The Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped provides free services to Oklahomans who are blind or visually impaired. Those with reading disabilities or physical limitations that make it difficult to use standard print also qualify for our services.
The Library provides books, magazines and other materials in audio formats as well as the audio equipment needed to read these materials. There is no cost for library services and no charge to mail the materials back to the library.
Recorded materials are available on digital talking-book cartridges. Digital recordings require specially designed playback equipment which is loaned free to eligible individuals and institutions.
OLBPH is a specialty library under the Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired division of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services.
We have a quarterly newsletter called Bright Future. Click here to read recent issues; braille and audio files are available.
History
The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disables was established by an Act of Congress in 1931 to provide blind adults with books in an embossed format. The Act was amended in 1934 to include sound recordings (talking books), expanded in 1952 to include children, in 1962 to provide music materials, in 1966 to include individuals with physical limitations that prevent reading regular print, and in 2016 to allow NLS to loan refreshable braille displays.
In 1996, the Chafee Amendment was signed into law, establishing a limitation on the exclusive rights in copyrighted works and allowing NLS and other authorized entities to reproduce or distribute copies, or phonorecords, of previously published literary or musical works in accessible formats exclusively for use by print-disabled persons. In 2019, the Marrakesh Treaty came into force in the United States, providing for the exchange of accessible-format books across international borders by authorized entities. Oklahoma joined the NLS network of libraries in 1933, leading to the foundation of what is the now the Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
OLBPH Readers' Advisory Service
If you ever have any questions call 405-521-3514, toll-free at 800-523-0288, or TTY/TTD at 405-521-4672, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Our librarians can explain the formats that are available and order reading materials for you. Items listed in the library's catalog may be searched, requested, or reserved online.
The library also offers dozens of current magazines. Click here to see the magazines we have available.
Thousands of titles may be downloaded from BARD - Braille, and Audio Reading Download site. Recently BARD has been made available as a mobile app. NLS has produced several videos, both promotional and tutorial, featuring the BARD Mobile application for iOS devices. These videos, titled BARD Mobile How-To Series, are available from the Library of Congress YouTube channel.
In the series NLS director Karen Keninger introduces the app, Engineering Section head John Brown provides a tutorial on activating VoiceOver and adjusting fonts and contrast, and consumer relations officer Judy Dixon conducts several instructional sessions, such as how to read an audiobook, navigate a braille book, manage downloads, and use basic and advanced VoiceOver gestures.
National Library Services' 2019 Regional Library of the Year
What a tremendous honor! The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) selected OLBPH as its Regional Library of the Year for 2019. Oklahoma’s library is one of 56 regional libraries in the NLS system. In the NLS award announcement, the selection committee praised OLBPH for our commitment to our patrons, innovative programs, and outreach efforts. We share this accolade with our thousands of patrons and supporters, as well as staff members from the past who helped build this wonderful service. THANK YOU!
OLBPH has remained open throughout the pandemic and we continue to circulate books and magazines. You can reach us at (405) 521-3514, (800) 523-0288, or by email: olbph@okdrs.gov.
OLBPH Will Be Closed the Following Holidays
- New Year's Day - Monday, January 2, 2023
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Monday, January 16, 2023
- Presidents' Day - Monday, February 20, 2023
- Memorial Day - Monday, May 29, 2023
- Independence Day - Tuesday, July 4, 2023
- Labor Day - Monday, September 4, 2023
- Veterans Day - Friday, November 10, 2023
- Thanksgiving - Thursday & Friday, November 23 & 24, 2023
- Christmas - Monday & Tuesday, December 25 & 26, 2023
