Washington Talking Book & Braille Library

The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) is a specialized public library in Seattle, Washington, USA, serving individuals in the State of Washington who are unable to read standard print material. It is administered by the Washington State Library. The library's collection includes large print books, Braille books, audio cassette books, and digital cartridge books. It also provides a recording service for audiobooks, a Braille service, a radio reading service, disability-focused reference service, and a variety of youth services.

First founded in 1906 as the Braille service of the Seattle Public Library (SPL), the library has been a Washington State institution since 1975; from 1975 to 2008, SPL operated the library under a contract with the state.

What is now WTBBL began in 1906 when the Seattle Public Library (SPL) introduced the first Braille service in Washington State. Early Braille transcriber groups included the Junior League, Seattle Council of Jewish Women, and the Seattle chapter of the American Red Cross. In 1919, SPL assigned Fanny Howley part-time to specific duty as a librarian to serve the blind. In 1931, under the Pratt Smoot Act, the collection became part of a national Braille and talking books network under the Library of Congress. From 1934, it served as a regional library serving Washington, Montana and Alaska. In 1968 the Montana State Library established its own talking book service, and a few years later took over Braille service for Montana residents as well. The Alaska State Library in Juneau was established as a sub-regional library in 1973 and a full regional library in July 1976, since which time WTBBL has served only Washington State.

The Library for the Blind moved in 1945 from the old downtown Carnegie Library to the Fremont branch. By 1954 it had become SPL's Division for the Blind, and moved to the basement of the Susan Henry Memorial Library on Seattle's Capitol Hill, custom-designed for the purpose.

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