Libraries mark disability access, O'Hara anniversaries

Foster Communications Librarian Debora Cheney, left, explains an exhibit commemorating the Americans With Disabilities Act.

November has been a busy month at University Libraries, which is observing the 30th Anniversary of Library Services for Persons with Disabilities at Penn State. The libraries also celebrated the centennial of Pennsylvania writer John O'Hara with the lecture "The Posthumous Lives of John O'Hara" on Monday, Nov. 7, in Pattee Library. Philip B. Eppard, faculty from the University of Albany, State University of New York, and editor of "Critical Essays on John O'Hara," examined the different approaches biographers have taken and considered how their studies have enhanced our understanding of O'Hara's literary achievements and influenced his reputation. A related exhibition, "John O'Hara: A Centennial Exhibit" opened Nov. 7 in the Special Collections Exhibition Hall, 104 Paterno Library, featuring selections from the John O'Hara Papers.

Since 1975, long before the national trend, Penn State University Libraries have provided services to meet special needs of individuals with disabilities. Charles H. Ness, now librarian emeritus, first initiated the services. Ness came to Penn State in 1967, as assistant director of the University Libraries, after serving as director of the general library bureau of the State Library of Pennsylvania. Previously he had been director of the U.S. Regional Library for the Blind based in Philadelphia.Today Library Services for Persons with Disabilities continues under the direction of the Libraries' Access Services Department and the leadership of Susan Hayya. The office in 23 Pattee Library, west, offers a variety of equipment for accessing materials, such as the Kurtzweil Reader. Acquired in 1982, the initial optical reader took skill and perseverance to operate, and the robotic audio was difficult to understand. Today it is a software package, loaded onto seven public computers. The most recent Version 9 converts files into MP3 files, a popular audio format that can be readily transferred to personal computers and listening devices.

For photos from library events, check Penn State Live at http://live.psu.edu/still_life/2005_11_09_libraries/index.html