Braille Library Services: Free Books in Braille and Audio
Many who are blind or visually impaired—or who have reading or other physical disabilities—often cannot use printed materials, depriving them of reading materials that most take for granted.
Braille Institute's Library Services—the Southern California branch of the National Library Service (NLS), a network coordinated by the Library of Congress—has solved this problem for more than six decades by providing free books, periodicals and other texts in braille and recorded formats. With a Reader Advisor's help, choosing books is easy; patrons select from more than 100,000 titles and 1.2 million volumes accessible from the Library's collection.
As a result, tens of thousands each year use the Library to fill all of their reading needs, ranging from serious books for school or work to recreation and leisure. We offer a wide-range of free programs for our patrons, including magazines and periodicals in braille and audio formats, a Telephone Reader Program both online and on the phone, a book-of-the-month club, descriptive videos and more.
In 2009 Braille Institute Library Services was named one of 10 recipients of the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries. The annual award, made by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) since 1994, recognizes institutions for outstanding social, educational, environmental, or economic contributions to their communities.