by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Jerry Reynolds carries two business cards.
One is the standard issue white card with black letters that’s used by most City employees. The other card has the same information as the first, but in much larger 14-point type and also in Braille.
Reynolds manages the Jacksonville Public Library’s Talking Books/Special Needs Library that serves customers who have difficulty reading, holding or handling a regular print book because of a visual or physical disability.
Located on the conference center level of the Main Library near the Main Street entrance, the collection includes more than 81,000 titles in all genres from cookbooks to classics of literature, plus a selection of almost 2,000 feature film and other video materials on DVD and VHS cassettes. Subscriptions to more than 40 magazines are also in the catalog.
“We mail customers up to three titles a week, based on their interests,” said Reynolds.
The library is operated with three full-time and two part-time librarians, plus more than 20 volunteers who devote more than 200 hours each month to helping distribute materials and assisting customers who use the services.
Thousands of packages are sent each day to the post office with a like number received to go back on the shelves or be sent immediately to another customer.
The library is also part of a statewide network of special needs libraries, so if a particular title isn’t available at the Main Library, it can be sent from and returned to another library location.
In November, 15,794 materials were loaned, an increase of 18 percent over the same month in 2009. As the population ages, said Reynolds, the demand for the specialized library’s services is growing.
“I’d estimate that about 20 percent of the people in Duval County could use our services and more than 65 percent of our customers are 65 years of age or more. As we get older, we all become disabled in some way,” said Reynolds.
The books are available on tape and on devices similar to flash drives that are used with a digital reader that the customer keeps at home. The cost of postage to deliver and return materials is funded on a national basis with $79 million from the Library of Congress.
“People don’t have to leave home to use the library. Everything is mailed and returned free of charge,” said Reynolds. The digital readers are loaned free of charge.
In addition to books and videos to loan, the Main Library’s Hicks Auditorium also hosts two film series for disabled customers.
Closed-caption movies are screened for hearing-impaired people and their friends and families the first Thursday of every month and the “described movie” series is the third Friday of every month for those who are visually impaired.
Upcoming titles include “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “The Karate Kid,” “The Bucket List” and “The Honeymooners.”
“The described movies are like listening to an old-fashioned radio show. It’s theater of the mind,” said Reynolds.
The department also uses several technologies for sight- and hearing-impaired customers, including the Sorenson Video Relay System for those who wish to use American Sign Language. The Florida Relay Service (711) is also available.
Reynolds said it’s easy to sign up for the services. Customers may be referred by their doctor or a nurse, caregiver or family member.
For more information or to find out how to apply for services from the Talking Books/Special Needs Library, visit www.jpl.coj.net, call 630-1999 (TDD: 630-2740) or e-mail [email protected].
356-2466