Apply for Library Service

Library Application Form

To begin accessing library services, fill out the online accessible application linked above or print out and mail our PDF Applicaiton. To request an application form by phone, contact the Library at 515-281-1323 or in Iowa 8P00-362-2587, option 2. You can also email library@blind.state.ia.us.

The PDF Application form will need to be printed using the Acrobat's print option and filled out using pen. Once completed, the form must be signed by a certifying authority* and mailed to the Library using the following address:

Iowa Department for the Blind, Library
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
524 Fourth Street
Des Moines, IA 50309.

The Iowa Library for the Blind and Print Disabled provides services to individuals with:

Blindness
A visual disability that prevents the reading of standard printed material.
A physical disability, such as multiple sclerosis, paraplegia, or paper allergies, that interferes with the ability to hold a book and turn pages.
A reading disability resulting from organic dysfunction.

Hospitals, nursing or convalescent homes, schools or other institutions serving visually or physically disabled persons may also register with the library.

Certification

Applications for LBPD service must be certified by a competent authority.

In the case of visual or physical disability, a competent authority is defined to include:

physician
osteopath
ophthalmologist
optometrist
registered nurse
therapist
professional staff of hospitals, institutions, and public or welfare agencies (e.g., social worker, case worker, counselor, rehabilitation teacher, or superintendent).
professional librarian

Applications for reading disabled persons must be certified by a physician or an osteopath. More information about the certification for individuals with reading disabilities may be found in Talking Books and Reading Disabilities, a factsheet produced by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.