State Superintendent of Schools, the State Board of
Education, and the Governor.
The Council has twelve members. Seven are
appointed by the Governor to five-year terms. Five
serve ex officio. The Governor names the chair. The
Assistant State Superintendent for Library Devel-
opment and Services is secretary to the Council
(Code Education Article, sec. 23-106).

MARYLAND STATE LIBRARY FOR THE
BLIND & PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED
Sharron D. McFarland, Chief

415 Park Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 333-2083

The Maryland State Library for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped opened in 1968. The Li-
brary serves eligible blind and physically handi-
capped residents of Maryland. It is the Maryland
regional library under the National Library Services
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the
Library of Congress.
The Library has two subregional branches: the
Special Needs Library, and the Talking Book Center.

SPECIAL NEEDS LIBRARY
Charlotte H. Stinnett, Librarian

6400 Democracy Blvd.
Bethesda, MD 20817 (301) 897-2212

The Special Needs Library started in 1972. The
Library serves the blind and physically handicapped
residents of Montgomery County.

TALKING BOOK CENTER
Judith A. Walsh, Librarian

6532 Adelphi Road
Hyattsville, MD 20782 (301) 927-3388

The Talking Book Center was founded in 1980.
The Center serves the blind and physically handi-
capped residents of Prince George's County.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES & STATE
NETWORKING BRANCH
Rivkah K. Sass, Chief
(410) 767-0443

Origins of the Public Libraries and State Net-
working Branch trace to 1902 when the State
Library Commission was created (Chapter 47,
Acts of 1902). Commission responsibilities for
public library development were assigned to the
Office of Public Libraries under the State Board
of Education in 1935, and to the Division of
Library Extension from 1947 to 1971. Within
the Division of Library Development and Serv-
ices, the Public Libraries Branch was formed in
1971 and renamed the Public Libraries and State

Networking Branch in 1988. The Branch provides
leadership and technical assistance to improve li-
brary service.
The Branch oversees the State Library Net-
work through which Maryland residents obtain
library materials and gain access to information
not available in their local library. The Network
provides interlibrary loan, direct lending of ma-
terials, technical assistance to libraries, and staff
training. More than 400 Maryland libraries par-
ticipate in the State Library Network. These in-
clude public, university, college and community
college libraries. The Network is centered at
Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. The Net-
work is aided by three regional resource centers:
the Eastern Shore Regional Resource Center
(Salisbury), Southern Maryland Regional Li-
brary Association (Charlotte Hall), and the West-
ern Maryland Public Libraries Regional Resource
Center (Hagerstown) (Code Education Article,
secs. 23-201, 23-202).

STATE LIBRARY RESOURCE CENTER
Carla D. Hayden, Ph.D., Director

Enoch Pratt Free Library
400 Cathedral St
Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 396-5395

In 1971, the Central Library of the Enoch Pratt
Free Library System was designated as the State
Library Resource Center (Chapter 770, Acts of
1971). The Center lends books and other materials
to libraries in the State Library Network from
sources within Maryland and out of State via the
Maryland Interlibrary Organization. It also pro-
vides information to State government through the
Government Reference Service (Code Education
Article, sec. 23-201).
The Center administers Sailor, Maryland's on-
line electronic information network. Overseen by
the Division of Library Development and Serv-
ices in conjunction with the Center, Sailor con-
nects Marylanders to information resources
within the State and worldwide. It also provides
access to Internet resources. Sailor allows users
to identify and locate books, articles in maga-
zines, newspapers, and journals, answers to spe-
cific questions, or information on a particular
topic. It gives information about services of pub-
lic and private agencies, and government infor-
mation, such as proposed legislation, job listings,
and census data. In all twenty-three counties and
Baltimore City, Sailor is available without charge
through libraries and by dial access on modem-
equipped computers.