Biblioteka Centralna Polskiego Związku Niewidomych

Polish Association of the Blind strives to satisfy various rehabilitation needs of its approximately 80.000 members. One of them is reading. Visually handicapped people base their development (especially intellectual) on reading various texts. They cannot and do not want to be behind their sighted peers in gaining knowledge about the world and learning about newest literature and specialist literature.

The blind read in two ways: by touch—reading Braille and hearing—listening to books recorded on audiotapes, CDs, in MP3 and digital format or computerised books read by computer speech synthesiser. Situated in Warsaw and found over 50 years ago, Polish Association of the Blind Central Library comprehensively meets the reading needs of the blind. From the beginning, the task of the Library has been to develop education and readership among the visually handicapped, disseminate typhlological knowledge, and promote cultural output of the visually handicapped.

There are 41 people employed in the Library now. The Central Library consists of the following departments: Braille Books Department, Talking Books Department, Digital Department and Typhlological Information Department.

The Braille Books Department is the oldest one. The book collection of this Department contains basic book collection, foreign language book collection, musical collection, and school textbooks collection. In a reading room, situated in the Department, there is an enlarger and a computer with a scanner and the catalogue and the Internet access available for readers’ use. The enlarger allows partially sighted readers to use Library's collection independently.

Those, who cannot read regular print, can almost without problems use talking books. Due to this fact, readers of Talking Books Department are not only blind and visually impaired people, but also other disabled people who can not read because of their medical condition, as well as elderly people who can not read due to the age. Talking books are often pieces of art., as well known and outstanding actors, and top class radio and television announcers read them. It is worth mentioning that both Braille and talking books are very expensive because of small edition of these special publications. Since 2006, the Talking Books Department has started collecting books on CDs, in MP3 format and in Daisy standard. In 2007, the Library started an online service for readers of Talking Books and Digital Departments. The books are available in Daisy standard and in a Polish format Czytak.

Researchers and students of pedagogic mainly use the Typhlological Information Department and Psychology departments of universities from all over Poland and all people who are interested in issues concerning blind and visually impaired. We provide our readers with various film works with additional sound truck containing commentary for the blind, so-called typhlo-films.

The Typhlological Museum, which is a part of this department, is one of the few of that kind in the world. It collects everyday items from different fields of life—in their historical development—used by the blind and visually impaired. The Museum also presents artistic form of the visually handicapped: musical—by organising numerous concerts, plastic arts—organising sculpture, paint, and weaving exhibitions, and literature—organising poetry and literature evenings. Every Tuesday there are meetings organized in the Museum where the blind and visually impaired present their artistic output. The Museum also organizes for pupils and students library Lessons combined with a tour around the Library.

The Digital Department collects books in text format. A given book, saved in a text editor, is available for a blind person to read with help of the screEn reading program or a braille display. The digital books are also in sound files played on appropriate equipment. Since 2005, the Department lends books in the Czytak format stored on compact flash cards.

Annually, Library deals with over 15.000 readers in Poland and abroad. There is a regular increase in number of readers, including children and youth. The Library lends its books in the four following ways:

- To readers who come to the library,

- sends books by post,

- Internet downloads of digital books,

- Delivers by car to elderly and ill readers, who live in Warsaw and near the town, braille and talking books. The Library lends books also to Polish readers who live in different European countries, in USA, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Japan.

The Library employs blind people—including blind people with other disabilities, partially sighted, people with other disabilities, and sighted workers. A highly qualified staff Guarantees a professional and kind service of the readers. It should be emphasised that the activity of Polish Association for the Blind Central Library, which is very important for thousands of visually handicapped readers, is highly thought about.

Contact:

Phone (operator): (+48 22) 831 22 71

Secretariat—tel. / fax (+48 22) 635 33 20 Monday—Friday

Talking Books Department—extension 242, after 16.00 direct phone: (+48 22) 831 22 73

Monday 8.30—14.00

Tuesday and Friday 13.00—18.00

Thursday 8.30—18.00

Wednesday closed

Braille Books Department—extension 281, after 16.00 direct phone: (+48 22) 831 22 72

Monday, Thursday, Friday 8.30—15.00

Tuesday 10.00—17.00

Wednesday closed

Typhlological Information Department—extension 277

Monday -Friday 9.00—15.30

Typhlological Museum—extension 258

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9.00—14.30

Tuesday 11.00—18.00

Digital Department -extension 280

Monday 8.30—14.00

Tuesday and Friday 13.00—18.00

Thursday 8.30—18.00

Wednesday closed

Website and e-mail:

www.bcpzn.pl

Contact e-mail:

international@bcpzn.pl