Historical Timeline
1899: Austin Wilson receives permission to publish the first copies of "Christian Record" magazine
1904: Christian Record moves from Battle Creek, Michigan, to College View, Nebraska, to the basement of the old clock tower building at Union College
1904: U.S. Congress amends its postal regulation to allow the visually impaired to receive library books postage-free through the mail
1909: Christian Record moves to the International Publishing Association Building on Prescott Street
1909: A free lending library is established at Christian Record to provide embossed books for the blind
1912: Christian Record moves to 48th Street and Prescott Ave to a building formerly occupied by College View Bakery
1924: Braille production of the "Sabbath School" lesson quarterly begins
1934: Christian Record is an exhibitor at the World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois
1936: Christian Record moves office to a new building on the corner of 48th Street and Bancroft Avenue
1937: "The Children's Friend" is first produced in braille
1950: Talking books on reel-to-reel tapes are introduced to the lending library
1954: Bible correspondence courses and doctrinal tracts added to Christian Record programs
1957: Founder Austin Wilson passes away in Minnesota
1959: The first Full-VisionTM book, "Bible ABCs," combines braille, print, and pictures
1962: Audio lending library started
1963: Christian Record moves to a new location at 4444 South 52nd Street
1963: Preschool for blind children begins operation
1967: National Camps for Blind Children begins in Florida at Camp Kulaqua
1969: Pat Nixon accepts a spot on the International Advisory Board
1970: Books recorded on cassette tapes become part of the lending library
1979: Canada branch office opened in British Columbia as Christian Record Services, Inc.
1980: The first winter camp was held in Colorado for individuals who were blind and visually impaired
1980: Christian Record begins serving individuals who were Deaf and hard of hearing
1981: A mobile unit begins traveling and offering free glaucoma screenings across the country
1986: Well of Hope programs start – raised over $1 million in two years
1999: Christian Record celebrates 100 years of service to people who are legally blind
2005: All recording of talking books and magazines is switched from analog to digital
2013: Insight4Vets, a pre-loaded audio player with resources, is launched to support veterans
2016: Christian Record moves to a new location at 5900 South 58th Street, Suite M
2018: Lib.Guide, online library database launched. CRS offers more than 4,000 resources to members.
2019: First bi-monthly electronic newsletter (Jubilink) distributed
2020: PhoneFaith joins Christian Record Services
2023: New braille production space opens
