connecting library patrons to specialized services

Connecting Library Patrons to Specialized ServicesA Presentation to New Library Directors ✦ August 4, 2021Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) ✦ Montgomery, Alabama

by Angela Fisher Hall, Regional Librarian Alabama Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (BPH) ✦ Montgomery, Alabama

Alabama Regional Library for the Blindand Physically Handicapped

6030 Monticello DriveMontgomery, Alabama 36130

334-213-3906


In FY2019, public libraries across Alabama hosted 62,178 programs with

1,462,840 residents in attendance.

Our goal is to build audiences and make

certain that individuals with vision loss or physical

disabilities are not excluded.


Records indicate that library service for blind patrons began in

the late-nineteenth century. As early as 1868, the Boston Public

Library established a department for the blind after receiving eight

embossed volumes. In 1896, New York became the first

state to create a department for the blind in a state library.

Other state libraries soon followed New York's example.


Two members of the U.S. Congress saw the need to

expand the availability of reading materials to citizens who were blind.

Through the efforts of Representative Ruth Pratt and

Senator Reed Smoot, the Pratt-Smoot Act

was authorized in 1931.


Over the years, our technology has changed and our services are reaching more citizens.

Reel to Reel Player 1969 Record Player

1970s

Cassette Player Added 1980s

Digital Player Added 2009


In 2013, the Braille and Audio Reading

Download mobile app, known as BARD, was introduced allowing patrons to download

Braille and audio books, magazines, and music scores on their own.


Today, the network libraries in Alabama

(including the regional library in Montgomery and one

subregional library in Talladega) serve more than 8,000 patrons

across the State of Alabama

and have access to a collection of more than 207,000 audio and

74,000 Braille titles.


Our staff mail out an average of just

over 350 items each day

(we are opened Monday through Friday).

Additionally, on a daily basis, we

check in about the same number of

items returned by library patrons.


With your help, we can serve more. A 2016 study by the

National Federation of the Blind identified more than 150,000 residents in

Alabama with visual impairments.


We can partner with other organizations to reach more residents.

According to the Lions Club website, in 1925, Helen Keller challenged

members to become “Knights of the Blind.”

She asked members to improve eye health and eye care for hundreds of

millions of people around the world.Today, the Lions Club provides

vision screening, educational information, clinics, assistive technology, and

vocational training programson a global scale.


Someone you know—family members, friends, or any of your library patrons—can possibly qualify for this service.

We are here to assist residents who are:• Blind• Visual Impairment• Physical Disability• Deaf-blind• Reading Disability such as Dyslexia

If you feel our program is for them, help us get them connected.


You can reach us by contacting theAlabama Public Library Service (APLS).

We are the Alabama Regional Library for the Blind and

Physically Handicapped (BPH)and our number is 334-213-3906.

Our website iswww.statelibrary.alabama.gov.

http://www.statelibrary.alabama.gov/


Together, we can help the patrons you serve

who are visually impaired

have access to even more—especially

those with a passion for reading.

connecting library patrons to specialized services

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