EBPL Launches Program for Print-Impaired Readers

The East Brunswick Public Library (EBPL) has joined the New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center (TBBC) to serve the print-impaired residents of their community. 

TBBC offers no-cost, accessible reading services on behalf of the U.S. Library of Congress. TBBC’s services include no-cost audiobook players, audiobooks, audio magazines, Braille books and news-reading services. EBPL has added TBBC’s services to the many no-cost programs they provide to enrich their community.

“Our library has always worked in conjunction with the United States Library of Congress's National Library Service (NLS) for the Blind and Physically Handicapped," said Adam Szczepaniak, deputy state librarian and director of TBBC.

TBBC provides the NLS accessible reading services to New Jersey residents, of all ages, who cannot read a book, hold a book or turn the pages of a book because of a physical impairment, a reading disability or vision impairment. 

“Our partnerships with public libraries in New Jersey are invaluable for expanding the reach and visibility of our services,” Szczepaniak added.

“The library welcomes our partnership with the New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center because it allows us to extend the joy of reading to all our residents,” said MaryEllen Firestone, director of EBPL. “This service so enriches the lives of those experiencing either temporary or permanent disabilities, and allows the library to serve a wide range of needs.  Having a new book at your fingertips simply adds joy to our customers’ lives and we are grateful that this free service exists in our state.”

EBPL participated in a TBBC pilot project to provide community-based assistance for TBBC members. EBPL helped TBBC members to download audiobooks and audio magazines from the Braille and Audio Reading Download site (BARD), a site managed by the Library of Congress. 

In addition, Sara Imranyi, EBPL’s consumer health librarian, joined Mary Kearns-Kaplan, TBBC’s adult outreach services coordinator, at a program hosted by the Community Health Program at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH). 

At this “Just for the Health of it” program, Imranyi described the consumer health information services EBPL is providing to RWJUH and Kearns-Kaplan described the no-cost accessible reading program provided by TBBC.

To learn more about this service and how to apply, contact:

•       The East Brunswick Public Library at 732-390-6767. http://www.ebpl.org/requests/electronic_reference.cfm

•       The New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center at 800-792-8322. http://www.njsltbbc.org.