities." Washington, DC: 1997.
  3. ^ http://www.loc.gov/nls/about_history.html
  4. ^ a b c http://www.loc.gov/nls/reference/factsheets/copyright.html
  5. ^ NLS. Eligibility of Blind and Other Physically Handicapped Persons for Loan of Library Materials. That All May Read. http://www.loc.gov/nls/eligible.html

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • News Journal, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped — is a quarterly publication associated with the National Library Service, libraries serving blind and physically handicapped readers, and their cooperating agencies. This serial publication includes articles of interest to librarians and others,… …   Wikipedia

  • National Library for the Blind — The National Library for the Blind (NLB) was a public library in the United Kingdom, founded 1882, which aimed to ensure that people with sight problems have the same access to library services as sighted people. NLB was taken over by RNIB on 1… …   Wikipedia

  • Books for the Blind — also referred to as Talking Books is a program in the United States which provides audio recordings of books in a proprietary cassette tape format, along with a cassette player supporting that format, free of charge to people who are blind or… …   Wikipedia

  • Blind Department Building and Dow Hall, State School for the Blind — Infobox nrhp | name =Blind Department Building and Dow Hall, State School for the Blind nrhp type = caption = The Blind Department Building originally the home of Alexander Faribault ndash;built in 1856 location= Faribault, Minnesota lat degrees …   Wikipedia

  • Library of Congress — For the 1945 documentary film, see Library of Congress (film). Library of Congress        …   Wikipedia

  • The Chronicles of Amber — is group of novels that comprise a fantasy series written by Roger Zelazny. The main series consists of two story arcs, each five novels in length. Additionally, there are a number of Amber short stories and other works. The Amber stories take… …   Wikipedia

  • Library — Reading room redirects here. For other uses, see Reading room (disambiguation). For other uses, see Library (disambiguation). Reading room of the library at the University of Graz, in Austria …   Wikipedia

  • Tuscaloosa Public Library — The Tuscaloosa Public Library is a city/county agency located in the city of Tuscaloosa, serving a population of over 171,000 in Tuscaloosa County in the state of Alabama, USA. The Library has 46,857 registered patrons that use the library on a… …   Wikipedia

  • Tennessee State Library and Archives — The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA), established in 1854, currently operates as a unit of the Tennessee Department of State. According to the Tennessee Blue Book, [ [http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/05 06/5 sos.pdf Tennessee Blue… …   Wikipedia

  • New York State Library — The New York State Library is located in the Cultural Education Center. The New York State Library is part of the New York State Education Department. The Library and its sister institutions, the New York State Museum and New York State Archives …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”