From: Selene Hinojosa <gh14_at_swt.edu>
Recently, while at the reference desk, a student who was visually
impaired asked if we had any books in braille. He just wanted something
to take home to read, literature or popular fiction. We didn't own any
books in braille.
As collection development librarian, I thought, well, we should get a
few titles, classics maybe, just something that we can point to or offer
students who might be visually impaired and wants to do some
recreational reading. After all, we have a popular reading library and
even a fairly sizable collection of books (mostly fiction) on tape. We
have a Kurzweil [sic], but you can't take that home. And what if a
student is hearing impaired as well as visually?
I checked around a few major academic library collections and
interestingly did not find much. Does anyone know if there is some
reason why academic libraries don't seem to purchase books in braille,
at least for recreational reading? I realize some collections do exist,
particularly if teaching braille is in the curriculum, but is there some
reason why a University Library would not want a few books in braille?
I am quite familiar with LCs National Library Services to the Blind as
well as State Library services and public library holdings. Some at the
library feel that referring them to the public library or ILL is
sufficient. I feel that we should have a few titles on hand. I would
appreciate any opinions on the subject. I did a literature search, but
did not find much specifically about braille titles for casual reading
in an academic library setting.
--
Gloria Selene Hinojosa
Collection Development Librarian
Albert B. Alkek Library
Southwest Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas 78666-4604
Received on Tue May 14 2002 - 10:08:53 EDT