[Nfbmo] FW: For Immediate Release: Missouri's Free Library for the Blind Goes Digital - Carnahan Celebrates Wolfner Library's 80 years of Service

[Gary Wunder]

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From: Wolfner Library Announcement List
[mailto:WOLFNER_LIBRARY at LISTSERV.SOS.MO.GOV] On Behalf Of Smith, Richard
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 4:24 PM
To: WOLFNER_LIBRARY at LISTSERV.SOS.MO.GOV
Subject: For Immediate Release: Missouri's Free Library for the Blind Goes
Digital - Carnahan Celebrates Wolfner Library's 80 years of Service



 

For immediate release:                         February 22, 2011

Contact:                                                           Laura
Egerdal                573-526-0949

                                                

Missouri's Free Library for the Blind Goes Digital

Carnahan Celebrates Wolfner Library's 80 years of Service


 


St. Louis, MO - Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan today
commemorated the 80th year of service of both the Wolfner Library for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped and the National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) - the Library of Congress'
talking-book and braille program. Currently, more than 11,000 Missourians
actively use the Wolfner Library service, which is available at no cost to
anyone in Missouri who is unable to use standard print materials due to a
visual or physical disability.

 

"I'm proud to honor both Wolfner and the National Library Service for their
80 years of service to Missourians," Carnahan said. "Wolfner has always been
a national leader in providing great service to the blind community, and
we'll continue working hard to meet the needs of our patrons."  

 

The St. Louis Public Library was one of just 19 libraries selected by the
Library of Congress in 1931 to be the first participants in the National
Library Service's program to provide free library service to adult blind
readers, after legislation passed that same year to establish the service.
The St. Louis Public Library had already created a special department for
the blind in 1924 and had an extensive collection, making it a logical
choice. 

 

The St. Louis Public Library administered and housed what would eventually
be called the Henry L. Wolfner Memorial Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped from 1931-1977, when the Missouri State Library, which was then
overseen by the state Board for Higher Education, took over. In 1985,
Wolfner moved from St. Louis to Jefferson City. And finally, in 1993 the
Secretary of State took over the administration of Wolfner, and the library
has been housed in the State Information Center since. 

 

The Wolfner collection consists of more than 500,000 volumes of books in
audio and braille formats on a broad range of fiction and non-fiction
subjects for all ages. In addition, more than 25,000 books and magazines are
available for download from Wolfner Library's Braille
<https://nlsbard.loc.gov/cgi-bin/nlsbardprod/index.cgi?XXblibcode=MO1A> and
Audio Reading Download website. All the books, magazines, and players used
to listen to the material are mailed free of charge to and from library
patrons. Eligible Missourians can register for this service by filling out
an application on the Secretary of State's website
<http://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/publications/application.pdf>  or by
contacting Wolfner Library at (800) 392-2614.

- 30 -

Visit  <http://www.sos.mo.gov> www.sos.mo.gov to learn more about the
Missouri Secretary of State's Office.

 


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