About the location selections
The record lists and displays of the catalog include the location of the book. NLS materials in particular are broken down into a number of categories:
- NLS and Regional Libraries means that the material has been distributed by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicaped and is available at all NLS Network libraries.
- NLS Multistate Centers (East and/or West) are central book storage locations. Titles located at the Multistate Centers can be requested by NLS Network regional libraries.
- NLS Music Collection materials are loaned directly from NLS. U.S. readers must register with the NLS Music Section to borrow from this collection.
- NLS Magazines are available to U.S. readers by subscription.
Books and other materials produced by NLS can be loaned to U.S. Citizens living abroad; they cannot be loaned abroad directly to persons who are not U.S. citizens. Non-U.S. citizens living abroad may be able to borrow NLS materials by means of international interlibrary loan. Read more about International Interlibrary Loan.
Besides NLS, there are other locations that appear in the catalog:
- [Name of state or city] Regional Library. These materials are locally produced or acquired by NLS Network Libraries. They are available through your service library via interlibrary loan.
- The message "Held in Canada" means that the book is held by one or more libraries in Canada. The Full Record display contains the agency code for the libraries that hold the title. They are available via interlibrary loan. More information on agency holding codes.
- Other agencies include:
- Guild for the Blind (Chicago)
- Jewish Braille Institute
- National Braille Press
- Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic
- Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind
- VISION Community Services
- Xavier Society
International interlibrary loan users should contact these agencies directly.
A complete list of agencies and holding codes in the NLS catalog is available. Besides the locations that appear in all record lists and displays, the Full Record contains the agency holding code which can be used for more precise keyword searching and which is needed to identify Canadian agencies.
