Traverse City Record-Eagle Article     July 18, 2024
TADL Wins National Award


by Jordan Travis

TRAVERSE CITY — Diving into a good book doesn’t require eyesight, thanks to Traverse Area District Library’s Larry Gorton Talking Book Library.
Now, a national agency that provides materials for libraries across the U.S. is recognizing TADL for its efforts, innovations and client satisfaction.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled at the Library of Congress named TADL’s talking book library as its 2024 Sub-regional Library of the Year, according to a release.
It’s a proud moment for both TADL Director Michele Howard and Talking Book Library Manager Anita Chouinard, both of whom went to Washington, D.C., today to receive the honor.

‘I just feel really proud of the work we’ve been doing to bring services to people who sometimes have the least opportunity to use library services,” Howard said Wednesday.

Those services go beyond lending audio books. Howard said the library also has material in braille, a braille typewriter and braille reader. Patrons can also try out assistive technology, such as screen-reading software, closed-circuit televisions to enlarge text and images, and a pen that reads out colors to those who can’t see them.

Howard recalled how one patron brought her mother to use a CCTV to look at a family picture, something the mother hadn’t been able to see in years.

“That was obviously a very emotional thing,” she said.
There’s more to the library’s offerings, and much of it is available by mail so patrons who can’t drive and don’t have easy access to transportation can still take part, Howard said.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled provides audio books, players, books in braille and more through libraries like TADL’s across the country, said Director Jason Broughton.
The NLS in 2004 began recognizing exceptional regional and sub-regional libraries, with a panel of librarians and members of associations, like the National Association of the Blind, judging the nominees.
“We do this every year,” Broughton said. “What is unique for us is that it can be very competitive, because lots of different libraries across the country are doing amazing things in their own communities.”
Thursday’s celebrations were to include a tour of the Library of Congress, and meeting Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, Broughton said.
TADL also will get a plaque and $1,000 in cash, Howard said.
Several factors made TADL’s talking book library stand out to the judges, Broughton said. Not only does the library reach patrons across eight counties, but Chouinard’s outreach at 11 senior centers or living facilities shows efforts to serve different parts of the population.
Broughton said TADL’s talking book library also offers a diverse set of programming, from a monthly book club to chair yoga, totaling 120 programs a year. It also organizes a staple for sighted library patrons, but something relatively new in the talking book library world: A summer reading program.
User surveys and statistics showed how popular these programs are, Broughton said.

The Larry Gorton Talking Book Library and others like it collaborate with the NLS in the name of what he called a “very, very unique but simple vision – “that all may read. Executing this means thinking about what people with low or no vision might want, from assistive technology to materials in braille.

Working alongside blind and print-disabled colleagues within the NLS has shown Broughton how they’re able to be a part of society, have agency over their lives and contribute with a little accommodation.
Chouinard, the Larry Gorton Talking Book Library manager, said she’s honored, especially since she started just three years ago. She took the role after 25 years at TADL when she was looking for a change and the position became available.

“I feel really privileged that I’m able to help these people and to be able to give them the resources they need,” she said.
Howard praised Chouinard as one of TADL’s hardest-working staff members.
“Her passion for reading and her joy of reading is what has led her to be so creative and innovative in all the programs she offers to people,” she said.