LAMP’s Veterans History Project

Over the last century, the two libraries that form the Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians (LAMP) have prioritized veterans who access our specialized services for residents with print disabilities. Today, through the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project, LAMP continues that focus by offering those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces a chance to speak to future generations about their wartime and peacetime experiences, overseas and at home.

LAMP’s history is rooted in honoring veterans. When Congress created what is now the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) in 1931, it was largely out of concern for the veterans blinded by gas attacks, bullet or shrapnel wounds, or trauma in World War I.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) and Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP), both of which had been providing services to blind readers since the early 20th century, were included in the original network of 19 libraries for the blind headed by the Library of Congress. The two libraries began circulating “talking book” phonograph records in 1934 and eventually the record players as well.

Many things have changed over the years as the free service expanded to blind children, people with visual impairments or physical disabilities that make it difficult to hold a book or turn the pages, and eventually to persons with reading disabilities, such as dyslexia. Technology shifted the equipment from record players to cassette players, then to today’s digital audiobook player, braille eReader, and BARD (NLS’ Braille and Audio Reading Download).

In 2020, to better reflect the broad patron base of approximately 15,000 persons served across the state, FLP’s and CLP’s libraries for the “blind and physically handicapped” rebranded under one umbrella: MyLAMP.org.

Beyond the braille, large print, audio, downloadable books and magazines, and other services available to patrons, LAMP also offers veterans the unique opportunity to preserve their reflections of service to the country for generations to come.

LAMP participates in the Veterans History Project, which collects, preserves, and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did, and felt during their service.

The LAMP team can facilitate audio and video interviews in its Pittsburgh location, with the option of virtual interviews for Pennsylvanians living outside the area. The team also helps veterans submit original manuscript material, such as memoirs, letters, diaries, artwork, and original photographs.

The first-person accounts will exist in perpetuity as primary historical sources that enliven and enrich our understanding of the military service experience.

To learn more about the Veterans History Project or to schedule an interview, email Jeff Wright (in Pittsburgh) at [email protected]. To explore the specialized services LAMP offers to Pennsylvanians with print disabilities, visit MyLAMP.org.