It's not every day that your local library system is given an award from the Library of Congress, but that's what's happened for the Muskegon Area District Library when it comes to their Library for the Visually and Physically Disabled Branch that serves more than 940 patrons in Muskegon and Ottawa Counties.
From the press release from the Library of Congress - "Among the Muskegon Area District Library’s initiatives are a Senior Book Bin service, which delivers bins of large-print books to area senior organizations each month, and Phone-A-Story, a dial-in service that offers weekly recordings of poems, short stories and children’s stories. The library has an array of accessible technology on site for patrons to use, including closed-circuit televisions that magnify images, an optical character reader, a refreshable braille display and a device that projects games onto an interactive surface."
Mark Santangelo is with the Library of Congress in Washington DC and explains the award that comes with the recognition as well as a small prize of $1000 to help. The prize also comes with a visit to DC for the MADL to enjoy a ceremony and thanks for the work and innovation that's being done right here in Muskegon for those who need a hand that a traditional library might offer, but the MADL goes above and beyond for.
About the Library of Congress and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled - " The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled administers the talking-book and braille program, a free library service available to U.S. residents and American citizens living abroad whose low vision, blindness or print disability makes reading regular printed material difficult. Through its national network of libraries, the National Library Service provides books and magazines in audio and braille formats and playback equipment directly to patrons at no cost. Materials are also available online for download and are accessible on smart devices through the BARD Mobile app. Music instructional materials are available in large-print, ebraille, braille and recorded formats. For more information, visit loc.gov/nls or call 1-888-NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323).
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
