Harry Potter to be available to visually impaired fans soon!

Harry Potter fans worldwide are eagerly anticipating Friday night's release of the seventh and final book in the blockbuster series. That includes the blind. In Oregon, those fans won't have to wait long to find out what happens. Correspondent Chris Lehman reports.

The Oregon State Library ships hundreds of books on tape to visually impaired readers every day. The library doesn't have the budget to buy audio copies of every new book, so normally readers have to wait until the shipment of free copies from the Library of Congress arrives.

That can take months. The library -- with help from some private donors -- anted up the cash for ten copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There's a long waiting list already. Marion Bryson, of the State Library, says it's been a while since a book has been so eagerly awaited.

Marion Bryson: "I know when Satanic Verses came out by Salman Rushdie sometime back, they fast-tracked that one through because it was a big thing."Users of Washington state's audio book service will have to wait a little longer. Nearly 50 people have signed up, but a spokesperson says it could be a month until copies are available.