“Authorized entity”

[Chris Clemens]

Hello,

I was curious: must I take the transcribers course from NFB in order to submit a manuscript to the Library of Congress? Or is it okay to do the course on my own and send in my manuscript on my own?

Also, if this is the case, am I under the ‘auspices of an “authorized entity”’?

19.2b(7) Permission to transcribe a book into braille is
not required from the publisher or copyright holder as long as the transcriber is working
under the auspices of an "authorized entity." An authorized entity is any nonprofit
organization or governmental agency having a primary mission to provide specialized
services to persons with visual impairments. When permission is not sought, the
following statement must appear on the braille title page following the copyright
information: Further reproduction or distribution in other than a specialized
format is prohibited. This statement must appear on the title page of the trial
manuscript since students enrolled in this course are working under the auspices of the
National Library Service.

Thanks,
Tim

[Chris Clemens]

Tim,

Hello! I would suggest you either take the course from NFB or someone who is certified in literary braille either through a class or an online setting. You are free to do the course at your own pace but without a certified transcriber/instructor reviewing your work, how are you going to know if you are brailling the lessons correctly? You are free to send in a manuscript on your own (that is, without being affiliated with a transcribing group) ... but NFB is going to want to know who you learned from, or how you learned. Where did you get your materials? Did you register with NFB prior to strating the course? If you are concerned about the time involved to get the lessons evaluated, it is very minimal if you are part of a class, either in a classroom setting or online. Let me know if you have any further questions. I would be happy to answer them and/or work with you in preparation for obtaining certification.

Jana

[Chris Clemens]

Thanks, Janna!

It's just that I already know braille having grown up with a blind cousin and been interested in it for a long time. The NFB site says the course takes 'a minimum of 12-18 months to complete' and that’s too long for me.

Tim

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