A blind gentleman with his guide dog sits at a table at the New York Public Library in New York City. He is listening to a record, which is being played on a Talking Book machine. Record sleeves and containers are laid out on the table. He rests his left arm on a table while his right arm is around the neck of his seated guide dog. The photograph is undated. Evelyn Strauss, photographer. Talking Book Archives, American Foundation for the Blind.
The WPA also undertook the repair of machines and the purchase and distribution of millions of phonograph needles. By the time the WPA project was phased out in 1942, 23,505 Talking Book machines had been manufactured and distributed along with 7,000 pickup arms, 69.5 million needles, 130,000 record envelopes, 40,500 record containers, and an unspecified number of replacement parts.
During World War II the U.S. government requisitioned raw materials for military use. As a result, materials were unavailable to construct new Talking Book machines. To make up for the loss of new machines, Congress approved $20,000 for machine repair in October 1942. AFB was awarded this contract, and from January 1943 until the end of the war it was responsible for the repair of library-owned machines.
