A major audit review of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) has concluded that the Library of Congress national talking-book "program and functions are being managed effectively."
"The reports we reviewed and discussions we had indicated that the patrons were satisfied with the services provided by NLS and the regional libraries, and officials of other public and private agencies we talked to said that NLS was performing a valuable service," the audit stated.
NLS provides books and magazines in braille and on recordings to a total of almost 550,000 individual readers, with a circulation of about 21 million items annually. The free national reading program, created in 1931, is available to citizens who cannot see well enough to read conventional print or who have a physical disability that prevents handling printed materials.
The audit, monitored by the Library of Congress's Office of the Inspector General, was conducted by Clifton, Gunderson & Co., a national certified public accounting and consultant firm headquartered in Peoria, Ill. The final audit report was released on July 22.
In calling for the first major program audit in the 63-year history of the agency, NLS Director Frank Kurt Cylke said, "I believe it important to take an independent, close look at the NLS program and to document a benchmark for the program's activities. We owe it to the patrons, the Library of Congress, the Congress and to the nation's taxpayers. At a time when all government programs may seem suspect to the public, it is reassuring that a completely independent outside auditing source has found a major program of the Library of Congress to be on a sound footing and to be professionally administered," Mr. Cylke said.
The audit, conducted from September 1993 through April 1994, included a programwide examination of NLS and Library of Congress legislation, manuals, records and reports. Transaction tests were performed by the auditors, including assessment of the NLS system of management controls. Services of consultants with expertise in braille development, braille production, machine and cassette technology, and commercial production of books on tapes were used by the auditors. In addition, the auditors interviewed various LC and Department of Education officials; contacted or visited 12 regional libraries and related machine-lending agencies providing service to blind and physically handicapped persons, the two Library of Congress multistate storage centers in Ohio and Utah, and several producers of NLS products; and interviewed officials of interested organizations. The audit was conducted in accordance with &2Government Auditing Standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States.
Mr. Cylke said, "It is indeed a pleasure to have the NLS staff both recognized and commended for their professionalism. In praising the staff, the auditors said, 'The NLS staff is committed to providing quality service to its patrons, and it is working diligently to do so.' The fact that the auditors found no instances of noncompliance with applicable laws or regulations further reinforces the high level of performance by NLS managers and staff. I was personally pleased to see that the auditors and NLS staff concurred on 70 percent of the recommendations made and that many of the suggested improvements were already in progress during the audit period."
On the additional recommendations, M. Cylke noted that "we will once again compare industry practices to recommendations where appropriate. Those recommendations that can be adopted with positive benefit to blind and physically handicapped users and with no loss of quality or increase in cost will be implemented."
The executive summary of the audit report states, "NLS is performing its mission effectively. The cost of its services per patron is about $225 annually, considering the $44 million NLS budget, the $40 million postal subsidy for free mailing and the approximately $40 million expenses of the regional libraries, which is paid by the states."
Highlights from several of 12 areas reviewed include:
Mission: "Our review showed that NLS has complied with applicable laws and regulations and has established and achieved program goals which are designed to accomplish its mission, as authorized by legislation."
Management Plans: "NLS has a program to establish annual management plans in each section of the organization. The plans are detailed, establish objectives and performance goals in compliance with the NLS mission and other legislative requirements, and contain schedules of deadlines and procedures for reporting progress. Our review showed that the sections monitor their achievements of their goals. We did not find any program factors inhibiting performance."
Management Reporting: "NLS has an effective system for reporting on the operations of its program."
Quality and Timeliness of Service: "The quality of NLS's products appears to be excellent, and patrons and regional library staffs indicated satisfaction with the products."
Materials Selection and Use: "NLS has good procedures for the selection of materials to be produced and effective management controls over the process. Staff at the network libraries we visited generally complimented the NLS book selection staff for its efforts."
Copies of the full audit report are available upon request by writing to the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 1291 Taylor Street N.W., Washington, DC 20542, or by calling (202) 707-9279.