Patrons often ask if we have music materials as part of our collection. The Music Section of the National Library Service for Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) was established in 1962 and has expanded to be the largest music collection of its kind in the world. These music materials are circulated to patrons directly from the NLS headquarters in Washington, DC. Meaning they do not come from our library here in Iowa. Any patron of the Iowa Library for the Blind and Print Disabled is eligible to receive music services. The collection consists of more than 25,000 audio, braille, large print music scores, texts, and other instructional materials. Musical recordings intended solely for listening pleasure are not included in the music collection, as they are readily available commercially and from public libraries. Please contact the NLS Music Section directly at 1-800-424-8567 ext 2 or by email at nlsm@loc.gov for more information or to request music materials.
More Resources:
- Visit the Music Materials on the NLS website for updates and to access music publications available on the Internet
- Check out NLS Music Notes Blog. The NLS Music Section has a blog on the Library of Congress website called NLS Music Notes. The blog posts highlight the music collection, present newly added titles, profiles of musicians who are blind or visually impaired, and feature braille music transcribers and their work, along with a variety of related music topics and activities.