Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (GLS) Updates

Submitted by Jen Bell

I attended a GLS Ambassadors meeting recently and have a couple of updates to share. First, GLS no longer requires a “wet signature” for their applications. This means that our signature as a certifying authority can simply be typed into the fillable PDF which we can then save and attach to an email to GLS. Feel free to continue to offer the paper applications that we can scan and send but also be aware that we can fill out the application with the patron and submit it for them. 

Once an application is submitted, there is a 48-hour turnaround. This means that GLS will send the talking book player and two cartridges (which hold up to 10 books per cartridge) out via US mail within that timeframe. In addition to the talking book player (and various other services), patrons will receive access to BARD, a mobile app for audiobooks. Some more tech-savvy patrons are sending back the players since they prefer the app (no waiting for the mail and all audiobooks are always available). If you know your patron does not want the player, you can note “BARD only” on the application. If you have a patron that decides to return a talking book player to us rather than to GLS, simply place it in a box and affix a return label. There is no charge to mail these back. 

Active GLS members are also now able to request and receive up to five hard-copy braille titles per month, which are theirs to keep. This print-on-demand service is from the National Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS). So, if you have a patron that wants a braille copy of a Harry Potter book, NLS will print it, mail it, and the patron can keep it.

Eligibility requirements to qualify for GLS services are: 

• Persons who are legally blind or cannot see well enough or focus long enough to read standard print, even with glasses

• Persons who are unable to hold or turn pages of print books

• Persons diagnosed with a perceptual or reading disability that makes printed works inaccessible

Patrons can even get access to services for a temporary condition.

GLS has actively been updating their website so take a minute to check it out. If you have any questions, let me know!