Braille reference book available at Nevada State Library

A new reference work on Braille is now available for public use at the Nevada State Library and Archives in Carson City. "Braille: Into the Next Millennium" is a 600-page anthology of articles by more than two dozen international experts in the field.

Braille, named after Louis Braille, is a system of writing for the blind that uses characters made up of raised dots in a six-dot cell arranged in two vertical columns. It has been adapted for writing various languages and for transcribing music, mathematics and scientific symbols.

Braille literacy is currently a vital concern of advocacy groups of blind individuals and service providers, according to Keri Putnam, regional librarian for the Blind and Physically Handicapped program at the Nevada State Library. "We will provide a copy of the book to all the public libraries in Nevada by early next year," she said.

Nevadans with visual impairment who need books and magazines in braille or audio format can contact the Regional Library at (800) 922-9334.