It could be argued that the existence of separate libraries for the blind
in this day and age is invidious and indeed unnecessary. It is more likely
to be technologically and economically possible for publishers and other
mainstream brokers of information, such as public libraries, to provide
a comprehensive service for all members of the community. At the IFL A
conference in Glasgowin 2002, the Libraries for the Blind Section hosted
a lively debate on the motion that the existence of separate libraries for speciral populationsis a form of censorship. The arguments raged on both sides
the end, it was the majority view of the audience that the ideal, inclusive
world does not yet exist and that there is still a useful role for specialist
libraries for the blind. In practice, models of cooperation between libraries for the blind and public libraries can be quite varied. Presentations
at recent IFLA conferences from Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, the UK,
Sweden, Korea , and Vietnam have illustrated the different kinds of relationships that exist, ranging from voluntary partnership on occasional
projects to full-scale integration backed by government funding.