Commercial for Perkins' Library Honored by Mass. Library Association

A television announcement produced for the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library earned the silver ribbon for advertising from the Massachusetts Library Association's Public Relations Committee.

Produced by the Perkins School for the Blind Communications Department for the Library with Last Minute Productions, award-winning 30-second television announcement features an book group that includes sighted and blind participants using a variety of media, large print, braille, regular print and audio books.

To view the ad, click the video on the right.

The spot emphasizes how the Braille & Talking Book Library helps people stay connected to the community by reading. The ad’s seeks to support the library's goals of engaging new library patrons, increasing awareness and raising funds to support the library, according to Kim Charlson, director of the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library.

Charlson accepted the award during the association’s annual conference in Danvers, and said she was delighted about the recognition.

"It is an honor to receive such recognition from MLA for Perkins Library's outreach efforts," Charlson said in an announcement by the school. “Getting the word out to the thousands of people who have difficulty reading regular print is an important part of our work. Many people who are eligible for our services don’t realize that this library exists. We can help them continue to read – just in a different way.”

A panel of independent judges from the public relations, press, and library fields choose winners biennially, based on criteria including graphic design, originality, and presentation. This year, entries were submitted for 17 categories, including brochures, community reading programs, social media and Web sites.

Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library, funded in part by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and private donations to Perkins, provides free services to Massachusetts residents of all ages who are unable to read traditional print materials because of visual or physical disability. For more information contact the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library at 617-972-7240, 1-800-852-3133, Library@Perkins.org, or visit www.perkinslibrary.org.

The Massachusetts Library Association advocates for libraries, librarians, and library staff, defends intellectual freedom, and provides a forum for leadership, communication, professional development, and networking to keep libraries vital. MLA has been working libraries for over 100 years, representing members from all library types in the Commonwealth. For more information see www.masslib.org.