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PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICES TO VISUALLY-DISABLED CHILDREN IN THE UNITED STATES

Questionnaires about services, materials, and special equipment for library services to visually disabled children were went to children's librarians of all public libraries designated as subregional libraries by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress (NLS), and to children's librarians of a sample of public libraries that are not subregional libraries. / The findings of the survey showed that the proportion of libraries offering general services such as storytelling, film programs, arts and crafts programs, and puppetry to visually disabled children is higher in public libraries that are not subregional libraries than in public libraries that are NLS subregional libraries. The proportion of subregional libraries is higher than nonregional public libraries in offering special services such as, training in use of equipment, retrieving materials from the stacks, recording of material, brailling of material, providing large print typing, and delivering material and equipment by mail. Also, the proportion of NLS subregional libraries is higher than public libraries in collecting materials such as talking books, talking magazines, braille books, braille magazines, large print books, large print magazines, print/braille books, and scratch and sniff books. The special equipment such as magnifying devices, cassette players, large print typewriters, low vision reading devices (closed-circuit television systems), and brailling devices are available in more subregional libraries than public libraries. Few libraries in both groups own special equipment such as the Kurzweil Reading Machine, the Optacon Reading Machine, voice synthesizers, and computer (Braille) output devices. While the proportion of large- and medium-size libraries collecting materials and special equipment is higher than the small-size libraries, there is no relationship between the size of a library and its offering general and special library services to visually disabled children. The services, materials, and special equipment for library service to visually disabled children was not significantly different among libraries in the Northeast, the Midwest, the West, and the South. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-12, Section: A, page: 3001. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76183
ContributorsBASU, SANTI GOPAL., Florida State University
Source SetsFlorida State University
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText
Format189 p.
RightsOn campus use only.
RelationDissertation Abstracts International

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