New Endowment to Support National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled; Digitization of Library’s Braille Music Scores and Instructional Materials is the First Initiative the Gift Will Fund
From the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled/Library of Congress:
The Library of Congress today [12/18/2019] announced a major endowment in support of the work of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS). Established by Susan D. Diskin in honor of her late mother, the Tiby Diskin Memorial Fund will provide resources for the Library to expand its services to individuals with visual impairments and other print disabilities.
The first initiative made possible by this gift is the digitization of the Library’s braille music scores and instructional materials – the largest collection of its kind in the world. Many of the scores in the collection are rare and fragile; some date back to the late 19th century. NLS will use the funds to develop a unique braille digitization tool that uses 3D laser technology.
“We are so excited to receive this generous gift from Dr. Diskin and honored by her recognition of our work,” NLS Director Karen Keninger said. “It will allow us to advance our efforts to digitize NLS’s world-class braille music collection much faster and more accurately than we had ever anticipated – a real benefit to the students, teachers, performers and music lovers who use our braille materials.”
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden added, “We are grateful to Dr. Diskin for choosing the nation’s library to honor her mother’s memory. This fund will help NLS fulfill its vision ‘That All May Read.’ “
In a letter to Hayden, Diskin, a clinical psychologist practicing in Los Angeles, wrote of her mother’s reverence for knowledge, reading and education. Because of this, Diskin selected the world’s largest repository of knowledge, the Library of Congress, as a fitting institution to honor her.
Filed under: Digital Preservation, Libraries, National Libraries, News, Open Access
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.