The publication is reproduced in full below:
HAPPY 90TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE FOR THE BLIND
AND PRINT DISABLED
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HON. ZOE LOFGREN
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the 90th anniversary of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (``NLS''). Established by a 1931 Act of Congress, the NLS administers a free national library program that provides braille and recorded materials to people who cannot see or handle traditional print materials through a national network of cooperating libraries. Since its establishment, the NLS has remained a leading force in the national effort to increase the access of those with low vision, blindness, or other print disabilities to reading materials and a shining example for similar programs around the world.
Initially established as a program to serve only blind adults, the NLS was expanded in 1952 to include children, in 1966 to include individuals with other physical disabilities that prevent reading traditional print materials, and in 2016 to permit NLS to provide refreshable braille displays. Under a special provision of the U.S. Copyright Law, and with the permission of authors and publishers of works not covered by that provision, NLS selects books and magazines for full-length publication in braille, e-braille, and digital audio format. These materials (along with free playback equipment needed to ready audiobooks and magazines) are circulated to patrons within the United States and its territories and to American citizens living abroad. The program continues to expand in both its reach and capabilities, now allowing for instantly downloadable digital audio and e-braille materials via the NLS mobile applications and allowing patrons to request accessible materials in a wide range of languages from libraries around the world.
The banner atop the NLS webpage announces the service's noble mission: ``That All May Read.'' Over the past 90 years, the NLS, which updated its name from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in 2019, has been steadfast in its efforts to accomplish this mission, ensuring that no person be denied the joy of literature and reading because of blindness or disability. The impact of the NLS over the past 90 years has been vast and far-reaching and I look forward to witnessing what the NLS will accomplish with another 90 years. On behalf of all of us in this House, congratulations to the National Library Service and to those who work tirelessly to make the NLS's outstanding mission a reality. Many thanks for all their good work.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 39
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