Perkins Library

In addition to over 250,000 unique titles, 25,000 braille titles, 500 audio and braille magazines, and 12,000 large print books, Perkins Library offers audio-described Blu-Ray and DVD movies, downloadable books and magazines, a braille awareness kit, museum passes, and instructional music materials.

We have a reference librarian available to answer your research questions. Materials are also available in over 60 languages.

Through Newsline™, you can listen to newspapers, magazines, TV listings and job announcements over the telephone, online, downloaded to an approved portable device or via email.

Contact us to access these materials and services.

Library services are available free to Massachusetts residents who meet one or more of the following eligibility guidelines:

• Are legally blind with vision of 20/200 or less, or have a visual field no greater than 20 degrees
• Have corrected vision, but cannot see well enough to read with comfort for extended periods of time
• Have a physical condition that makes holding a book difficult
• Have been certified by a “competent authority” as having a reading disability that has a physical basis that prevents one from reading standard print

What is a “competent authority?”

Regarding Perkins Library services, a “competent authority” is defined to include:

• Doctor of medicine
• Doctor of osteopathy
• Ophthalmologist
• Optometrist
• Registered nurse
• Therapist
• Professional staff member of a hospital, institution, or public or private welfare agency, such as an educator, social worker, case worker, counselor, rehabilitation teacher, certified reading specialist, school psychologist, superintendent, or librarian.

Institutions including schools, libraries, nursing homes, hospitals, and organizations that provide services to people with visual or physical disabilities are also eligible to receive Perkins Library services.

To apply for free Perkins Library services, please review the following service eligibility guidelines and download the appropriate forms. All applications must be signed and certified by a professional such as a doctor, ophthalmologist, registered nurse, librarian, or social worker. These service forms can also be requested by contacting Perkins Library at 617-972-7240, 1-800-852-3133, or [email protected]

Library service is free of charge to registered patrons.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and Perkins School for the Blind provide funding. Books and equipment are provided to us through our partnership with the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled of the Library of Congress.

Funds are also appropriated by Congress for “Free Matter for the Blind” mailing classification.