Maryland State Library for the Blind & Print Disabled

What Maryland State Library for the Blind & Print Disabled does

The Maryland State Library for the Blind & Print Disabled (LBPD) is a specialized library service program administered by the Maryland State Library Agency (MSLA), a state government entity established by the Maryland General Assembly in 2017 as an independent agency. LBPD provides free, accessible library materials and services — including braille books, audio books, and other accessible-format resources — to Maryland residents who are blind, have low vision, or have a physical print disability that prevents them from reading standard print. MSLA also oversees the Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library, the Governor's Young Readers Program, the County Library Capital Grant Program, and the Maryland State Library Resource Center located at the Central Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore City. The entity's origins trace to 1902 legislation establishing libraries in Maryland, with LBPD becoming a distinct branch in 1971 under the Division of Library Development and Services before being carried into MSLA in 2017.

The technical surface is conventional library infrastructure: collections in accessible formats, distribution through Maryland's public library network, and a presence across standard web and social media channels for outreach. There is no proprietary software platform, commercial SaaS offering, or disclosed AI/ML capability; the underlying product is the curated accessible-format collection itself, delivered through human-mediated library services. LBPD is one program inside MSLA alongside the deaf-culture, young readers, and capital-grant programs, with no headcount, budget, or utilization data disclosed.

LBPD generates no commercial revenue. Services are provided free of charge to eligible Maryland residents, funded through state and federal appropriations administered by MSLA. There is no pricing model, no paying customer base, and no go-to-market motion; the closest analog to a customer relationship is the eligible-resident population that registers for and consumes accessible-format library services through the 192-branch Maryland public library network. The business model is therefore a publicly funded statutory service mandate rather than a commercial enterprise, and standard commercial metrics such as ARR, revenue, or paying-customer concentration do not apply.

Name

Maryland State Library for the Blind & Print Disabled

Legal name

Maryland State Library Agency

Website

https://marylandlibraries.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Maryland State Library for the Blind & Print Disabled (LBPD) is a state-government program under the Maryland State Library Agency that provides free accessible library materials — including braille and audio books — to eligible blind and print-disabled Maryland residents through the state's public library network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

akta.pro primary industry

Accessible & Alternative Format Materials (Braille, Large Print, Audio, Tactile Graphics) (EDAGAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC), Accessible Media Production (Alt Formats, Captioning, Audio Description) (EDALAGAC)

Keywords

• Accessible library services
• Braille reading materials
• Audio book lending
• Print disability support
• Specialized public libraries

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD) provides free accessible library services to Maryland residents who are blind, have low vision, or have a physical print disability, including braille books, audio books, and other accessible-format reading materials. It operates as a unit of the Maryland State Library Agency (MSLA), which administers state and federal library funding and coordinates services across 24 public library systems and 192 branches statewide.

Product overview

The Maryland State Library Agency (MSLA) administers a portfolio of library services including the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD), which provides specialized accessible reading materials; the Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library; the Governor's Young Readers Program; the County Library Capital Grant Program; and the Maryland State Library Resource Center at Enoch Pratt Free Library. These services serve over 3.3 million Maryland residents across 192 library branches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LBPD: Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled - library services for visually impaired and print disabled individuals
• MSLA
• SLRC

Products and services

• Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD) A specialized library service providing accessible reading materials, braille books, audio books, and other resources for Maryland residents who are blind or have print disabilities.
• Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library A digital library service providing resources and content for the Maryland Deaf community.
• Maryland State Library Resource Center (SLRC) Centralized state library resource center located at the Central Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore City, providing state-level library resources.
• Governor's Young Readers Program A statewide reading program for young Marylanders administered by the Maryland State Library Agency.
• County Library Capital Grant Program A capital funding program supporting library infrastructure improvements across Maryland counties.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Texas Talking Book Program (Texas State Library and Archives Commission): Texas state-level talking book program serving blind and print-disabled residents. Functionally analogous to LBPD but operates in a different state.
• Enoch Pratt Free Library: Baltimore City public library and host of the Maryland State Library Resource Center. Directly collaborates with LBPD/MSLA through the SLRC partnership in Baltimore.
• Braille and Talking Book Library (California State Library): California's state specialized library for blind and print-disabled residents. Structurally and operationally comparable to LBPD, scaled to California's larger population.
• New York State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (NYPL): State library service for blind and print-disabled residents in New York. Direct functional equivalent to LBPD, serving a different geographic market.

Direct peers

• Bookshare (Benetech): Digital accessible library serving individuals with print disabilities through ebooks and assistive technology. Directly competes with LBPD's lending role in the digital format segment.
• American Printing House for the Blind (APH): Produces braille, large print, and tactile educational materials for blind individuals across the U.S. Highly comparable to LBPD's accessible-format mission, though APH focuses on production rather than lending.
• National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Library of Congress: The federal Library of Congress program that provides braille and audio books to print-disabled U.S. residents. Directly comparable to LBPD as a publicly-funded accessible library service targeting the same population.
• Learning Ally: Audiobook library for students with learning disabilities, blind, or visually impaired. Comparable mission to LBPD, particularly for K-12 and post-secondary accessible reading.

Emerging players

• Perkins Library (Perkins School for the Blind): School-affiliated library serving blind and print-disabled communities, including broader audiences. Comparable mission to LBPD but tied to an educational institution rather than a state agency.

Broad incumbents

• National Federation of the Blind (NFB): National advocacy organization for the blind providing resources, publications, and community programs. Tangentially comparable to LBPD's mission of serving blind individuals but as an advocacy rather than library service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Maryland State Library for the Blind & Print Disabled