As we celebrate our nation's libraries during National Library Week (April 15-21), the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress, is recognizing the many ways its network library partners engage people in reading and keep them connected to the world around them.
For more than 75 years, NLS has provided blind and physically handicapped readers with free reading materials. The program is a lifeline to many, enabling them to read independently."
National Library Week is a wonderful time to honor and showcase the numerous ways libraries throughout the country promote reading," says NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke. "The National Library Service and its network of local and regional libraries play a special role in ensuring all people can access and be inspired by the written word."
The program does more than facilitate reading -- it also brings people together. Talking book clubs, offered through NLS regional and subregional libraries, provide patrons with the opportunity to discuss the books they have read and to share their love of reading with others. Many of the 132 cooperating libraries host summer reading clubs for young patrons and participate in NLS's national 10² Talking Book Club, which honors centenarian patrons for their lifelong devotion to reading. Those unable to attend NLS book-club meetings can often participate by telephone or computer. Online-only clubs are also available, allowing NLS patrons nationwide to connect with other sighted and visually impaired book lovers without leaving home.
SC Talking Book Services will host an online book discussion Tuesday, April 24, 10:00-11:00 a.m. We will be discussing Fannie Flagg’s Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, available on cassette, RC 62789.
