The Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians, or LAMP — which recently completed substantial interior and exterior renovations — serves a vital role in providing literacy, learning and entertainment resources for many individuals in Pittsburgh living with visual impairments and other disabilities that prevent them from being able to access standard print.
LAMP administers services through Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) and the Free Library of Philadelphia throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. CLP was one of the 19 original libraries chosen by the Library of Congress Division for the Blind to disseminate books in braille in 1933. Some of LAMP’s most widely used services include digital players, curated audiobook cartridges, described movies and braille and tactile early literacy kits.
LAMP isn’t just a location for people to check out books — it’s also a state-of-the-art recording studio that produces audiobooks with subject matter relating to the history, culture and stories of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania communities. Since its start in the early 1970s, LAMP has added more than 700 audiobooks to the Library of Congress’ National Library Service Catalog. These audiobooks are all downloaded onto flash drive cartridges and sent and returned to patrons through the U.S. Postal Service for free.
Like other CLP branches, LAMP relies on the support of dedicated volunteers, many of whom personally benefit from LAMP’s services. Its volunteers come from organizations all over the city, a few of which include Pittsburgh Public Schools, UPMC Mercy Behavioral and United Cerebral Palsy (UCP). LAMP volunteers are responsible for a variety of important projects, such as narrating, monitoring and editing newly recorded books, and repurposing digital cartridges and containers to bring new life to the resources patrons utilize on a daily basis.
With the help of its volunteers, in 2021, LAMP circulated 1.3 million titles to readers with print disabilities throughout Pennsylvania — a testament to the importance of accessible media and learning tools for all individuals and communities.
To learn more and to see if you or a family member qualifies for LAMP
services visit LAMP.org!