Braille children’s books introduced at library

Quincy Noon Kiwanis Club former president Joe Henning will present the first collection of Braille children’s books to the Quincy Public Library at the Celebrity Read hosted by West Central Illinois Center for Independent Living.  The Celebrity Read, designed to raise awareness of disabilities, features readers Mayor John Spring and Ryan Jansen and a series of disability simulation stations for children.  The program will take place at 10 a.m. today, Dec. 13 and is free and open to the public.  The library will have Braille materials on display and children will have a chance to try out the CCTV reader, an assistance device for the visually impaired. 
 In addition to the new Braille collection, the library assists eligible individuals in the application process for the Talking Books for the Blind and Physically Handicapped program.  This free program offers access to the largest audiobook database in the world.  Patrons receive a machine to play the audiobook format and access to over 65,000 audiobook titles.
 For newspaper readers, Newsline provides audio versions of daily newspapers using speech created by computers.  Users dial-in on the telephone and select a newspaper, a section, or an article of interest.  To use this free service, interested individuals may call the library for assistance with registering. 
 The Radio Information Service also provides a free newspaper service.  A special radio receiver is provided to users so they can access this service.  Volunteers read national, regional, and local newspapers, magazines, and novels.  Primary attention is given to daily newspapers in west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and Northeast Missouri. Individuals interested in this service may call the library for assistance in registering. 
 Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTV) are available for the vision-impaired at the York Street Branch.  A CCTV enlarges the image of the items placed under a magnifier allowing the user to read printed text, pill bottles, or look at photographs.
 For patrons having difficulty reading normal size print, the library’s large print books and periodicals may be the answer.  The library has over 12,000 large print books available.  The collection includes biographies, nonfiction, romance, westerns and mysteries.  The York Street Branch house the majority of the large print collection.
 Home delivery of library materials is also available to any library patron who is temporarily or permanently unable to visit the library due to a physical disability.  Deliveries are made directly to the patron’s home and to nursing homes.  Regular home delivers can be arranged by calling the library. 
 A wide variety of material is available at the Branch, including large print and regular print books, DVDs, videos, music CDs, magazines, newspapers and books on tape.  Computers are also available for the public. 
 Anyone interested in any of these services may call 223-1309 ext. 306, or stop by and visit Quincy Public Library’s York Street Branch located in the Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center at 639 York St. Branch hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.