Section of Libraries for the Blind

Annual Report 1994-1995

Ms Beatrice Christensen Sköld (Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille, Sandsborgvgen, S-122 88 Enskede, Sweden (fax: +(46-8) 6599467/6599457)) is Chair of the Section of Libraries for the Blind, succeeding Hiroshi Kawamura (Japan). Ms Karen M. Ellefsen (Norwegian Talking and Braille Book Library, Box 5834 Majorstua, N-0308 Oslo 3, Norway (fax: +(47) 22607473) is Secretary, succeeding Beth Hovius (Canada).

Standing Committee and Section Membership

The Standing Committee has 18 members from 14 countries, and two corresponding members. There are 69 IFLA members registered for the Section. Allan Leach, past Chair, retired from the National Library for the Blind, UK and therefore resigned from the Standing Committee. He had been a member of the Section since 1981. SC members expressed their appreciation for the work he did for the Section. The Section archives maintained by Mr Leach have been transferred to the Royal National Institute of the Blind. The Standing Committee held its 1995 mid-winter meeting in Monza, Italy hosted by the Biblioteca Italiana per Ciechi. It will hold its 1996 mid-winter meeting in Toronto, Canada in February, and has accepted an invitation to hold its 1997 mid-winter meeting in Japan in conjunction with the Association of Libraries for the Blind, which is holding an international symposium on digital talking books.

Projects

Braille Standards

At the Standing Committee meeting a new Working Group on Braille Standards was established. Its members are Rosemary Kavanagh, (Canada), Chair; Rudolfo Cattani (Italy), Fréderic Plain-Japy (France), Fermando Martinez Garido (Spain), Stephen King (UK) and Beatrice Christensen Sköld (Sweden), who will develop terms of reference for discussion at the Beijing Conference.

Copyright

Implementation of Access to Information for All, a professional resolution submitted during the Council Meeting in Barcelona in 1993, has been one of the major concerns of the Section. The Section has set up a Joint Committee on Copyright with the World Blind Union. Winnie Vitzansky (Denmark) and Allan Leach (UK) are responsible for this agenda item.

Digital Talking Book Standardization

The existing analog talking book technology is now 30 years old and will not last more than another 10-15 years. The Section has therefore begun to look into the matter of standardization of a new talking book format. For the following reasons, analog to digital transition is considered among libraries which serve the print handicapped worldwide: 1) needs of readers who demand more convenient functions of reading materials which are available for sighted peers, i.e., structured access to text by tables of contents and indexes; 2) preservation of master recordings; and 3) the expected replacement of compact cassette to other digital media in the future. The Section has decided upon work for an agreement upon guidelines for securing compatibility of digital talking books throughout the word by August 1997. A Working Group consisting of Stephen King (UK), Chair; Ranier Witte (Germany), Rosemary Kavanagh (Canada), Matthijs Balfoort (Netherlands) and Hiroshi Kawamura (Japan) has been formed to implement the decision. A draft guidelines will be presented in Beijing in August 1996 during the IFLA Conference. A workshop focusing on the digital talking book technology will also be held in Beijing. International Directory of Libraries for the Blind

To promote international loan/exchange of special format materials for the print handicapped, the Section has built a directory database of libraries for the blind. The 3rd edition of the International Directory of Libraries for the Blind compiled by Hiroshi Kawamura and published by K.G. Saur in 1990 as IFLA Publications No. 51, was compiled using this database. The Section has decided 1) to extend the entries to cover all significant collections of special format materials for international loan/exchange; 2) to make the database accessible via Internet; and 3) to publish selected entries for the 4th edition of an International Directory of Libraries for the Blind Hiroshi Kawamura is undertaking the installation of the database into a WWW server. Data sheets for comprehensive update will be circulated in the first half of 1996 and Internet access will be available by the end of 1996. A Working Group consisting of Hiroshi Kawamura (Chair), Beatrice Christen Sköld, Stephen King, Matthijs Balfoort and Rosemary Kavanagh has been formed for (further) development of the Directory.

African Training Seminars 1998 and 1999

After completion of a series of world training seminars on library services to the visually impaired in developing countries starting with Africa in 1980, Asia in 1991, a follow-up for Asia in 1992, Latin America and the Caribbean in 1993 and a follow-up for Latin America and the Caribbean in 1994, the Section recognizes the needs for further training in developing countries. While the Section encourages subªregional training seminars organized by local initiatives such as the joint Malaysian-Japanese training seminars on computerized braille production for ASEAN developing countries, African Training Seminars in both English and French respectively are planned to follow up on the seminar held in 1980. Nic Snyman, South African Library for the Blind, is responsible for the preparation of the anglophone African Training Seminar to be held in February 1998 in Grahamstown, South Africa in conjunction with the Section Standing Committee meeting. FredÀ) Àric Plain-Japy and M.-P. Tallec are in charge of the preparation of the francophone African Seminar to be held in 1999. A textbook on library services to the visually handicapped, edited by Bruce E. Massis to be published in April 1996, will give basics to both participants of those training seminars and to library school students.

Publications

Karen Marie Elefsen (Norway) was editor of two editions of the Newsletter. Following the Istanbul Conference, Bruce E. Massis (USA), who is the IFLA Journal liaison officer, will take over the responsibility as editor. Ms Christensen SkÀ? Àld will be responsible for printing and distribution. The Newsletter is in English and is distributed twice a year in 500 copies. It is also available in braille and on diskette. ONCE (Organizacion National de Ciegos) in Spain provides a Spanish translation of the Newsletter and sends copies to Cuba.

Section brochure

The revised Section brochure was translated into French, Spanish, German and Russian by members of the Standing Committee.

Future Conferences

EBU Seminar on the Next Generation Talking Books: User's Requirements Beatrice

Christensen Sköld (Chair) has been invited to give a paper on the Section and its views on new talking book technology at a seminar arranged by the European Blind Union in Copenhagen, 25-26 January 1996.

WBU World Forum on Literacy and General Assembly 1996

As a result of the joint Meeting with the World Blind Union in August 1993, the WBU took the initiative of a joint forum on the promotion of literacy of the visually handicapped to be held 25-27 March 1996 in Montevideo. Hiroshi Kawamura will give a paper on "Library Services as a Support" on behalf of the Section. The Section has also been invited to give a paper at the General Assembly of the World Blind Union to be held in Toronto, August 1996. Rosemary Kavanagh will present a paper on behalf of the Section's Chair who is not able to attend the WBU Assembly because it is being held at the same time as the IFLA General Conference in Beijing.

Beijing 1996

At the Division's open session, Mr Plain-Japy will give a paper on the evolution of braille at its present stage, its history, and the future of the blind's own written language. The Section's open session will have the theme, "National Strategies on Library Services to the Print Handicapped". Speakers will be from China, Malaysia, Denmark and Canada. International instruments related to equalization of information access of people with print disabilities will be reviewed by Hiroshi Kawamura. The Section will also organize a workshop on the "Digital Talking Book", followed by a reception which will enable delegates to meet many Chinese colleagues serving the blind.

Copenhagen 1997

Winnie Vitzansky (Denmark) is responsible for the practical planning of an Expert Meeting prior to the IFLA Conference. The Expert Meeting will highlight technology updates in addition to discussion on Digital Talking Book Standardization.

Istanbul Meetings

Expert Meeting

The Section held its Expert Meeting in Istanbul preceding the IFLA Conference. Papers given at the meeting were also available in braille. More than 100 participants from 23 countries attending the meeting, which covered a wide range of topics of interest to librarians serving people with print impairments. An the official opening, presided over by the Vice Governor of Istanbul, and covered by both the print and broadcast media, the first paper presented was a report from the host country. Then the programme settled into a seminar mode, where basic papers on the subjects of braille, recording, interlending, radio reading and broadcast services were offered. Then, more specific papers were presented in the areas of braille production and digital materials. A vendor area was established and exhibits included braille printers, magnification devices, telephone information services, and digital recording systems. The exhibitors were invited to introduce themselves and provided short presentations regarding their products and services, which proved very interesting and informative to attendees. Delegates from counties who have never attended a Section Expert Meeting were invited to present brief accounts updating the current scene of services in their respective countries. The meetings were conducted in English and translated into Turkish. Print copies of the papers are available as well as audiotapes of the entire conference proceedings.

Following the Expert Meeting, a forum on Digital Audio Technology was held, attended by 35 participants. The purpose of the meeting was to gather information on international activities regarding digital information with the expectation that the work would influence ongoing research and that guidelines for establishing standards could be developed and published. As the discussion developed, it became clear that it was necessary to distinguish between digital voice and digital text. There are several ways to digitize a page and standards, particularly supported by ISO (International Standards Organization), were necessary to ensue compatibility. For example, some publishers store text in bitmat format, which makes it inaccessible to voice synthesizers. If publishers could agree on using SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) all books could theoretically be made more accessible. As more publications appear in electronic format and the Internet presents greater opportunities to access information, the Section could be more selective about which materials were produced or recorded. Those attending were reminded that the pertinent reasons for digital audio technology included giving patrons not only more access and control over audio information, as well as reducing costs in the distribution and handling of high volume circulation, but also the archiving of and preservation of these materials. Participants were also urged to maintain balance and to consider that demands were also changing because of increasing possibilities. The consensus of the group clearly supported the development of standards which would ensure that the international exchange of talking books could occur even if organizations chose different equipment. It was also considered necessary and important to involve ISO in the development of thee standards. A commitment was given that draft standards would be ready for discussion at the Beijing Conference and that they would be finalized at Copenhagen in 1997.

Open Session

The Section held its open session jointly with the Sections of Public Libraries, Libraries Serving Disadvantaged persons and the INTAMEL Round Table. The theme was: "New Technologies: How Does This Influence the Library Service for Libraries Serving the General Public?" Among the speakers, the Section had the honor of inviting Eivind Knutsen (Norway), the youngest speaker at the conference, who was 15 years old.

Papers presented

Extra Large: Large Print on Demand
by MARIJ SCHOLS

Abstract:
As the population ages, the demand for information in large print will rise. The paper examines the way in which the Netherlands Library for Audio Books and Braille is responding to the increased demand by providing service to individual customers with partial sight and the launching of its own publishing company for large print. Cooperation with public libraries and publishers is the first step towards a future where large print can be supplied on demand.

The Information Highway and the Print Handicapped
by NORMAN COOMBS

Abstract:
While the invention of the printing press increased the availability of written materials for most people, it served to widen the gulf between the so-called print handicapped and their access to information. The advent of the computer and of adaptive technology to facilitate its use by users with disabilities is making information available to persons with disabilities as never before. The global linking of computers expands the accessible world of information and brings it to the users' fingertips. Libraries are increasingly adapting to electronic documents and catalogues, and now are capable of accommodating a whole new class of patrons.

Electronic Books for the Visually Impaired: The Norwegian Project
by GRETE KNUDSEN and EIVIND KNUDSEN

Abstract:
Not available.

Latest Revision: May 28, 1996