The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library is presenting a free introduction to braille workshop Tuesday, February 4 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Library’s conference room, hosted by WTBBL volunteers Keiko Namekata and Dana Marmion. If you’ve ever wondered “What is braille? What can braille do for me? Would I be able to learn braille? ,” this class is a great opportunity to get answers to your questions or just satisfy your curiosity! Braille is critically important…
On Saturday, September 14, 2019, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) will kick off its free braille transcription course. Students will learn to transcribe print text into braille for blind and low-vision readers. Class will be held 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Saturday mornings, and will end on April 4, 2020. Braille is critically important to the lives of those who are visually impaired or blind as it provides the ability to read and write. Literacy ensures intellectual freedom and…
At the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), the Braille Department focuses on transcribing standard print books into braille for patron use. Braille transcription is a technical and time-consuming process that requires skill and great attention to detail. In order to expedite this process, WTBBL purchased a new scanner with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software included. The scanning process allows a trained operator to scan an entire 300-page book in less than an hour, accelerating a process that would…
On Wednesday, May 8, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) will be participating in GiveBIG, a twenty-four hour, online giving campaign that is designed to support Washington state nonprofit organizations. This year, WTBBL’s goal is to raise $12,000 toward purchasing new equipment for the Braille Production Department. WTBBL’s Braille Production Department produces books written by local authors from the Pacific Northwest or books about the Pacific Northwest to add to its collection, increasing access for readers throughout the…
If you’ve ever been interested in learning braille, what better place to learn it than at the state’s premier braille-service library? Earlier this October, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library kicked off its annual braille transcribing course. (Sorry, it’s too late to join the class this year. But it’s likely the class will be offered next October.) The free class started with 21 enrollees, the second-highest number since the class was reintroduced in 2008 after WTBBL transitioned to a…
(Photograph courtesy of the U. S. Embassy in Kenya) For many years, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) in Seattle has made a positive difference by providing braille reading material, talking books, youth services and other resources to Washingtonians who are visually or physically impaired. WTBBL’s positive influence has spread far beyond our state’s border, to most recently a partnership with a school in the African nation of Kenya. The story starts in 2011. WTBBL often hosts visiting librarians…
It is not everyday that inmates are recognized for the work they do for the community. Inmates are serving time for a crime they have committed against society. However, many of them are making a difference in any way they can. This includes the Braille Team at WCCW. These women have taken the time to develop their skill and to become certified so that they can provide a wonderful service to the blind community. To read more about the service that…
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,”…