From today's edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Keri Wilkins is incensed. She is a librarian passionately committed to serving the blind and physically handicapped in 29 counties, the entire eastern half of Pennsylvania, sending out almost a million digital books and recorded cassettes a year.
"I am appalled. I am angry," she tells me at the branch at Ninth and Walnut, founded in 1882, the nation's oldest library serving the blind, where almost a half-million mint-condition recorded cassettes are, by state mandate, headed for "recycling," that is, the trash. "This is the minnow swallowing the whale. I have spent my whole year fighting this merger."
This is a typical penny-wise act by those who value "efficiency" over true utility.
Part of the rationale for the move is that the expectation is that the blind population will be able to utilize digital tools to "read". Of course, only 10% of the blind population is estimated to have a digital connection. Oh well.
Further quote:
The plan is opposed by almost everyone: the Free Library of Philadelphia, which manages the local branch; the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania; and 145 state legislators from both parties. Meanwhile, the Library of Congress, which produces all audio material, is seriously concerned about the loss of service. It upholds a national policy that prohibits transferring materials between network libraries. For now, Wilkins can't ship her blue digital books to Pittsburgh.
So, it appears the answer lies in placing pressure on the Library of Congress.
Any action thoughts?