Purpose and History

The Red Notebook is a loose-leaf binder containing fact sheets, library reprints, announcements and other printed informational materials that are related to both deaf and library issues. It is designed to help build communication among individuals and groups within the deaf community by letting them know about existing products, programs, and services of interest. It is also intended to unify deaf community participation in local activities of libraries, their related friends and foundation groups. The focus is on assisting libraries in providing cost-effective and efficient library and information services to these consumers in an unbiased fashion.

The Red Notebook was originated in 1979 by Alice L. Hagemeyer, who was at that time Librarian for the Deaf Community at the District of Columbia Public Library in Washington, D.C., U.S. (1976-1991). She chose to use the subtitle, "Communicating with Hearing People" for The Red Notebook because she wanted to encourage deaf people to be resourceful in using their local libraries and in communicating what they learned with hearing people, as needed. However, after a few years, the subtitle of this resource book was changed to "Library and Information Services to the Deaf Community" to better describe the extensive list of library and information services for each interest group.

Since 1995, due to circumstances beyond her control, Hagemeyer has not been able to mail free updated information materials to registered subscribers for inclusion in their print copy.

In 2001, The Red Notebook went online under the new subtitle, "Deaf Awareness Begins @ your library." To assure its attraction to global deaf and library communities, Hagemeyer and her associates have voluntarily modified some previous topics and created new ones that subscribers may like to freely print out from the FOLDA website to add to their print copy. 
 
Lisa Fisher was a volunteer FOLDA webmaster for four years until April 2006 when Merrie Davidson took over. After a homepage for the National Literary Society of the Deaf (NLSD) was added in March 2007, Ron Friedrich volunteers to become a webmaster for both the FOLDA and NLSD. 

FOLDA has acknowledged the many contributions of librarians, allied professionals, library workers and friends to what The Red Notebook is today.   Thank you!

For information on how to order The Red Notebook, click here.