For many years, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library in Seattle has played a crucial role in providing services to Washingtonians who are visually or physically impaired, from talking books to Braille materials to the Evergreen Radio Reading Service.

WTBBL’s great work has not gone unnoticed, as today it received the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) Network’s 2009 Library of the Year award.

“We are ecstatic and very honored to receive this national award,” said WTBBL program manager Danielle Miller. “We have so many wonderful patrons throughout this state, and our staff works hard to provide them with many helpful services.”

“Congratulations to Danielle and the dedicated, hard-working staff at WTBBL for this terrific honor!” said Secretary of State Sam Reed. “I’m very impressed with everything this library does for Washington’s visually impaired community, and I’m sure the patrons appreciate what WTBBL offers, too.”

According to NLS, WTBBL was selected based on the following criteria:

• Mission support the extent to which the library reached or exceeded the American Library Association Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service
• Creativity and innovation the extent to which the library developed new patron services or marketed existing services in an exceptional manner
• Patron satisfaction the extent to which the library met the needs of its patrons during the year

The award will be presented during a luncheon at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on June 18. WTBBL receives $1,000 for the honor.

Go here to learn more about WTBBL, which is part of the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of Secretary of State.