Services to Institutions
Registering for Service
Do you work in a nursing home, a school or other institution that services persons who can no longer read standard print, or have difficulty holding a book? Institutions can register individual patrons for talking book and/or braille service by using the Adult Application. You may also register to receive a deposit collection in your agency using the Application for Institutions, for use by eligible patrons. Deposit collections are typically 30 to 50 books loaned to an agency and rotated quarterly, so your patrons will always have a new batch of books to choose from. Links for pdfs of the applications are at the bottom of this page.
To sign up for recorded and/or braille books and magazines, please use our Application for Institutions. You may use the pdf file, or request one be sent to your agency by contacting the library. Applications must be signed and certified by a professional (see list at the back of the application). Applicants with a reading or learning disability must have their application certified by a Medical Doctor. After the application has been processed, we'll send you the special format recorded book player and a welcome packet containing sample catalogs of our books and magazines. If you asked us to choose books for you, you will also receive a few books in the subject areas you specified on your application. Cassette players to institutions are limited to one player for every four users. Please take a look at the NLS Fact Sheet for Institutions for more information.
Reader Advisory Services
Help in choosing or finding books and magazines is a phone call away. Reader advisors are available during library hours to help:
- in choosing books
- in finding subject or genre bibliographies
- finding books through interlibrary loan
- finding books in languages other than English
- with problems or concerns about your service
You can also order books from Talking Book Topics which will be sent to you by US mail every two months. It's also easy to make and track your requests by searching the Andrew Heiskell Library's PAWS catalog. Books produced locally in our Audio Book Studio are also listed in PAWS. We also offer tours of the library, and our Outreach Librarian is available for visits to your agency. Be sure to contact the library for more information or to schedule a visit.
Music Services
The library has books about music, but not musical recordings. The Music Services division of National Library Service provides instructional books, braille and large print scores, and music reference services.