Braille Library & Transcribing Services, Inc.

Est. 1971 - Celebrating 50 years of Service

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Contact Us

Braille Library & Transcribing Services, Inc.
6501 Watts Rd, Ste. 149
Madison, WI 53719
USA

Phone: 608-233-0222
Fax: 608-233-0249

For general questions email:
office@bltsinc.org

For braille transcription requests, email:
braille@bltsinc.org

For library requests email:
library@bltsinc.org

Board of Directors:

Patricia Herrling
     President, Librarian
Constance Risjord
     Vice President
Lori Hanson
     Treasurer
Karen Perzentka
     Secretary
Sandy Adams
Dorothy Brar
Melody Moore
Sue Nelson
Joan Sholdt

Office Staff:

Aaron Konkol
     Office Manager
Sue Danz
     Braille Coordinator
 

finger on braille

Three ways to get the braille you need: 

  1. Request transcription
  2. Borrow books from our free braille library
  3. Buy your own copy from our library

1. Request Transcription

We transcribe almost anything you need or want.

  • Textbooks and school materials (NEMETH available for worksheets & small projects)
  • Job-related materials.
  • Leisure reading books for children and adults.
  • Daily living materials: cookbooks, appliance instruction manuals, computer manuals, inspirational writings, knitting and crocheting patterns, and crossword puzzles.
  • Practical items such as menus, bank statements, agendas, minutes of meetings, and playbills.

2. Braille Library

Our lending library has over 2,000 titles for children and adults and is always being enlarged and updated. There is no charge for borrowing our books; just tell us your name and contact information and we’ll get you started. You can click on the broad category links to the left of this webpage or search our online catalog for titles or subjects you would like to see.

Lending Library Policies

To seach our TinyCat library of braille books click the link below:

https://www.librarycat.org/lib/BLTSbraille

3. Price List

If you have something to be transcribed or are interested in purchasing a copy from our library, see our price list. Please contact BLTS for availability.


Become a Volunteer Braille Transcriptionist

Just because you can't see doesn't mean you can't read. Braille Library & Transcribing Services, Inc. (BLTS) helps make that true for blind and visually impaired adults and children by translating print into the raised dots of braille.

You can help make this happen, too! All of our transcribers take a one year braille transcription course that consists of weekly classes and culminates in certification by the Library of Congress. A new class will be starting in Fall 2024, and we're always looking for new braillists, so if you're interested in learning more about BLTS & the braille transcription course, please call 608-233-0222 or email pjherrli@wisc.edu

Why Volunteer?

Braille is expensive to produce. A $30 print book costs close to $500 in braille. That is why our braillists are volunteers, and why BLTS subsidizes 70% of the actual cost of books that we sell to individuals and students.
Braille Library & Transcribing Services, Inc. is a Madison-based non-profit Wisconsin (USA) corporation dedicated to providing print materials in braille. Our philosophy is that everyone should have the opportunity to read.  BLTS serves visually- or print-impaired persons regardless of age, race, religion, sex, or national origin. 
2023 Annual Report
For Transcribers
990

This page was last updated on August 6th, 2024.
                                  
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