Library of Congress
Announces Major Endowment For The Blind and Print Disabled
The Library of Congress announced
on Wednesday December 18th, a major endowment in support of the work of the
National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS). Established by
Susan D. Diskin in honor of her late mother, the Tiby Diskin Memorial Fund will
provide resources for the Library to expand its services to individuals with
visual impairments and other print disabilities.
The first initiative made
possible by this gift is the digitization of the Library’s braille music scores
and instructional materials – the largest collection of its kind in the world.
Many of the scores in the collection are rare and fragile; some date back to
the late 19th century. NLS will use the funds to develop a unique braille
digitization tool that uses 3D laser technology.
“We are so excited to receive
this generous gift from Dr. Diskin and honored by her recognition of our work,”
NLS Director Karen Keninger said. “It will allow us to advance our efforts to
digitize NLS’s world-class braille music collection much faster and more
accurately than we had ever anticipated – a real benefit to the students,
teachers, performers and music lovers who use our braille materials.”
Librarian of Congress Carla
Hayden added, “We are grateful to Dr. Diskin for choosing the nation’s library
to honor her mother’s memory. This fund will help NLS fulfill its vision ‘That
All May Read.’ “
In a letter to Hayden, Diskin, a
clinical psychologist practicing in Los Angeles, wrote of her mother’s
reverence for knowledge, reading and education. Because of this, Diskin
selected the world’s largest repository of knowledge, the Library of Congress,
as a fitting institution to honor her.
NLS administers the braille and
talking-book program, a free library service available to U.S. residents and
American citizens living abroad whose low vision, blindness or disability makes
reading regular printed material difficult. Through its national network of
libraries, NLS provides books and magazines in talking-book and braille formats
and playback equipment directly to patrons at no cost. Materials are also
available online for download and are accessible on smart devices through the
BARD mobile app. Music instructional materials are available in large-print,
ebraille, braille and recorded formats. For more information, visit loc.gov/ThatAllMayRead or call 1-888-NLS-READ
(1-888-657-7323).
The Library of Congress is the
world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United
States – and extensive materials from around the world – both on-site and
online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the
U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other
programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the
official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov and
register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
Source | https://news.hamlethub.com/
Regards
Mr.
Pralhad Jadhav
Master of
Library & Information Science (NET Qualified)
Senior
Manager @ Knowledge Repository
Khaitan
& Co
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