Stage and screen star Rita Moreno visited the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Taylor Street annex, on July 6 to tape a new public service announcement for the Library's national reading program.
Ms. Moreno, who was in Washington as a performer for the July 4 celebration activities, made the videotape for NLS as part of a major new series of broadcast public service announcements aimed at informing Americans about the NLS program.
The actress taped 60-, 30- and 15-second versions of the public service announcement, in both English and Spanish. The filming was done in the NLS conference room, with a group of NLS photomurals used as a backdrop.
"It looked like a movie set. Some of the NLS staff had a chance to meet and talk with her. She did an outstanding job with her scripts," said Bob Fistick, head of the NLS Publications and Media Section, who is managing the series of new broadcast announcements. HR Productions Inc. of Washington is contractor.
The announcement is one of six different public service announcements, all scripted in both English and Spanish. The other announcements feature NLS patrons and were filmed in the Washington- Baltimore area over the past two months. Radio versions were also taped. NLS plans national radio and television network releases in early 1994 and local market distributions, with customized identification "tag lines" (addresses and telephone numbers), for its network of 160 libraries later that year.
Ms. Moreno was welcomed to NLS by Miriam Pace, chief of the Network Division. Ms. Moreno was also greeted by Earl Brawner, a quality assurance braille specialist at NLS and member of the Friends of Libraries for Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals in North America Inc., and by the Friends' executive director Keith R. Krueger. Mr. Brawner presented the actress with an honorary membership in the Friends' group to recognize her generous support of the NLS program.
