Wake County Library Now Delivers Books, Devices to Print-Disabled Residents

Wake County Public Libraries has partnered with the Library of North Carolina's Accessible Books & Library Services to mail braille, large print, audiobooks, and magazines directly to qualifying residents' homes, opening a catalog of more than 175,000 titles to people who cannot read standard print.

The program, known as ABLS, serves North Carolinians with low vision, blindness, or a physical, perceptual, or reading disability. It is completely free: the U.S. Postal Service carries materials both ways at no cost to the patron. Returning items requires no post office trip. A resident simply turns the mailing card over, slides it back into the case, and puts the case in outgoing mail.

"This project opens doors for many qualified North Carolinians to thousands of books and other accessible materials," said Catherine Rubin, director of Accessible Books & Library Services. "We're delighted to collaborate with Wake County Public Libraries in providing access to our free services."

ABLS is a division of the Library of North Carolina, which itself sits under the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The state agency recently updated its branding and moved its web presence to library.nc.gov.

Enrollment begins at any Wake County Public Libraries branch. Staff there have been trained to certify eligibility and walk patrons through the application. Qualifying conditions must be confirmed by a competent authority, which under ABLS guidelines can include a medical professional, social worker, activities director of a care facility, or a public library staff member. Once an application is approved, a Reader Advisor from ABLS contacts the patron to set up their account.

Materials can arrive in several formats: audio, braille, large print, magazines, and video with descriptive audio, with digital download options also available. Patrons have three ways to select titles: materials can be automatically picked based on stated preferences, chosen by a Reader Advisor, or requested specifically by the patron. Requests go through phone, mail, chat, email, or the online catalog.