Page 71 - Training for Librarianship Library Work As a Career
P. 71
TRAINING FOR LIBRARIANSHIP
No less conducive to the common good has
been the work of the pubhc hbrary with the
bhnd. There are in the United States no
less than 75,000 bhnd persons. Perhaps no
more unfortunate gi'oup exists. The work
of the public libraries of the United States
with the blind carries with it a human interest
story that can be touched upon here in outline
only. It indicates the spirit of social service
that is more and more animating the modern
pubhc library and that is finding expression
in various directions.
Efforts to fuid a form of raised print, the
characters of which might be recognized by
touch of the fingers, covered several centuries
and proceeded rather slowly. Not until about
the middle of the nineteenth century were
satisfactory types invented. The Moon type
was invented in 1847, the Braille in 1829, the
New York Point in 1868. Various improve-
ments were made, but not until 1918 were all
associations of workers for the blind agreed
upon a standard point print, known as Grade
ly^ Braille. The invention of a satisfactory
print which could be used by the blind for
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