Web-Braille Library Adds Electronic Music Files
Music scores and books about music have been added to Web-Braille, a program of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) in the Library of Congress that makes books and other materials available online in braille. More than 250 music items are now available with more materials to be added as they are produced. The site is accessible at www.loc.gov/nls.
The specialized digital holdings contain items not available from other sources, including many braille music scores. Registered users can gain access to music from Johann Sebastian Bach and Johannes Brahms among other musicians. Braille books and magazines about music include issues of Musical Mainstream, a quarterly publication of the NLS Music Section, which provides a selection of articles from prominent music periodicals.
Web-Braille provides eligible readers with a direct channel to thousands of electronic braille files. The free program has more than 1,600 registered users, nearly 3,890 digital braille-book files, 25 national magazines, and five national sports schedules. Web-Braille users gain access to digital books and magazines through Internet connections and braille-output devices. Library of Congress, Washington, DC, www.loc.gov.
This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2002 issue of THE Journal.