The Alabama Public Library Service provides services to the blind and physically disabled through the Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled. APLS is a network member of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), a division of the Library of Congress. The Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled is a free braille and talking book library service for people with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or physical, perceptual, or reading disability that prevents them from using regular print materials. The Regional Library circulates books and magazines in braille or audio formats that are instantly downloadable to a personal device or delivered by mail free of charge.

The Regional Library has served the state’s visually impaired and physically disabled residents for many decades. Initially, Alabama patrons were served out of a school in Georgia. E.H. Gentry was instrumental in moving the Regional Library for the Blind from Atlanta to Talladega in 1964 when the service was included with others on the campus of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB). In 1978, the Regional Library moved to Montgomery at the request of Gov. George Wallace, and APLS made an addition to the rear of its facility to house the Regional Library. The Regional Library occupies the ground floor of APLS with parking available on the east side of the building.

The Alabama Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled serves more than 7,300 active patrons and the subregional library in Talladega serves more than 700 patrons. Together, the two libraries provide more than 8,000 eligible Alabama residents an opportunity to read.

National Library Service Catalog