National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled

06/23/2026

Sweaty palms. Pounding hearts. General feelings of self-doubt. Millions of high school students across the country have experienced these symptoms for the same reason: taking the SAT. One hundred years ago , around 8,000 high school students took the first Scholastic Aptitude Test, now officially just called the SAT.
Originally based on the Army’s IQ test, the SAT was created to evaluate intelligence for admission to elite colleges. The SAT has evolved in length, format and scoring methods since its inception and recently moved to fully digital testing.
If you want to learn more about the early history of the SAT, read “The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy (DB50585)” by Nicholas Lemann.
If you need to prepare for the SAT, the NLS collection offers “SAT Prep Plus (BR25165 UEB math, BR26334 Nemeth math [in process], DB115736).” NLS patrons can order the braille versions of the books, associated tactile graphics and a sample practice test through NLS’s Braille on Demand program at www.surveymonkey.com/r/NLSbrailleondemand?loclr=fbnls.

[Image: A person reads a tactile line graph that’s part of an SAT prep math question.]

06/19/2026

Two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation — and more than two months after General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox — the news of emancipation finally came to Texas in the voice of Major General Gordon Granger. His June 19, 1865, General Order No. 3, declaring “an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves,” is commemorated as . You can read a history of today’s celebration, which became a federal holiday in 2021, in “On Juneteenth (DB103364).” Or hear personal reminisces in “Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories,” gathered by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress between 1932 and 1975, which includes former enslaved persons speaking about their first days of freedom in Texas and elsewhere. The collection of recordings is available online at https://www.loc.gov/collections/voices-remembering-slavery/about-this-collection/?loclr=fbnls.
[Image: A Cultural Juneteenth Festival. Print by Jos Sances, 1988, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.]

06/15/2026

The 2026 Summer Reading Program cosponsored by NLS and the Braille Institute in Los Angeles kicked off Monday afternoon with this welcome from Acting Librarian of Congress Robert Newlen. The fun starts Tuesday at 4 p.m. eastern time, when best-selling author Peter Heller discusses his novels “The Dog Stars” and “The Orchard” with public radio journalist Maeve Conran. (Oscar-nominated director Ridley Scott has turned “The Dog Stars” into a movie coming out in August.) Book lovers young and old are welcome; you don’t need to be an NLS patron to join us! Get all the details at www.loc.gov/nls/services-and-resources/summer-reading?locvlr=fbnls.

Kicking off the 2026 National Library Service for the Blind and Pri...

06/14/2026

The National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup finals are winding down, but the popularity of ice hockey romance is heating up! Elle Kennedy’s bestselling Off Campus book series was recently released as a TV series, and it’s the talk of the Internet. The first season was based on the first book in the series, “The Deal (BR26472 coming soon, DB84485),” which follows musician Hannah Wells and Briar University ice hockey player Garrett Graham’s fake dating arrangement as it turns into a real love story.
While you’ll need to wait until next year for the second TV season, all five books in the series are available from NLS. (All the BR titles listed below are in production and will be available soon.) “The Mistake (BR26478, DB84695),” “The Score (BR26549, DB85520)” and “The Goal (BR26541, DB87558)” each follow one of the elite Briar University ice hockey team members as they balance their ambitions while finding love. The final installment, “The Legacy (DB106825),” catches up with all four couples three years after graduation.
While you may encounter a long waitlist to borrow these books elsewhere, NLS patrons don’t have to wait to read these — or any — books from our collection. NLS also offers professional sports schedules in hard-copy braille and electronic braille. Find them on BARD or order them through your NLS network library.

[Image: Montage of a 1930 photo of the Stanley Cup and the book cover of “The Deal.” Stanley Cup photo from the New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Collection.]

06/13/2026

If your vision is cloudy or blurred, you may have cataracts.
Cataracts, the clouding of the lens of the eye, are a common cause of vision loss as people age. Caused by the breaking down of proteins in the eye, cataracts may be unnoticeable at first but can lead to cloudy vision, faded colors, halos around lights and declining vision at night.
Advances in medical science — from contact lenses to surgery — have made living with cataracts completely doable. According to the National Eye Institute, nine out of 10 people who get cataract surgery report that they see better afterwards.
June is Cataract Awareness Month, and we’re reminding you that if vision loss impacts your ability to read print, NLS is here to help you with our free collection of audio and braille materials. Learn more about how NLS serves those with low vision at https://www.loc.gov/nls/who-we-serve/visually-impaired?loclr=fbnls.
[Image: A cloudy sky with "Cataract Awareness Month" written in the foreground. The word "Cataract" is blurred to reflect the condition. iStock photo.]

06/12/2026

Visiting DC to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary? The Smithsonian museums — and other popular tourist stops — have a host of accessible options, from touchable tours to braille brochures. And if you can’t make it to the nation’s capital, many of the audio tours are accessible from your own home. Whether you want to hear descriptions of the presidential portraits at the National Portrait Gallery or take a virtual walking tour through the U.S. Botanic Garden, the NLS Accessible Cultural Heritage Institutions guide can point you to the resources you need. Learn more at www.loc.gov/nls/services-and-resources/informational-publications/accessible-cultural-heritage-institutions-for-the-blind-and-visually-impaired-in-washington-dc?loclr=fbnls.
[Image: Participants of a Library of Congress touch tour explore the mosaic of Minerva outside the Main Reading Room.]

06/09/2026

“I didn’t want to write about crime,” Patricia Cornwell — who turns 70 today — told the Library of Congress in a 2012 interview. “I had this fanciful dream that I was going to be a novelist and write beautiful works of fiction: you know, literature . . . poetry.” Instead, the Charlotte Observer assigned the just-out-of-college Cornwell to the newspaper’s crime beat, and she was hooked. She left journalism after two years but kept writing, and in 1990 launched her best-selling career with “Postmortem (BR08290, DB48202),” her first novel featuring chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta. NLS patrons can find all of Scarpetta’s cases on BARD, from “Postmortem” to last year’s “Sharp Force (DB133330).” For a change of pace, there’s also “Ruth, a Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham (BR11357, DB45355),” a biography of evangelist Billy Graham’s wife, a longtime friend of Cornwell’s, or the true-crime investigation “Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper — Case Closed (DB55063).” NLS is still working to add Cornwell’s most recent book, her 2026 memoir, to the collection — but you can tide yourself over by hearing her speak about her career at the 2012 National Book Festival, at www.loc.gov/item/2021691419?loclr=fbnls.
[Image: Patricia Cornwell visits NASA Langley, October 2019. Photo distributed by NASA Langley under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0]

06/08/2026

Unearth a story this summer with NLS and the Braille Institute! Join us Monday, June 15, at 4 p.m. eastern for the 2026 Summer Reading Program kickoff. This summer’s theme is "Unearth a Story," emphasizing discovery with dinosaurs, nature and more. Programs are designed for adults as well as kids to encourage reading through fun activities. On Monday, we’ll preview the upcoming events. Register and learn more at www.loc.gov/nls/summer-reading/?loclr=fbnls.
One highlight of the program will be a talk with Peter Heller, who wrote “The Dog Stars (DB75493),” a post-apocalyptic best-seller from 2012 that is now a movie, directed by Ridley Scott, to be released in August. Another highlight will be our “Narrated Soundscapes,” which will immerse you in journeys through four national parks, pre-recorded so you can explore at your own pace. Ask your network library (www.loc.gov/nls/find-your-library/?loclr=fbnls) if they are offering any of their own summer events.
[Image: Summer Reading “Unearth a Story” Banner. Provided by the Collaborative Summer Library Program.]

NLS summer reading adventure! Enjoy online events, activities & story times for all. Register & explore through braille & talking books!

06/03/2026

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness” opens Allen Ginsberg’s 1955 poem “Howl.” Born in 1926, Ginsberg is among the most-read and best-known poets of the Beat Generation, the post-World War II literary movement that defied midcentury religious, social and political norms and became a defining force in youth counterculture.
While Ginsberg and the Beat writers have since become part of the literary canon, their road to popularity wasn’t easy. “Howl,” for instance, was the subject of intense controversy for its graphic language and depictions. In 1957, customs officials seized copies of the book being imported from England on the grounds that it was obscene, and two employees of City Lights Books in San Francisco, Shig Murao and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, were arrested for selling “Howl.” In a landmark First Amendment case, multiple poets came forth to attest to the work’s artistic merit — and the judge agreed. These days, you can find “Howl, and Other Poems (BRA14845, DBC16640)” in the NLS catalog, alongside other Ginsberg work like his collaboration with William S. Burroughs, “The Yage Letters (DB130843).”
To read more about Ginsberg and the Beat Generation, try “American Scream: Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’ and the Making of the Beat Generation (DB64050)” by Jonah Raskin, “Ginsberg: A Biography (DB32180)” by Barry Miles, or “Birth of Cool: Beat, Bebop, and the American Avant-Garde (BR13660)” by Lewis MacAdams.

[Image: Portrait of Allen Ginsberg from the Dutch National Archives, 1979. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.]

06/01/2026

Ready to unearth a story this summer?

We’re thrilled to announce that we have been selected by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) to curate and host the 2026 Summer Reading Program. This nine-week literary experience is designed for readers who are blind or have low vision, but anyone, anywhere is welcome to participate. No library card required!

Join us as we discover stories hidden in landscapes, archives, family histories, science, and lived experience through virtual author conversations. We’ll also be exploring four National Parks through a new Narrated Soundscapes series, with a new episode dropping every other week.

The Summer Reading Program officially kicks off on June 15th. Don’t miss out—sign up today on our website! https://bit.ly/43jFn7G

Image Description: A dark green banner features the headline "Unearth a Story" with the Braille Institute logo and the National Library Services logo beneath the text. The banner sits over a faded antique map background.