Bess Higgins of Cabot, Pennsylvania Becomes Second Charter Member of the 102 Talking-Book Club
If you ask Bess Higgins to name her favorite author, the 101-year-old Cabot,
Pennsylvania, resident will tell you it is Nora Roberts. 
Mrs. Higgins was honored Wednesday,
November 10, as the second national charter member in the 102 Talking-Book Club, National
Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress.
"The 102 Talking-Book Club was conceived to recognize the accomplishments of the national reading program's centenarians. Through induction ceremonies in all states next year, the Library of Congress will honor these 1,600 individuals. The events will highlight the reading services provided by each state and also increase the awareness of others eligible to join their free local or state reading program," said Frank Kurt Cylke, director of NLS.
Mrs. Higgins was presented with a certificate by Cylke at ceremonies held at the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
The national kickoff of the 102 Talking-Book Club was held Wednesday, October 27, when a 103-year-old North Carolina woman became the nation's first inductee into the 102 Talking-Book Club. Edna White of Jacksonville, North Carolina, is a patron of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a service of the State Library of North Carolina, and is one of twenty centenarians in the state eligible for club membership.
According to Library of Congress statistics, nearly all states have eligible centenarians for the 102 Talking-Book Club. Interested parties may visit the NLS website, www.loc.gov/nls, and browse it for additional information, including how to locate a state or local participating library.
NLS provides a free national reading service to people who can no longer read the standard print of a newspaper or even the pages of a large-print book. Not being able to read can cut out activities that senior people have always loved, like following the sports page or using a cookbook. NLS helps those who have trouble reading or using a standard printed page to keep up with these activities through its Talking-Book program. The program loans members a wide selection of recorded books and magazines, braille books and magazines, and music scores in braille and large print. Anyone who is a citizen of the United States and cannot read or use standard print materials because of a visual or physical handicap may qualify to join. Specific information on who qualifies is also available at www.loc.gov/nls