Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library
ANDREW HEISKELL LIBRARY 40 WEST 20TH STREET • (212) 206- 5400
Technology, Culture, and Community Fair!
for People who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Physically Disabled.
• Try out new assistive Technology, Maker workshops, 3D Drawing and Arduino coding
• Discover free access programs at major museums and venues, including the Whitney Museum
• Visit with special guests such as Google
• Get free audio books, newspapers, and magazines at home
• Hear showcase speakers
• Connect with support organizations
Saturday October 15th, 10am – 4pm SAVE THE DATE INCLUDEnyc and the Brooklyn Public Library present LEARNING DISABILITIES CITYWIDE CONFERENCE Central Library 10 Grand Army Plaza Monday, November 14, 2016 from 9 A.M. - 2 P.M. more information to follow
Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011 Phone: 212-206-5400 or toll-free 855-697-6975 Fax: 212-206-5418 Web: nypl.org/talkingbooks E-mail: [email protected]
Application for Free Library Service for Individuals
First Name: Middle Initial:
Last Name:
Date of birth: Gender:
Street address: Apt:
City: Zip:
County:
Home phone: Cell phone:
E-mail:
Email me a username/password for the online catalog.
Name of local public library or branch:
How did you hear about us?
Please give the name of a person to contact if we cannot reach you: Name: Relationship:
Phone: E-mail:
By law, preference in lending books and equipment is given to veterans. Please check this box if you have been honorably discharged from the armed forces of the United States.
Certification of Eligibility Have a doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, ophthalmologist, optometrist, nurse, therapist, librarian, or a professional staff member of a hospital, institution, or social welfare agency certify your eligibility because of one or more of the reasons below: Blindness: Vision 20/200 or less, or visual field of 20 degrees or less. Visual Impairment: Unable to read for long periods of time with correction. Physical Disability: Unable to hold a book or turn pages. Deaf/Blindness Reading Disability: Unable to read standard print as a result of an organic dysfunction. Please note: Federal law (36 CFR 701.10) mandates that only medical doctors or doctors of osteopathy are allowed to certify cases of reading disability.
To be completed by certifying authority as described above: I certify that the applicant has requested library service and is unable to read or use standard print material for the reason indicated above.
Certifier's name:
Title and occupation:
E-mail:
Phone:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Certifier's signature: Date:
This application is a library record and, as such, is subject to the confidentiality provisions of Section 4509 or New York City Practice Law and Rules as well as the Privacy Policy of The New York Public Library (available at www.nypl.org).
Services Requested All books and equipment are sent and received through the mail free of charge.
Talking books on digital cartridge and a digital player needed to use them. The player will be mailed to you directly upon receipt of this application. Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD). Downloadable talking books and Web-Braille. An e-mail address and an additional online application are required. Instructions will be provided on how to register and download books. Also available as an iOS app. Braille books
Special Accessories Headphones - Solely for those readers who could not otherwise listen to talking books Pillow speaker - Solely for readers restricted to bed If you use a breath switch or if you are unable to access your digital talking book machine due to severe hearing loss, ask about special attachment options by calling (212) 206-5400.
Catalog format: Newsletter format: Large print Large print Digital talking book E-mail: Braille Braille
Reading Preferences Reading level: Adult Child (Grade: ) Young adult Preschool I wish to receive books in the following languages: English Spanish Other languages: Fiction Adventure Fairytales and folklore Animal stories Family stories Bestsellers Historical Black heritage Jewish heritage
Literary classics Short stories Mysteries and spy stories Sports stories Romance War stories Science fiction Westerns Nonfiction Adventure History-U.S. Animals History-World Bestsellers Humor Biography Jewish heritage Black heritage About music Business Poetry Cooking Religion (specify) Current events Science Disabilities Sports Fine arts Travel Health and medicine War / Military Other interests: Favorite authors: I object to books with: Strong language Violence Explicit sex Other objections:
Service Preferences I wish to have the library select books for me. The library will send books from the categories you indicate above or from specific requests you make. As you return books, replacement books will be mailed out to you. I wish to receive only books I request. You will need to contact us with lists of requests from our bimonthly catalog of new books, Talking Book Topics, or make requests through the online catalog. No books will be sent if there are no requests in your file.
Return of materials and equipment: Books and magazines should be returned promptly to ensure continued service. Playback equipment and accessories are supplied to eligible persons on extended loan. If this equipment is not being used with audio reading material provided by the Library of Congress and its cooperating libraries, it must be returned to the Andrew Heiskell Library.
Quick Reference Guide Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library th th th 40 West 20 St reet (between 5 and 6 Avenues) New York, NY 10011 phone: 855697NYPL (6975) tollfree 2122065400 local website: http://talkingbooks.nypl.org email: [email protected]
WHAT WE DO • Circulate by mail audio books, braille, and playback machines especially made for people who can’t use standard print material because of a visual or physical disability. • Books and magazines are mailed free to and from library patrons, wherever they reside. There is no charge, whatsoever, to the patron. Currently, over 12,500 New Yorkers actively use the service. • Serve all eligible users on Long Island and in New York City
OUR BOOKS • Digital, cassette, and braille formats • Broad range of fiction and nonfiction, from classics to bestsellers • Narrated by professional voice actors • 25,000+ audio books downloadable from BARD – http://nlsbard.loc.gov
OUR MACHINES We loan digital playback machines to those using recorded materials.
Digital player and digital book
BOOK SERVICE • Automatic service based on reading preferences or request books title by title • Set detailed preferences, with favorite subjects, authors, series’, etc. • Specify number of books and frequency of shipment • Individual and Institutional accounts • Individual • Account set up for one client’s preferences • Materials mailed directly to patron • Institutional/Schools • A staff member manages the institution’s account and distributes materials to clients • Manage service online, via email, over the phone, or by USPS mail • Returns • No due dates, no overdue fines • Suggested 46 week loan • Free return postage, simply turn over mailing card
PROGRAMS • Visit the our barrierfree library for art, music, and book discussion programs • Check http://talkingbooks.nypl.org for upcoming events • Invite a librarian to visit your local library or institution and hold a program there!
HOW TO APPLY • Find out an application: http://www.nypl.org/locations/heiskell • Mail, email it to us or visit us in person at the above address Free Tech Help at Andrew Heiskell Is your computer or smartphone hard to see? Would you like to learn to magnify the screen, or hear text read out loud? Are you curious about using your voice to write a letter? Do you want to check out free books and magazines using the internet? Would you like to try searching the web or using Excel?
We can help! Volunteers and staff can answer those perplexing questions about using a PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet or book reader.
Find out about our group workshops on topics like Twitter, Siri, and Google Apps; or make an appointment to talk about accessibility options one on one. Just ask about our assistive technology programs and call (212) 6210627 or email Chancey Fleet at [email protected].
A Short History of the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library
Thomas Alva Edison at age thirty with his rotating cylinder phonograph.
1995, the centennial year of The New York Public Library, also marked the 100th anniversary of the Andrew Heiskell Library. This brief history is from the brochure the library produced to commemorate the event.
When applying for a patent for his tinfoil phonograph in 1877, Thomas Edison listed "phonograph books, which will speak to blind people without effort on their part" as one of the ten potential uses for his invention. Phonograph and record technology was in need of considerable development, however, before talking books could become a viable medium.
The New York Free Circulating Library for the Blind was established in 1895 by Richard Randall Ferry, a wealthy hat manufacturer who suddenly became blind. When this budding braille collection was formally incorporated into The New York Public Library in 1903, it was housed in a Manhattan neighborhood parish house. The collection was moved to the St. Agnes Branch at 444 Amsterdam Avenue in 1906, and was again relocated to a larger site in the Central Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in 1911. Library staff provided home braille instruction and free delivery of books to those persons who were unable to travel to the Central Building's Reading Room.
Original Helen Keller letter, The New York Public Library, Andrew Heiskell Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Collection.
Throughout her adult career, Helen Keller was renowned as both a supporter of libraries and a staunch advocate for improved braille services for blind and deafblind individuals.
Pictured: A letter written by Helen Keller. She used a standard typewriter to draft the letter to head librarian Lucille A. Goldthwaite. The printed signature is her own. [Text version of the letter] An alternative medium still had to be found for the large proportion of blind and visually impaired persons who, because of aging or other physical disabilities, lacked the fingertip sensitivity needed to read braille with ease.
Technology for reproducing the sounds of the human voice had come a long way since the invention of the first tinfoil phonograph. The revolving cylinder of the 19th century was replaced by the 78 rpm flat platter. But these early disk recordings posed a number of problems: high cost, limited playing time, excessive weight, and fragility.
The 1930s' advances in radio engineering and motion picture soundtrack technology, which accelerated the development of the slow speed, closegrooved record, were soon to make Thomas Edison's vision of the "talking book" a practical reality.
In 1931, federal legislation authorized an annual appropriation to the Library of Congress for the production of braille books for blind adults, to be distributed nationally through a system of regional libraries. The New York Public Library was one of the 19 original participants in this newly established network. Three years later, talking books on LP phonograph records were introduced into the program.
Historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, a number of Shakespeare's plays and poems, and a variety of fictional works were among the first talking books issued. In order to meet the public's hungry demand for a broader selection of reading materials, the Library of Congress came up with a mechanism for obtaining permission from publishers to record printed works royalty free.
Space constraints at the central building led the Library to move the braille and talking book collections to an annex facility located at 137 West 25th Street in 1938. Photo courtesy of the American Foundation for the Blind.
A thriving depressionera WPA project supported the ongoing manufacture and repair of free talking book machines for eligible readers. WPA funding for the production of machines and parts expired in 1942 as the nation's resources were committed to the World War II effort. Existing federal laws specifying preferential treatment for U.S. military personnel blinded in service to their country enabled regional libraries to supply talking books and playback equipment to postwar rehabilitation centers.
Early recording sessions required a flawless rendition in a single take, as editing techniques had not yet been perfected. Props commonly used in popular radio shows of the daysuch as the bell and seltzer bottle shown in this photographprovided the desired sound effects.
Pictured: Blind technicians testing talking book machines in a late 1930s Works Progress Administration (WPA) employment program. In the program's first decade, famous persons often read from their own works. Among the participating celebrities were: Eleanor Roosevelt (This Is My Story), Stephen Vincent Benet (John Brown's Body), and W. Somerset Maugham (Of Human Bondage). In subsequent years, the evolving talent pool included such luminaries of stage, screen, and radio as Eva Le Gallienne, Joan Crawford, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and Alfred Drake.
Photo courtesy of the American Foundation for the Blind.
One of the program's most prolific and beloved narrators was actor Alexander Scourby. Mr. Scourby recorded more than 400 titles for the program over nearly half a centuryincluding The Bible, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and Joyce'sUlysses.
Pictured: Narrators recording The Romantic Age for the talking book program in 1938. LR, facing camera: Lloyd Bridges, Ann Tyrrell, George Coppin, Wesley Addy, George Keane, Alwin Back, William Nichols, and Peggy Converse. The talking book program exercises great care in choosing just the right voice to be reproduced on a given recording. Preparation by the narrator entails verification of pronunciation, analyzing the work's flavor and mood, studying the characters in order to portray them accurately, and working out dialects and inflection. Library patrons frequently express a desire to read anything recorded by a favored narrator.
A federal law enacted in 1952 extended Braille and talking book service to children. Additional legislation applying to individuals who were unable to read or use standard printed materials due to physical limitations other than blindness was passed in 1966. Persons having difficulty holding a book or turning pages because of such conditions as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or a stroke were now entitled to receive this library service. The new law also applied to persons with medically diagnosed reading disabilities such as dyslexia.
The library moved to more substantial quarters at 166 Avenue of the Americas at Spring Street in 1953. During the 1960s, the materials collection continued to grow, and recorded media formats such as openreel tapes, audiocassettes, and flexible discs gradually emerged.
While automation of circulation procedures and patron files provided a major service enhancement, this building's insufficient shelving capacity led to the eventual removal of the braille collection to a library unit located offsite. Architectural barriers precluding wheelchair access, as well as a lack of space for public reading rooms, underscored the Library's overwhelming need for a new facility.
The 1970s heralded technology breakthroughs which offered persons with print impairment increased access to the vast wealth of information resources available throughout Central and neighborhood branch libraries.
In 1978, The New York Public Library became the first public library system in the world to offer Kurzweil Reading Machine service. This optical scanning device converts printed text into synthetic speechthus extending the thousands of books and periodicals not available in braille or recorded formats to a whole new population of readers. Other electronic reading aids, such as closedcircuit television magnifiers, allow the user to adjust the size, contrast, and brightness of the letters on a page. The audio book Studio opened at the 58th Street Branch of The New York Public Library in 1981. Created to supplement the holdings available in the national collection by recording talking book titles of local interest, the Studio continuously recruits and trains a talented team of volunteer narrators, monitors, and reviewers.
Volunteers have held a place of honor throughout this Library's history. Selected activities on behalf of the service, conducted over the years by scores of dedicated men and women, have included machine repair, tape duplication, braille transcription, legislative and budget action, and live literary readings at public events.
On December 12, 1991, the Andrew Heiskell Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped opened its doors at 40 West 20th Street. Situated in Manhattan's "Ladies Mile" historic district, this Central Library Service occupies the lower six floors of a renovated 1910 neorenaissance loft building. The facility is still a regional library in the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped network. All collections and services have been consolidated under one roof.
Behindthescenes operations include an expanded Audio Book Studio, as well as a highvolume materialshandling system designed to process 5,000 items per day for shipment to registered individuals, schools, and institutions based in New York City and Long Island.
The building features barrierfree architecture; reading rooms which house browsing collections of braille, recorded, and largeprint books; a children's room and young adult section; and an outdoor reading terrace. Spaces have been allocated for new electronic information resources, and public meeting rooms are able to accommodate a wide range of cultural and educational programs.
As the Andrew Heiskell Library moves into the 21st century, The New York Public Library's continuing commitment to the provision of quality public service, coupled with the promise of future publishing innovations and technological development, will ensure "That All May Read." Andrew Heiskell. Photo: Nicholas L. Pliakis.
The library was renamed in 1991 in honor of Andrew Heiskell, pictured at the right, who was the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. Andrew Heiskell's efforts to galvanize support for construction of the current building was one of his many extraordinary achievements during his chairmanship from 1981–1990.
The library is now a full service central library providing a circulation collection, full access service five days a week, a 24 hour phone line for patrons to order books any time of the day or evening, an online catalog unique to our collections, and free delivery of Braille books, books on tape and the playback machines for those tapes.
[Original pamphlet "Celebrating One Hundred Years" published by The New York Public Library, The Branch Libraries, 1996]
Photo research & exhibit notes: Diane Wolfe Special appreciation is extended to Robert Sink, Archivist, The New York Public Library
References
Koestler, Frances A. The Unseen Minority: A Social History of Blindness in America. New York: David McKay, 1976.
Majeska, Marilyn L. Talking Books: Pioneering and Beyond. Washington, D.C.: National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, The Library of Congress, 1988.
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. That All May Read: Library Service for Blind and Physically Handicapped People. Washington, D.C.: The Library of Congress, 1983.
Community District Information
For more information about your Community District, including census data, community board information, local schools, and other resources, see here.
Hello! I am Anthony Murisco and I wanted to say thank you for participating in this program that the New York Public Library’s Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book is happily to take part in with INCLUDEnyc! If any further questions arise, do not hesitate to email me at [email protected].