News
July-September 1998, Vol. 29, No. 3

ISSN 1046-1663

National Library Service 
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
The Library of Congress

Copy-allotment system moving to the World Wide Web

NLS is embarking on a new system using the popular
information highway to streamline a major process in the
production of recorded books and braille volumes. All
network libraries can now electronically order new books
from the NLS collection in the quantities needed to meet
local needs. Network libraries can also receive online
descriptions of all new additions to the NLS collection, and
the new system promises to speed up the processing of patron
requests. "This step brings production planning closer to
the recipients of the service and promises to save time and
paperwork for NLS and for network librarians," says Robert
McDermott, NLS automation officer.

The copy-allotment system
NLS's network librarians and their staffs are the crucial
link in the organization's efforts to improve and expand
collection service to patrons. In addition to their services
directly to readers, network libraries provide valuable
information to NLS concerning their patrons' reading
preferences. Over the years this information has helped NLS
improve the process used to select new titles for production
and to distribute them among network libraries.
     Allocating a number of copies of each book to each
library--the copy-allotment system--has been adjusted over
the years to suit shifting demographic features of the
population and changing reading interests in regions and
nationwide. For example, books about a specific region of
the United States are often more popular in that region than
elsewhere; some libraries have more requests for books on
religion, mysteries, or science fiction; and requests for
books on computers or national politics reflect different
patterns of interest across the country.
     The success of this copy-allotment system is measured
by its ability to produce an appropriate number of books and
to have these titles available in numbers that can meet
local patron demands and be accommodated in the space
available in libraries. This year, for example, producers
are recording between 200 and 250 new titles each month and
creating 968 copies of each master recording, on average.
These are distributed among some 140 network libraries,
based on librarians' estimates and requests.
     An integral part of this process is, of course,
providing accurate and more timely information to libraries
for use in selection.

Automated procedures
NLS has developed a page on the World Wide Web for
communicating operational information between network
libraries and NLS. This information is in two parts. A new
system for distributing bibliographic data was introduced in
December 1997. Then in May 1998, the availability of the
copy-allotment selection process was announced on the same
web page. Use of either service requires a user ID and a
password. 
     Each month, NLS places information about new books in
the copy-allotment process on the web page. In the biblio-

graphic data distribution service, the network library
copies a file of the same information that has been provided
on cards each month in the past. Librarians can then enter
the data electronically into their library's circulation
system--it does not need to be keyed in. 
     Information in the bibliographic data distribution
service is provided in the MARC format, an international
standard for the communication of book information. This
format was chosen because most library systems can retrieve
data from a MARC file without having to write special
programs.
     In the copy-allotment process, the network librarians
and their staff can view the information that in the past
was seen on cards and on lists of titles ("tally sheets"),
and they can make quantity selections directly on the
display. The system provides different views of the data,
depending on user needs. For each book, space is provided
for the user to enter notes that can be used by all staff
during the selection process. If a paper copy of the
information is needed, it can be printed out at the
terminal. The copy-allotment screen displays a cutoff date,
after which no further changes can be made. At any time
before the cutoff date, a designated copy-allotment
administrator may confirm that all selections have been made
and "lock out" any further changes.
     After the cutoff date, NLS automatically loads the data
from the copy-allotment system into the production control
system and prints the distribution schedules. Plans for the
near future call for passing the distribution schedules to
producers through the web page and using it for libraries to
enter their default quantities--the amounts that remain in
effect if no changes are made.

The paper process
Through early 1998 the copy-allotment system relied in large
part on paper records that were mailed to network libraries
and mailed or faxed back to NLS. Annual surveys of patron
preferences provided a starting point, or default number,
for the system. In the eighty or so larger
libraries--"selecting" libraries--the staff received from
NLS a monthly list of titles under production and then
selected the number of copies of each title they believed
their library would need. To do this, they reviewed the list
and either accepted or altered the default figure. In the
remaining smaller ("nonselecting") libraries, the default
number of copies was based on the annual survey, and that
number was generally not altered between surveys. 
     The annual surveys and monthly lists of selections
grouped titles into roughly fifty-seven subject categories
that helped librarians judge the contents of a recording or
braille volume. Library cards were also sent along with the
lists, and the cards provided a bibliographic annotation and
other cataloging information. 
     After the list of library selections was returned to
NLS, the figures were combined to arrive at the total number
of copies of each title that would be needed--that is, the
number requested by larger libraries plus the default
quantities for smaller libraries. These figures were
supplied to the producer of each volume, usually during
production. For the producer, this meant that the total
number of copies to be produced and the number to be mailed
to each address on the network mailing labels were available
when production was completed or soon afterward.
     The process worked for many years, but it had two major
drawbacks: (1) It involved time-consuming requirements for
librarians to maintain up-to-date records of patron
preferences and to check these records against NLS lists of
titles in production, and for NLS to compile these figures
for each title and to supply them to the producer in a
timely fashion. (2) The smaller network libraries were
involved in the process only once each year, via the annual
survey of preferences. 
     In addition, delayed responses from the network to NLS,
although often unavoidable, could slow the entire
distribution process for several books at a time.

Benefits of automation
The new copy-allotment system was tested from February to
March at the regional libraries in Colorado, Connecticut,
Hawaii, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Western Pennsylvania.
These libraries provided valuable suggestions for
improvements. More than 50 of the 140 network libraries have
signed on to use the new electronic format. The librarians'
responses have been enthusiastic. 
     Bibliographic data distribution is saving the work of
keyboarding. The copy-allotment process is easier than in
the past and is encouraging some libraries to look for
improvements in the way they select quantities of books. The
smaller libraries are now able to select quantities of new
books each month and are no longer restricted to accepting
the annual default quantities.
     As NLS and the network libraries work together to speed
up the processes of selecting, producing, and distributing
titles to become part of each library's collection, the work
of meeting patron requests will be streamlined, and regional
variations in readers' taste in books will be more readily
incorporated into the allotment process. The primary goal of
all these changes is to respond more promptly and fully to
library patrons' wishes.
(photo caption: Robert McDermott, NLS automation officer.
Photo by Jim Higgins.)
(photo caption: For many years zippered red mailing pouches
carried the copy-allotment cards to and from network
libraries, making their presence on NLS shelves a symbol of
the process.)


New automated programs

Besides the copy-allotment system, three other NLS programs
involving automation are being developed. Two of these,
concerning titles in process and online inquiries to the
master patron database, function through the Internet. The
third is an upgrade of the NLS circulation software.

Electronic submissions of titles-in-process begin
Libraries that produce recorded and braille materials can
now use the Internet to submit notices of intention for
inclusion in the in-process (BPHI) file. NLS uses the
notices to build very brief records for titles that network
libraries intend to produce but have not yet finished. The
new program "gives libraries a quick way to share
information that will help prevent duplication of effort,"
according to Robert Axtell, head of the NLS Bibliographic
Control Section. Libraries can search BPHI by author or
title and find out if a book under consideration for
selection is being taped or brailled elsewhere in the
network.
     "The Minnesota Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped was the first to complete a notice in April, and
we're very pleased that many other libraries have
transmitted several hundred forms since then," says Axtell.
Libraries submit the notices by filling out an online
electronic form that includes space for the author, title,
format (braille or recorded), and the library holding code
(which is selected from a list on the form). Libraries can
also submit the information on paper, and NLS personnel will
complete the online form. The data are added to the BPHI
file within a week and remain in the file for two years.

READS II rollout underway
The Reader Enrollment and Delivery System (READS) is a
microcomputer-based system used in eighty-five network
libraries to distribute books, magazines, and playback
machines. A new version of the system, READS II, is now
being installed in the READS libraries in a phased rollout,
expected to be completed by March 1999. READS II introduces
a new database system and a graphical user interface in the
Windows 95(r) environment. "READS II should be a much more
reliable system, easier to use and will provide
opportunities for significant system enhancements in the
future," according to Robert McDermott, NLS automation
officer.
     One major enhancement in READS II allows librarians to
download bibliographic data through the Internet,
eliminating the need for rekeying information about books.
The software will present the data as standard MARC records
that contain title, author, subject, annotation, and other
information. Another new feature eliminates the
time-consuming step of using an optical scanning wand when
checking out books to patrons. READS II checks out books
when mail cards are generated, before they are inserted into
cassette containers being mailed to patrons. 
     Three regional libraries in Wayne County, Michigan;
Frankfort, Kentucky; and Atlanta, Georgia, pilot-tested the
new system and are the first to install the final release.
Because migration from READS to READS II involves conversion
of the patron database, NLS is distributing the software at
first to three libraries a month and beginning in September,
to six per month. As part of the installation process, the
READS II contractor rebuilds each library's database and
gives full technical support. A telephone hotline is
available to libraries for as long as they use the system.
     READS II maintains patron and inventory records and
handles circulation procedures for libraries serving up to
six thousand patrons. NLS provides the software, while
libraries supply the computer equipment necessary for
operation. 

CMLS online inquiry system in development
Libraries may someday use Internet web browsers to access
the Comprehensive Mailing List System (CMLS), the master
database of patron addresses, publication orders, and
demographic information. Data Management (DMA), the current
CMLS contractor, has developed a prototype online inquiry
system to demonstrate the capabilities and potential for
such an application. Participants at the National Conference
of Librarians Serving Blind and Physically Handicapped
Individuals in May previewed the prototype.
     The demonstration by DMA representatives revealed a
system that would allow libraries access to up-to-date
information currently contained in CMLS microfiche that are
issued monthly. Libraries would be able to search only their
own patron records. The data could be searched by patron
name, city, ZIP code, birth year, publication code, reader
interest, and ID number. Boolean search tools and
customizable search statements would give librarians a
powerful tool for gleaning patron reading trends and other
statistical information. It would also give immediate
information about whether changes to patron data have been
made--a significant network concern.
     Because of the confidential nature of patron records
and the importance of data security and integrity, such a
system needs to be developed with maximum safeguards and
protections; the system would not allow personal information
about NLS patrons to be disseminated to the public. NLS is
formulating policies on these and many other access issues
as it directs DMA in planning the system. A rollout to
network libraries would follow extensive testing and
feedback from librarians.
(photo caption: Bob Axtell, head of NLS Bibliographic
Control Section.)


Report focuses on Digital Talking Books

Digital Talking Books: Planning for the Future, a
seventy-two page report outlining both the planning scope
and the steps required to develop digital talking books for
America's talking-book program, has been released by NLS. 
     "This is a long-awaited technology by both patrons and
librarians serving blind and physically handicapped
individuals, and NLS looks forward to the enormous potential
that digital technology offers our program to open new
frontiers for its patrons," said Frank Kurt Cylke, NLS
director, upon first announcing this report to the national
conventions of the National Federation of the Blind and the
American Council of the Blind in early July.
     The NLS talking-book program, now sixty-seven years
old, uses recorded cassette playback technology developed in
the 1960s and improved in following decades to serve the
program's readership of nearly 800,000. NLS also produces
books and magazines in braille as well as magazines in
flexible-disc and cassette formats. The change to digital
technology will dramatically enhance the flexibility of
reading formats in the future. 
     In announcing this historic technology effort, Cylke
said that "Ever-changing audio technology requires that the
Library of Congress always be aware of developments and
prepare carefully for any systemic changes that may be
desired or required. Usefulness, cost-effectiveness,
thoughtful stewardship, and educated oversight are the major
criteria by which any audio reading program must be judged.
Our professional staff work to apply these criteria to all
facets of the program, with regular assistance from
appropriate public- and private-sector experts."
     The report's seven articles outline the steps being
taken by NLS to develop a digital talking book.
     Cylke noted in his prologue, "Because any major change
in the program will affect nearly three million eligible
users and require several hundred million dollars in
investment, any proposal for change must be carefully
reviewed and evaluated.... The NLS approach is to have
managers, engineers, technicians, librarians, and users
bring varying perspectives and talents to bear on the
challenge of developing the best possible talking-book
program for the twenty-first century. Their efforts will
result in a proposal for a Talking Book Digital Conversion
Project, a project that will provide the best approach to
developing a cost-effective, user-friendly library program -

serving blind and physically handicapped residents of the
United States and U.S. citizens living abroad."
     NLS is currently working with nearly twenty other
organizations to develop a national digital talking-book
standard through the National Information Standards
Organization (NISO). NISO is the only organization
accredited by the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) to develop technical standards for libraries and
information services. Michael M. Moodie, NLS research and
development officer, who is coordinating the NISO digital
talking-book standard effort, said that the NISO standard
will address digital talking-book features, file
specifications, user control of playback devices, production
issues, and copyright protection scheme. This project has
attracted a highly skilled and committed group of in-
dividuals from patron-advocacy organizations, media
producers (both volunteer and commercial), schools for the
blind, libraries, accessibility experts, and hardware and
software producers.
     Moodie and John Cookson, head of the NLS Engineering
Section, in their coauthored article "Planning for the
Future," conclude that "Moving from our [NLS] system to a
digital one will be a challenging and exciting process....
Because our users are a very diverse and widely dispersed
population with special needs and evolving expectations, our
service is intrinsically complex. Risk is inherent in
building a future based on technologies that have
continuously changing capabilities and costs." 
     Moodie and Cookson address the keys to handling
complexity and managing risk and conclude by stating that
"Certainly this will be an exciting process. As digital
talking-book systems are brought into being, they will bring
a great range of benefits to blind and physically
handicapped readers. Many of the marvelous capabilities of
the printed book will be combined with the power of
computers to create a tool of unprecedented flexibility and
power."
     Copies of Digital Talking Books: Planning for the
Future are available in braille, in large-print format, on
recorded cassette, and on computer diskette from the
Reference Section, National Library Service for the Blind
and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, Washington,
DC 20542. Telephone: (202) 707-5100, fax: (202) 707-0712,
e-mail: nls@loc.gov.
(photo caption: Digital Talking Books: Planning for the
Future covers all aspects of the NLS effort toward adopting
the new technology.)


Network exchange

California (Los Angeles). The Braille Institute Library
Services celebrated National Library Week with two public
events during the fourth week of April.
     Stephen Mooser delighted 150 youths as he read from his
book, The Terrible Tickler, as the featured speaker for
Children's Day at the Library on Monday, April 20. "He
brought joy to all the children," said Dawn Fuller,
chairperson of the National Library Week Committee. The
committee provided the young participants with toys, gifts,
and treats, which were distributed in bags and as door
prizes.
     At the Meet a Favorite Author program two days later,
Jo-Ann Mapson read from her book, Loving Chloe. The one
hundred guests also heard patrons Lew Bedell, a comedian,
and Carmen Alpelgren, Braille Institute's community
relations coordinator, describe the joy they receive from
reading.  Mooser and Mapson also recorded their books for
the regional library.
     Attendees at the programs were greeted by Leslie E.
Stocker, president of Braille Institute, and Henry Chang,
director of library services.
(photo caption: Lucky prize winner from Frances Blend School
accepts his candy and toys from Tina Herbison and library
services director Henry Chang.)

Arizona (Phoenix). For twenty-eight years, volunteers at the
Arizona Braille and Talking Book Library have been turning
out between forty and eighty recorded books per year. The
program was summarized in an article in the March issue of
the library's newsletter, Talking Book News.
     Most of the 2,000 titles now in the Arizona collection
cover topics related to the Southwest. The regional library
boasts that the books are held to the same production
standards as those issued through the national program.
Narrators, monitors, and reviewers work together to ensure
textual accuracy, recording consistency, and correct
pronunciation and to eradicate noise, among other things.
     The teams work two hours per week on a book. Like
national teams, the volunteers are careful to research
difficult pronunciations, such as the Native American
terminology that appears often in books about the Southwest.
The work sometimes involves talking with local authorities
and has even led to contacts with the United Nations. 
     Most of the volunteers are from professional
disciplines and all must submit an audition tape. The books
that are being recorded are listed in the BPHI online
catalog accessible through the NLS website.

Georgia (Athens). The subregional library has taken to the
road. Paige Burns, Athens Talking Book Center specialist,
has started a Reader Day program as a mechanism to reach
readers in the sixteen counties that make up her service
area. From June through early August, Burns plans to visit
one library each week. Her goal is to sign up new patrons,
meet current patrons, and distribute reading lists, talking
books, and machines. She says meeting the public librarians
is an additional perk because it permits her to give them
more information about the talking-book program.

Rhode Island (Providence). The regional library has opted
for brevity, at least in the name of its newsletter. Talking
Times is the new name of the publication formerly known as
the Newsletter of the Rhode Island Regional Library for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped. The talking-book library
held a contest for a new name; a commercially produced
cassette book was first prize. The decorative border that
accompanies the new name changes with the seasons.

Nebraska (Omaha). The Nebraska Library Commission Talking
Book and Braille Service has "spiffed up" its newsletter,
NLC Interchange, with more information in an attractive and
readable new design. The large-print version features a
spread banner. The publication is in a two-column,
ragged-right format with a scholar's margin and has been
expanded from four pages to eight. The last page serves as
an order form and includes a short survey, which will have a
different topic each month.


Network libraries appear on the World Wide Web

With almost every entity in America, large or small,
establishing a presence on the Internet, libraries serving
blind and physically handicapped individuals are no
exception. More than half of the cooperating libraries in
the NLS network have created a home page to avail themselves
of yet another venue to inform patrons and others of their
services.
     The content of network library home pages varies
considerably. Some have basic contact information available
as part of a parent agency's web presence, while others have
established major online reference and referral services. A
few offer OPACs (online public access catalogs) allowing
patrons to search local holdings. Several home pages offer
an online version of the library's newsletter. 
     In addition, libraries also use their home pages to
emphasize specific program or service features that are not
part of the NLS program, such as large-print books,
descriptive videos, locally produced bibliographies, and
special programming for children.
     Links to the seventy-three home pages of regional and
subregional libraries can be accessed from the NLS home page
at the following address: http://www.loc.gov/nls/ libs.html.
     Here is a sampling of some of the offerings.
      Arkansas--Fort Smith. In addition to descriptive
material about the basic service and eligibility
requirements, this page includes links to services of the
Fort Smith Public Library such as branch information, new
titles, bookmobile, and reference. The Fort Smith Public
Library offers online reference assistance and provides a
handy form for submitting reference questions. They advise
users to expect a response within twenty-four hours. This
reference site also contains links to online versions of
local, regional, and national periodicals held by the
library, online phone books, government information, and
descriptions of online commercial databases available at the
library.
      Colorado. In addition to links describing the basic
service, eligibility, collections, and equipment,
descriptions are also provided for the Friends of the
Talking Book Library and the volunteer opportunities at the
library. The Colorado Talking Book Library also offers an
interactive online catalog allowing registered patrons to
search its holdings, add books to their request list, and
request specific titles.
      Georgia. On its home page, the Georgia regional
library offers a wide variety of general information about
its services as well as a simple form for registered patrons
to request up to ten books per form submission. Upon
completion, the form is automatically e-mailed to the
library for fulfillment within two working days.
      Michigan--Ann Arbor. The home page of the Washtenaw
County Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
lists a variety of special services available from the
library including large-print books, commercially recorded
books and bifokal kits, as well as general information about
programs and services and up-to-date information on the
library's renovation. News of the next meeting of the Book
Lovers Club, a book discussion group that meets quarterly
(open to all library patrons), is available along with a
list of the books to be discussed. Assistive technology
information and links to other disability-related resources
on the Internet are also provided.
      New York--Bellport. The Suffolk County subregional
library on Long Island provides a broad selection of local,
state, and national resources. A special section for parents
and teachers addresses specific questions about the
talking-book program that are frequently asked by parents
and educators, such as How old do you have to be to borrow
talking books? Can students with reading disabilities borrow
talking books? Can schools receive talking books? and Does
the library have large-print or braille books for my child?
A public library page describes how public libraries in
Suffolk Country can assist patrons of the talking book
service with small book collections, equipment exchange, and
application distribution. The description and location of
specialized reading equipment throughout the county are also
listed.
      Washington. The Washington Talking Book and Braille
Library in Seattle offers many special services on its home
page including adaptive equipment demonstrations;
information about LEAP (Library Equal Access Program), a
program of the Seattle Public Library to integrate patrons
with disabilities into the use of the public library; and a
description of a local taping service. The library also
offers a dial-in interactive catalog for registered patrons.

     With the technology of the World Wide Web, network
libraries are now able to provide comprehensive, timely, and
interactive material for the use of patrons and others
interested in their services. With decreasing costs, better
training materials, and an increasing variety of information
to access, blind and visually impaired persons are finding
access to the World Wide Web to be an increasingly rewarding
experience and the home pages offered by network libraries
can add immeasurably to its value.


Library services popular in Japan

In Japan's population of about 120 million are more than
353,000 people with some form of visual impairment. They
constitute roughly 13 percent of the physically disabled
population of nearly 2.8 million. More than two-thirds of
those with seriously impaired vision are over the age of
sixty. Doctors attribute most cases of blindness to a
congenital predisposition rather than to disease or injury.
     As in other countries, there is a great demand in Japan
for information within the blind community and for adaptive
equipment for learning about people, places, and events.
Typewriters, tape recorders, closed-circuit televisions, and
computers are valuable assets that serve to bolster
self-sufficiency and ensure full participation in the
cultural life of the nation. Government assistance is
available to help pay for many of these devices, and there
has been extensive cooperation between public and private
sectors to stay abreast of recent innovations.

Publications
Eighty-eight libraries for the blind are registered with the
National Council of Welfare Institutions for the Blind; in
addition, at least ten braille libraries operate
independently. Books in braille are more widely used than
recorded volumes. The ninety-eight libraries for the blind
have more than 432,000 braille titles and 326,000 recorded
volumes in their collections and serve more than 70,000
patrons a year. A catalog of braille and audio titles--both
books and periodicals--is available through the Japan
Braille Library.
     In 1988 the corporate giant IBM Japan introduced a
computer method of translating print volumes into braille.
This innovation shortened production time and enabled -

producers to manufacture multiple copies at once. Libraries
in different regions no longer had to compete for a very few
costly braille editions of each major bestseller.
     Magazines in braille and recorded formats are very
popular in Japan. Publishers report that some three hundred
magazines in forty-two different categories are recorded or
transcribed in braille. Most are adaptations of the
country's most widely read print magazines. Braille Mainichi
was first produced in 1922. It is the counterpart to one of
the nation's largest newspapers, which has a staff of
reporters assigned to follow issues that are of particular
interest to visually impaired readers.
     Most Japanese government publications are produced in
formats accessible to visually impaired readers. Election
bulletins, in particular, are transcribed into braille in an
effort to provide the most accurate rendering of information
for blind voters in local and national elections.
     There are at least twenty-nine commercial publishers,
also part of the National Council of Welfare Institutions
for the Blind. They estimate that they have produced at
least 4,000 titles in braille.

Information networks
The government is working with volunteer groups and private
organizations to establish information networks to help
disseminate information as widely as possible among disabled
communities. In 1991 the Ministry of Health and Welfare,
with the Japan Federation of the Blind, implemented a
program to provide braille newsletters to a network of blind
citizens. Articles from print media and some original
articles are transcribed into braille and transmitted via
telephone circuits to forty-five information centers
nationwide. From these centers, articles are printed and
delivered to visually impaired patrons who request this
service. 
     The Ministry of Education supports a program that
disseminates texts and other educational materials in
braille electronically through a network of schools for the
blind. The Ministry of Health and Welfare, working through
the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of the Disabled, in
1995 established a computer network system accessible to
disability-related organizations and disabled individuals,
and plans are being made to install this network on the
Internet as soon as possible. A commercial information
service is also available on computer through the Japan
Braille Library. 
     An electronic database is available on computer to
upload and download braille data. The database was
established by IBM Japan and by 1997 was operating
independently of the corporation. Documents from the
database can be printed out at any of sixty-seven braille
printing centers across the country and in the homes of some
individual subscribers. The number of users was only about
380 in 1996 but was expected to increase sharply once the
database was made available on the Internet.
     A major daily newspaper, Yomiuri Shinbun, provides
voice-read articles that appear in its print format.
Subscribers to this service can retrieve the audio versions
of the articles on a computer in their home or office.
     Radio broadcasts are another popular means of reaching
out to people with limited vision. Since 1964 a weekly
broadcast has introduced leaders from various fields who are
visually impaired, and the program informs people of events
of interest to this community. A weekly shortwave radio
program provides information on eye diseases and topics
related to special education. Several commercial radio
channels schedule regular programs for visually impaired
listeners, and one two-hour program presents volunteers
reading the country's five largest newspapers every day.
This program is also on cable television in some areas, and
the number of television programs that are accompanied by
audio commentary is increasing. Cable television fees are
generally reduced for low-wage earners who are disabled. 
     Visually impaired writers, editors, and broadcasters
are a growing presence in the public media workforce. Some
are employed by publications intended primarily for blind
audiences, but an increasing number are writers, editors,
and other employees in both print and broadcast media.
(Information for this article was derived from Persons with
Visual Impairment in Japan 97 by the National Committee of
Welfare for the Blind in Japan.)


Buttars wins Francis Joseph Campbell Award 

Gerald Buttars, director of the Program for the Blind and
Handicapped at the Utah State Library, is this year's
recipient of ALA's Francis Joseph Campbell Award. Buttars
was the initiator of the multistate center in Utah in 1974. 
     Multistate centers provide backup storage of NLS books,
magazines, publications, forms, exhibit units, and other
materials needed by network libraries. There are currently
two such centers: the Multistate Center East in Cincinnati
and the Multistate Center West in Salt Lake City. Prior to
their establishment, all materials were provided from NLS
headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Francis Joseph Campbell
Award is presented to a person who has made an outstanding
contribution to the advancement of library service for blind
and physically handicapped individuals. Recipients are
chosen by the Library Service to People with Vision or
Physical Disabilities Forum. The forum is part of the
Libraries Serving Special Populations Section of the
Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies
(ASCLA).
     "Mr. Buttars has consistently conceptualized an
innovative ideal of multistate centers," says H. Neil
Kelley, chair of the awards committee. "His more than thirty
years of service to this constituency have distinguished him
as a national leader in the field." Buttars was recognized
at the Francis Joseph Campbell reception on June 29, during
the American Library Association's annual conference held in
Washington, D.C.
     Recipients of this prestigious award have generally
made contributions to the national library program for blind
persons and made imaginative and constructive contributions
to a particular library. They have also been active in
library associations or organizations that advance reading
for the blind as well as publishing in the field and
contributing in the areas of library administration,
reference circulation, selection, acquisitions, or technical
services.
(photo caption: Campbell Award winner Gerald Buttars, Utah
regional librarian. Photo by Carolyn L. Bates.)

The Program
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped of the Library of Congress publishes books and
magazines in braille and in recorded form on discs and
cassettes for readers who cannot hold, handle, or see well
enough to read conventional print because of a temporary or
permanent visual or physical handicap.
     Through a national network of state and local -

libraries, the materials are loaned free to eligible readers
in the United States and to U.S. citizens living abroad.
Materials are sent to readers and returned by postage-free
mail.

Books and Magazines
Readers may borrow all types of popular-interest books
including bestsellers, classics, mysteries, westerns,
poetry, history, biographies, religious literature,
children's books, and foreign-language materials. Readers
may also subscribe to more than seventy popular magazines in
braille and recorded formats.

Special Equipment
Special equipment needed to play the discs and cassettes,
which are recorded at slower than conventional speeds, is
loaned indefinitely to readers. An amplifier with headphone
is available for blind and physically handicapped readers
who are also certified as hearing impaired. Other devices
are provided to aid readers with mobility impairments in
using playback machines.

Eligibility
You are eligible for the Library of Congress program if:
 You are legally blind--your vision in the better eye is
20/200 or less with correcting glasses, or your widest
diameter of visual field is no greater than 20 degrees;
 You cannot see well enough or focus long enough to read
standard print, although you wear glasses to correct your
vision;
 You are unable to handle print books or turn pages
because of a physical handicap; or
 You are certified by a medical doctor as having a reading
disability, due to an organic dysfunction, which is of
sufficient severity to prevent reading in a normal manner.

How to Apply
You may request an application by writing NLS or calling
toll-free 1-800-424-9100, and your name will be referred to
your cooperating library.

News is published quarterly by:
National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20542
All correspondence should be addressed to the attention of
Publications and Media Section.

Editor: Vicki Fitzpatrick 

Writers: Rita Byrnes, Jane Caulton, Carol Corrigan, Judith
Dixon, Robert Fistick, and George Thuronyi

 a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the
advancement of library service for blind and physically
handicapped individuals. Recipients are chosen by the
Library Service to People with Vision or Physical
Disabilities Forum. The forum is part of the Libraries
Serving Special Populations Section of the Association for
Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA).
     "Mr. Buttars has consistently conceptualized an
innovative ideal of multistate centers," says H. Neil
Kelley, chair of the awards committee. "His more than thirty
years of service to this constituency have distinguished him
as a national leader in the field." Buttars was recognized
at the Francis Joseph Campbell reception on June 29, during
the American Library Association's annual conference held in
Washington, D.C.
     Recipients of this prestigious award have generally
made contributions to the national library program for blind
persons and made imaginative and constructive contributions
to a particular library. They have also been active in
library associations or organizations that advance reading
for the blind as well as publishing in the field and
contributing in the areas of library administration,
reference circulation, selection, acquisitions, or technical
services.
(photo caption: Campbell Award winner Gerald Buttars, Utah
regional librarian. Photo by Carolyn L. Bates.)

The Program
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped of the Library of Congress publishes books and
magazines in braille and in recorded form on discs and
cassettes for readers who cannot hold, handle, or see well
enough to read conventional print because of a temporary or
permanent visual or physical handicap.
     Through a national network of state and local -

libraries, the materials are loaned free to eligible readers
in the United States and to U.S. citizens living abroad.
Materials are sent to readers and returned by postage-free
mail.

Books and Magazines
Readers may borrow all types of popular-interest books
including bestsellers, classics, mysteries, westerns,
poetry, history, biographies, religious literature,
children's books, and foreign-language materials. Readers
may also subscribe to more than seventy popular magazines in
braille and recorded formats.

Special Equipment
Special equipment needed to play the discs and cassettes,
which are recorded at slower than conventional speeds, is
loaned indefinitely to readers. An amplifier with headphone
is available for blind and physically handicapped readers
who are also certified as hearing impaired. Other devices
are provided to aid readers with mobility impairments in
using playback machines.

Eligibility
You are eligible for the Library of Congress program if:
 You are legally blind--your vision in the better eye is
20/200 or less