Communications Concepts Inc. recently announced that the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) of the Library of Congress has won two national APEX '95 Awards For Publication Excellence.
NLS's new poster, captioned "My Books Adapt to Me," received an excellence award in the certificates and posters category, and the book Answering the Call: Telephone Pioneer Talking-Book Machine-Repair Program 1960-1993 received an excellence award in the unique publications category.
"We are honored to have received these APEX '95 Awards of Excellence and are pleased that Communications Concepts has recognized the high quality of NLS's products," said NLS Director Frank Kurt Cylke. "I congratulate the Publications and Media Section staff for an outstanding achievement for NLS and for the Library of Congress."
"My Books Adapt to Me" is one of a series of posters aimed at informing Americans about the NLS program for blind and physically handicapped readers. Featured on the poster is Boa-An Tran, a student with a musculoskeletal disability, using a talking book. The poster represents a team effort by Publications and Media Section members writer-editor Ruth Nieland, who developed the theme, identified the model and supervised photography, and writer-editor Jane Caulton and assistant head Margaret Cytron, who designed the poster and managed production.
Answering the Call describes the program through which Telephone Pioneers volunteers have repaired more than 1 million talking- book playback machines between 1980 and 1993. It was written by NLS writer-editors George Thuronyi, who also handled production, and Ruth Nieland and was designed by Wickham and Associates.
The APEX awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content and success in achieving overall communications effectiveness.
Nearly 3,600 entries competed in the 77 subcategories for which 828 awards of excellence were awarded. Other Washington-area excellence awardees in the certificates and posters category included EEI of Alexandria, Va., and the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md. Unique publications awardees included staff members of the University of Maryland University College and the American Red Cross in Falls Church, Va.
Communications Concepts Inc. publishes a monthly newsletter for communications professionals and a report series for managers of publications and sponsors a communications evaluation program and makeover service.