The United States government is slated to shut down at midnight tonight barring a last minute compromise by members of Congress. While comparatively much more important services and departments will be shut down and over 800,000 government workers will be without jobs until the shutdown is ended, the status of the National Library Service's BARD program, a service effecting thousands of blind and print-disabled Americans, is unclear. According to an article from CNet, at least two options are in play. The prevailing thought is that all non-essential government websites will be shut down and forwarded to a page explaining the reason for the closure. To clarify, this would not mean the end of the BARD service forever, but would prohibit any one from downloading materials until the shutdown has ended. An alternative scenario could be that sites are allowed to remain online, but will not be updated, which would likely mean no new books in the case of BARD. The state library system would be uneffected, though they would not receive new books or other federal government support. Essential websites, such as for the IRS, will remain online. If anyone has more information to share, please pass it along. Update: An email to patrons of Washington's Talking Book and Braille Library cites a source from the NLS that the BARD site will indeed shut down at midnight. "WTBBL has been closely following your concerns about BARD with the
potential Federal Government shutdown. We have contacted NLS and can
confirm that BARD will shut down at midnight if a budget compromise
isn't reached. The entire Library of Congress website will shut down,
which includes BARD." Thanks to Rick Lewis for the tip.
Update: Looks like this is all a moot point, as the shutdown has been avoided.
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J.J. Meddaugh is an experienced technology writer and computer enthusiast. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a major in telecommunications management and a minor in business. When not writing for Blind Bargains, he enjoys travel, playing the keyboard, and meeting new people.
