Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Library Association / Held at Ottawa, Canada, June 26-July 2, 1912

by Unknown

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON WORK WITH THE BLIND

The committee on library work with the blind notes with satisfaction the progress which has been made in the past year towards increasing the production of new embossed literature. The installation of stereotype-makers operated by electricity and of power presses in some of the printing offices means a constantly increasing stock of books for circulation. Most important of all there seem to be indications that a new era is dawning when all America can unite on one point type.

The eleventh convention of the American association of workers for the blind, held at Overbrook, Pa., June, 1911, was marked by one session unparalleled in the history of type discussions, when, during the report of the uniform type committee, the blind themselves contributed $1800.00 towards the creation of a fund to be used in making scientific tests and experiments to determine upon a uniform system of embossed point print. With the completion of the fund of $3,000 and the co-operation of certain printing offices, members of the committee have been hard at work preparing tests and making experiments. An outline of the work of this committee appears in the "Outlook for the blind" for April, 1912, (v. 6, no. 1).

Lists of new publications in embossed type as well as lists of magazine articles referring to the blind are published from time to time in the "Outlook for the blind," which is the only magazine in this country especially helpful to workers for the blind. Librarians are urged to place the "Outlook for the blind" on reading tables and among the current magazines and to encourage its reading by the general public, who need educating concerning the best methods of helping the blind.

Helen Keller has said, "I follow with keen interest your efforts to make the 'Outlook for the blind' a success. Nothing is more useful to the sightless than an intelligent magazine in their interest, setting forth their needs, making known what they can do to earn a living, and advocating movements of the right sort in their behalf. The 'Outlook for the blind' is just such a publication. The fact that influential and wise persons who have the welfare of the blind at heart favor the magazine makes it all the more valuable. It deserves liberal support from philanthropists and practical workers for humanity."

The Samuel Gridley Howe Society has been organized in Cleveland, Ohio, with headquarters at 612 St. Clair Avenue, N. E. "The plan of this society is to raise funds from local sources to defray the cost of the presswork, the paper and the very simple binding used," in the work of adding to the list of books in tactile print.

The list of publications already issued, in American Braille without contractions, includes titles by Deland, Davis, John Fox, Jr., Van Dyke and others.

The Michigan school for the blind, at Lansing, now publishes a magazine in American Braille, with contractions, entitled the "Michigan herald for the blind," issued monthly except July and August. The subscription price is 25 cents per year.

The Xavier Braille publication society for the blind, 824 Oak Avenue, Chicago, which was organized in 1911, has since issued the "Catholic review," a monthly magazine in American Braille, with contractions, subscription $1.00 per year.

The Society for the promotion of church work among the blind announces that volumes 1 and 2 of the music of the Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church have been finished and are ready for distribution. Copies may be obtained from Mr. John Thomson, treasurer, 13th and Locust Streets, Philadelphia.

Since the fire in March, 1911, when the New York state library for the blind was almost totally destroyed, the new collection has grown with rapidity and is now nearly as large as at the time of the fire. Miss Mary C. Chamberlain, the librarian, writes, "We hope soon to make the collection larger than it has ever been."

The circulation of embossed books from the public library of Cincinnati, Ohio, "increased during the past year from 1,400 during 1910 to 3,900 during 1911, which was attributed to the fact that the library society for the blind has provided a catalog in point print, which is sent out."

The reading room for the blind in Washington, D. C., which was discontinued in 1911, has been reopened in the Library of Congress.

During the past year the Perkins institution for the blind has given away about 2,000 volumes in line type to libraries and schools, retaining a sufficient stock of duplicates for use in the circulating library of the school. The new library of the institution, now in course of construction at Watertown, Massachusetts, will be very large and commodious; it will be capable of holding 20,000 volumes, with provision for an extra gallery for 10,000 additional volumes if necessary.

In commemoration of the Dickens centenary, "Great Expectations" has been embossed in American Braille.

The committee plans a full report of libraries which are doing work for the blind and will endeavor to secure from them an outline of the work they are doing at present. In addition the special needs of readers will be sought with a view to having the books desired brought to the notice of one or more of the publishing houses. Efforts will be made to secure the establishment of additional libraries of embossed books in states where no such libraries are now maintained.

Respectfully submitted,

EMMA R. NEISSER DELFINO, Chairman.