All benefits/Alexandria Library-Talking Book Service — Free Accessible Library Service

ENTITLEMENT / STATE-VA-ACCESSIBLE-LIBRARY-VA1B

Alexandria Library-Talking Book Service

Alexandria Library-Talking Book Service — Free Accessible Library Service

Alexandria Library-Talking Book Service is a National Library Service Subregional Library serving City of Alexandria. It enrolls eligible readers and provides accessible-format library service remotely or locally.

Person with a qualifying print disability who lives in the library service area: City of Alexandria

Entitlement facts

Benefit type: Library access. Eligibility for a public or specialized library card, collection, lending network, or accessible library service. Taxonomy definition →
What it unlocks: Free braille, audio, and other accessible books and magazines; BARD digital downloads; reader-advisory help; and, where offered, long-term loan of accessible playback equipment or additional local collections.
Who qualifies: Person with a qualifying print disability who lives in the library service area: City of Alexandria
Requirements: Available to U.S. residents who cannot read or use regular print because of blindness, low vision, or a physical, perceptual, or reading disability. Enrollment requires an application and certification by an authorized professional; this library’s stated service area is: City of Alexandria.
How to activate: Open the library’s service page or its Library of Congress directory entry, request the NLS application, obtain the required certification, and submit it to the network library serving the applicant’s address. After approval, ask about mailed materials, BARD access, equipment, and locally produced collections.
Cost basis: No-cost access. The core benefit has no required payment, purchase, deposit, paid membership, or pre-existing paid-product relationship under the captured terms.
Cost and fees: NLS service, eligible reading materials, BARD access, and program playback equipment are free to registered patrons. Mailed program materials circulate postage-free. Borrowed equipment and materials remain program property and must be returned when required; optional commercial devices or unrelated library services may cost extra.
Geography: US, Virginia, VA
Personalization: Published eligibility is not described as individually targeted.

EVIDENCE / 1 SOURCE

Eligibility is conditional, not guaranteed.

Check the provider's final terms immediately before applying, depositing funds, spending, or changing a paid relationship.

01Library of Congress NLS network-library directory entry for Virginiaprovider↗

MACHINE RECORD

{
  "id": "state-va-accessible-library-va1b",
  "name": "Alexandria Library-Talking Book Service — Free Accessible Library Service",
  "provider": "Alexandria Library-Talking Book Service",
  "entitlement_type": "library-access",
  "entitlement_type_label": "Library access",
  "entitlement_type_context": {
    "definition": "Eligibility for a public or specialized library card, collection, lending network, or accessible library service.",
    "domain": "libraries",
    "archetype": "access-program",
    "agent_instruction": "Check residence, work, school, property, age, disability, card type, good-standing, lending, reservation, and service-area rules."
  },
  "summary": "Alexandria Library-Talking Book Service is a National Library Service Subregional Library serving City of Alexandria. It enrolls eligible readers and provides accessible-format library service remotely or locally.",
  "benefit": {
    "description": "Free braille, audio, and other accessible books and magazines; BARD digital downloads; reader-advisory help; and, where offered, long-term loan of accessible playback equipment or additional local collections.",
    "estimated_value_usd": null
  },
  "discovery": {
    "focus": "public-service",
    "has_estimated_dollar_value": false
  },
  "access": {
    "relationships": [
      "Person with a qualifying print disability who lives in the library service area: City of Alexandria"
    ],
    "requirements": "Available to U.S. residents who cannot read or use regular print because of blindness, low vision, or a physical, perceptual, or reading disability. Enrollment requires an application and certification by an authorized professional; this library’s stated service area is: City of Alexandria.",
    "activation": "Open the library’s service page or its Library of Congress directory entry, request the NLS application, obtain the required certification, and submit it to the network library serving the applicant’s address. After approval, ask about mailed materials, BARD access, equipment, and locally produced collections.",
    "cost_basis": "no-cost",
    "cost_basis_label": "No-cost access",
    "cost_basis_context": {
      "classification": "free",
      "definition": "The core benefit has no required payment, purchase, deposit, paid membership, or pre-existing paid-product relationship under the captured terms.",
      "agent_instruction": "Still disclose optional add-ons, transportation, parking, replacement charges, taxes, capacity, and eligibility conditions found in fees or requirements.",
      "variation_patterns": null,
      "does_not_mean": null
    },
    "fees": "NLS service, eligible reading materials, BARD access, and program playback equipment are free to registered patrons. Mailed program materials circulate postage-free. Borrowed equipment and materials remain program property and must be returned when required; optional commercial devices or unrelated library services may cost extra.",
    "personalized": false,
    "regions": [
      "US",
      "Virginia",
      "VA"
    ],
    "expires": null
  },
  "status": "verified",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-04",
  "claim_url": "https://alexlibraryva.org/talking-book",
  "source_url": "https://www.loc.gov/nls/find-your-library/",
  "source": {
    "primary_url": "https://www.loc.gov/nls/find-your-library/",
    "evidence": [
      {
        "source": "Library of Congress NLS network-library directory entry for Virginia",
        "url": "https://www.loc.gov/nls/find-your-library/",
        "kind": "provider",
        "checked_at": "2026-08-04"
      }
    ]
  },
  "parent": null,
  "coverage": {
    "level": "state",
    "family": "accessible-library-service",
    "jurisdiction": "Virginia",
    "maturity": "direct"
  },
  "web_url": "/benefits/state-va-accessible-library-va1b",
  "taxonomy": {
    "version": "1.0",
    "url": "/api/v1/taxonomy"
  }
}

View JSON ↗

Alexandria Library-Talking Book Service — Free Accessible Library Service

Entitlement facts

Eligibility is conditional, not guaranteed.

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