The Library of Congress's National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) lends braille and talking books free to people with blindness, low vision, or a physical or reading disability that prevents use of regular print. This application enrolls an individual, and a certifying authority, often a clinician, signs to confirm the applicant is eligible.
The applicant, or a parent or guardian for a minor, completes the personal, disability and delivery sections. A certifying authority completes the 'To Be Completed by Certifying Authority' block on page 3 with name, title, organization, contact details, the eligibility checkbox, signature and date.
Download the current version from the source each time; forms change without notice.
Application for Individuals Seeking Free Library Service
Solicitud de servicio gratuito de biblioteca
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No. NLS accepts doctors of medicine or osteopathy, ophthalmologists, optometrists, psychologists, registered nurses and therapists, and also professional staff of hospitals, institutions and public or welfare agencies, such as educators, social workers, reading specialists and librarians. Network librarians can often certify by phone.
Name, title, organization, email, address and phone, then a checkbox stating 'I certify that this applicant is eligible for NLS services', followed by a signature and date. A typed signature is acceptable. The applicant, not the certifier, marks the primary disability that prevents reading regular print.
Yes. NLS posts the individual application in English and Spanish (Solicitud de servicio gratuito de biblioteca), both including the parental acknowledgment for minors. Applicants can also apply online through the NLS enrollment site or ask their state's cooperating library for help finding a certifier.