Pioneers

The Talking Books community has seen many changes since the days of the first LP, or long-playing record, a ground-breaking technology with which the Library of Congress and others first opened the wonders of the printed word to those who cannot see. 

Pioneers relationship with the Library of Congress doesn’t go all the way back to the 1930s, but we’ve grown up together nonetheless. 

You might recall a couple of things happened in the 1950s.  One was the coming of the cassette-based Talking Book machine, followed soon after by the Library’s need for a skilled but volunteer work force to keep those machines in good working order. 

About that same time, Pioneers adopted community service as an organization-wide focus.  And so it was that in 1960, Pioneers became the official Talking Book repair depot for the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. 

Today, over 50 years later, our service continues.
 
Because of it, each year over 900,000 men, women and children in the U.S. enjoy a brighter, richer quality of life.

Qwest Pioneers are no small part of this success, having served the user community for over 50 years.  Today, led by Pete and Peggy Boccuzzi, the 146 Qwest Pioneers are contributing over 16,000 service hours annually.

And they’ve earned local and national recognition in the process.  Most recently, Qwest Pioneer, Raymond Putz, was awarded for his outstanding contributions and assistance with machine repair at the Iowa Department for the Blind’s annual Elizabeth Perowsky volunteer workshop and luncheon in Des Moines, IA.

As NLS prepares to launch the digital Talking Book in 2012, Qwest Pioneers will continue to service and maintain the new machines as the older technology is phased out. 

The pun fully intended, Qwest Pioneers, like the LP records that started it all, have long played a significant role in this great program.  Qwest Pioneers are dedicated to making a real difference for the sighted and sightless members of the Talking Book community for many years to come.

If you would like to help ensure that an ample supply of playback machines are available for Talking Book patrons and be a part of the longest running Pioneers project in the organization’s 100 year history, please contact your local Pioneers unit or the Pioneers Members Resource Center at 800-976-1914 or info@pioneersvolunteer.org.   

NLS serves residents of the United States and eligible U.S. citizens living abroad, who are unable to read or use standard print materials because of visual or physical handicaps. For more information about NLS, visit its website at http://www.loc.gov/nls/.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds nearly 145 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov