[glcb] Queen of Country Music partners with APH!

[Michael McCarty]

APH/Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Partnership Launched!

As Dolly herself might phrase it, "The Little Engine That Could"...did! This past June, the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) and the Dollywood Foundation announced an exciting partnership to expand Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (DPIL) to provide young blind and visually impaired children with accessible books. 

Today, we are pleased to announce that the APH/DPIL Partnership has launched! 

The first DPIL audio book files are now available at the site as free downloads to registered National Library Service (NLS) members. Audio books will be added each month until most of the 75 titles in the DPIL collection are available to children and their families. 

Beginning in 2012, the Partnership will make available an annual selection of print/braille Imagination Library books free to eligible families and for purchase at low cost to all others (regular funds or Federal Quota funds can be used).
 
In addition to the audio book files, website visitors will find links to: 
* National Library Service to help them register and receive an NLS digital playback device necessary for listening to the APH/DPIL encrypted audio book files 
* Louis Database of Accessible Materials 
* APH shopping site to see related APH products 
* Other national and international sources for tactile, print/braille, and braille books for children 
* Downloadable PDFs with information about emergent literacy and sharing books with a young child with a visual impairment 

We're very excited that APH's partnership with DPIL not only expands the number of accessible books for young children, but also connects families to a wide range of resources that will enable them to locate and bring more accessible books into their home.