[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 88 (Thursday, May 20, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E560-E561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING KAREN KENINGER, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE FOR 
     THE BLIND AND PRINT DISABLED, IN CELEBRATION OF HER RETIREMENT

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                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 20, 2021

  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
acknowledge a noteworthy occasion at the Library of Congress's National 
Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS)--the retirement 
of Director Karen Keninger. Having dedicated nearly a decade of service 
under two Librarians of Congress, Karen's devotion to the NLS 
collection shows in the excellence she has brought to the program 
through both expansion of the collection and innovation of service.
  The NLS is an institution committed to serving readers with 
disabilities with the mission of ensuring ``that all may read''. 
Offering free braille and talking book library services for people with 
temporary or permanent reading disabilities, the NLS has played an 
instrumental part in ensuring that the Library of Congress' collection 
can be enjoyed by all Americans.
  As director of the NLS, over her nearly decade of leadership, Karen 
has doubled the collection of talking books and magazines while 
reducing production time for reading materials. She has opened up new 
worlds for all NLS patrons by ushering in the creation of mobile apps 
for downloading books and magazines in audio and braille, as well as 
advocating that the United States be a party to the Marrakesh Treaty, 
which provides for the exchange of accessible-format books across 
international borders. Her mission to ensure ``that all may read'' was 
all the more realized through her instrumental involvement in the 
launch of braille eReader device pilot programs to both increase the 
speed of getting materials to patrons and reduce storage and delivery 
requirements for materials for librarians.
  Beyond the collection, Karen has played the lead role in the 
renovation of the NLS satellite office building and the adoption of a 
new, modernized name for NLS reflecting its service to not only blind 
Americans, but to the larger print disabled community. She ushered in a 
new era of NLS service and restructured the organization to better 
align with the mission of the Library to provide access for all the 
American people.
  This year, the NLS celebrated its 90th Anniversary. It is due to 
dedicated servants of the American people, like Karen, that we owe our 
thanks for a successful and influential program that touches American 
lives every day.

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