Newsletter IFLA Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities Section 2010/1 The IFLA/LPD Newsletter is issued twice a year. Editors: Minna von Zansen Celia Library, Helsinki, Finland E-mail:minna.vonzansen@celia.fi Jenny Craven National Institute for Health and Clinical Evidence Manchester, UK E-mail: cravenj@btinternet.com The Newsletter is available on www.ifla.org Content A Word from the Chair 2 Gothenburg + Oslo Conferences 4 WebAccess Project 5 Performance Measures 6 The Story of the Apple Shelf 8 Braille Conference 10 Ulverscroft Awards 10 Spotlight on New Members 12 Spotlight on SALB 13 Standing Committee Members 15 A Word from the Chair Salutations from down under! The winter in Melbourne is shaping up to be a very cold one indeed, which has been quite rare over recent years. Even though the weather could be quite an interesting point of discussion and may lead into controversial issues such a climate change there are other more important matters I would like to highlight. WBU Treaty at WIPO In November 2009 the Federal Attorney General’s Department sought feedback on the proposed WBU Treaty. Vision Australia provided feedback in accordance with the request. In December 2009 the World Intellectual Property Organisation met in Geneva to discuss the Treaty that had been tabled previously by the World Blind Union (WBU). The highlights from the official, published WIPO SCCR 19 Conclusions were statements of WIPO's commitment to finding a solution and continuing with its efforts through a global and inclusive approach which included the multifaceted issues affecting access of persons with print disabilities to protected works.The critical issue is the ability to trade accessibly formatted books across country borders, which is currently restricted by copyright law. In May 2010 The United States submitted a draft proposal for a consensus instrument to WIPO. This instrument has a list of recommendations for governments on national laws to aid the import and export of accessible books. The US proposal fails in several ways: it does not create a legal obligation for countries to make exceptions, meaning if either an exporting or importing country lacks an exception, the transfer cannot be made; it discriminates against different kinds of media and does not seem to cover works shared online; it does not address the potential need to circumvent technological protection measures or contractual restrictions on needed exceptions, and doesn’t express the specific needs of developing countries. The next meeting at WIPO on the WBU treaty is to be held June 21st – 24th 2010. Global Accessible Library Update The final report of phase one was submitted to the LPD steering committee in April, there were a number of recommendations which were supported by the committee. The criteria for participating organizations engaged in collection sharing and exchange within the GAL framework; namely: - Validation of library patrons as being eligible as defined by national legislation. - Online catalogue available to other GAL members. - Adherence to a minimum standard for cataloguing records including work in progress. - Registered as a not-for-profit organisation that provides access to alternative format materials. - Compliance with copyright restrictions on any materials obtained. Since this report was released the Trusted Intermediary (TI) project which is the cross-border exchange of material protected by copyright between Trusted Intermediaries (TIs) is now set to merge with the Global Accessible Library (GAL) project. WIPO have provided funding for a project manager who will spend three months developing a project plan for implementation of a pilot. Vision Australia has indicated that they are willing to participate in this pilot. The TI project will only develop the mechanism for exchange between agencies, where the Global Accessible Library extends this to a client to agency exchange; it is anticipated that this development will occur if the TI/GAL merged project is successful. e-PUB and DAISY ePUB is the most widely adopted, fastest growing electronic book standard across the globe today. It has the same structural and navigational capabilities as DAISY. The revision of this standard is currently being undertaken by the International Digital Publishers Forum. ePUB is well-aligned with the DAISY standard but does not presently incorporate all DAISY features; in particular, there is not explicit support for full synchronization of multiple media types, such as audio and text. The proposed ePUB 2.1 revision will coincide in time with the revision of DAISY (ANSI/NISO Z39.86). Best regards, Julie Rae. Gothenburg + Oslo Conferences IFLA Pre-conference, Oslo: WITH THE RIGHT TO READ We welcome you to attend the pre-conference: With the Right to Read which takes place in Oslo 7-9 August. This conference is a collaboration between IFLA Library Services to People with Special Needs; Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities and Literacy and Reading Sections. The theme is “Reading for all – a question of equal access, active inclusion and advocacy for a global library, securing the right for all to access knowledge and information and to active participation” The program will focus on: - the right to read and the libraries' role as a tool for democracy building - the need to identify marginalized groups to tailor the library services - and the need to implement universal design as a strategy to include all in the general services offered - the possibilities that technology brings, and the divides they may create - building digital competence - reading as a manifold thing, from web-based reading, audio books, to Braille and tactile books - the accessible library - library services brought to the patron, prison libraries and outreach services, but also information technology as a communication tool. Contact person: Tone Moseid, tone.moseid@abm-utvikling.no Website: www.abm-utvikling.no/bibliotek/ifla-pre-conference-2010 IFLA WLIC Gothenburg: Session 114 — Library Services to People with Special Needs with Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities "The right to read" — How to include excluded citizens in the knowledge society? This session will take place on 13 August 2010 from 13:45 - 15:45, in Room: Hall B | SI It will focus on the Global Accessible Library and follow up on the P3 resolution and will include presentations on the wider and user perspective: “The Global Accessible Library – the work so far” from Margaret McGrory - Representative from Global Library (IFLA, Daisy). An example of best practice from Jenny Nilsson: Apple Shelves, Sweden. The Apple Shelf focuses on the joy of reading for all children. (see also The Story of Apple Shelves in this Newsletter edition). A panel discussion is also planned with representatives from FAIFE, a user representative, and a publisher. The Conveners are: Tone Moseid (chair of LSN) and Julie Rae, (chair of LPD). We look forward to seeing you in Oslo and in Gothenburg! WebAccess Project The web_access project developed a Joint Study Programme on Accessible Web Design. It involved a six Partner Consortium within the framework of the European Lifelong Learning Programme and ran from October 2007 till September 2009.The overall aim was to help improve web accessibility throughout Europe by the development of a range of Europe-wide education and training courses that are designed to be accessible to as many people as possible, including people with disabilities. Target groups for the materials produced are web designers, students and graduates in computer sciences and related fields of study, and those who have achieved equivalent knowledge and skills. The participation of people with disabilities has been encouraged in order to bring their expert knowledge to this field and to enhance their employability. Content areas include: - Fundamentals of Web Accessibility - Assistive Technology - Guidelines and Legal Requirements - Accessible Content Creation - Design and Usability - Project Development Course delivery is mainly online, with a mixture of audio described lecture slides, demonstrations, exercises, and opportunities for interaction with staff and students through discussion boards and group activities. The project has now been completed and discussions are taking place about how best to make the materials available. For further information about the project and details of the project partners, please visit the website at: www.webaccess-project.net Jenny Craven, LPD Joint Information Co-ordinator and web_access project partner Performance Measures Workshop All libraries for print disabled people collect various statistics about their work in an effort to find out they we are performing as organisations. Recently, colleagues from Loket aangepast-lezen and Luisterpunt visited RNIB in London. In part of our meeting, we compared various common statistics about our organisations, countries and outputs. Everyone enjoyed the discussion and gained some useful insights, but, as so often happens, it became clear that often we are not all measuring exactly the same thing, or that we are using the measurements for quite different purposes. Indeed, a key recommendation of the study "Funding and governance of library and information services for visually impaired people: international case studies". (Rightscom, 2007) was that “Service providers should make it a priority to improve the level of knowledge and understanding of how well services are performing by developing accurate comparable measures – including measures of the actual experience of users..." In an effort to address this IFLA’s Statistics and Evaluation Section (SE) developed a joint proposal with LPD for a project to develop common performance measures for libraries serving print disabled people. The project aims to establish: - What matters to users of libraries serving print disabled people and to the organisations concerned - What general library measures and indicators would be relevant and applicable for LPD, using SE expertise & guidelines on performance indicators for libraries - What measures and indicators are unique to LPD - What external data is available - Methodologies for collecting internal data IFLA’s funding for the project was used for a two day workshop to develop a standard for performance measures for libraries serving print disabled people, and a toolkit to assist with the collection of measures. On 14 April 2010, representatives of 15 LPD member organisations from across Europe and Scandinavia and from South Africa gathered at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK. We were joined by facilitators Sebastian Mundt, Maria Cassella and Mike Heaney from the Statistics and Evaluation Section, and by two colleagues from Gateshead Libraries in the UK, to provide a mainstream library perspective. On the first day, everyone gave a presentation about the measures currently in use, followed by lively discussion. Sebastian and Maria gave an overview of performance measurement, and then we set to work on a framework for developing the measures, and finally on the measures themselves. Fortified by an excellent dinner in Manchester's Castlefield district, the group reconvened the next day ready to refine what we had developed and decide how data should be collected and presented. Unfortunately, the cloud of volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajokull intervened, and it became obvious that many attendees were going to have problems returning home that evening due to flight cancellations across Europe and Scandinavia. Despite this, we were able to complete further work and draw the workshop to a useful conclusion. With the assistance of some emergency funding from IFLA, the delegates dispersed to begin making their way home, mostly by alternative means of transport. A small working group will now take the work forward to complete development of the toolkit from the excellent foundations laid in the workshop. Thanks must go to everyone who attended for providing such excellent discussion and input and for bearing the difficulties of the second day with such grace and good humour. Jon Hardisty, RNIB The Story of the Apple Shelf Children with Special Needs and the Joy of Reading All children need books and have the right to experience the joy of reading. But ordinary printed books are not suitable for all children. Therefore, there is the Apple shelf. Here you will find fiction and non-fiction books in accessible formats as well as other stimulating reading material for children with special needs. For adults, there is literature about various disabilities and methodological manuals that can provide support and inspiration for parents or teachers. Background In the early 1990’ the Swedish Arts Council (Kulturrådet) arranged a study trip to Great Britain for staff at county libraries in Sweden. On this trip they became very inspired by the work they encountered at “The Library for the Handicapped Child” in London. The library policy was to concentrate on the individual child’s abilities and not his or her disabilities. One thing made an impression on the Swedish visitors was a toy-apple that was designed to help children with speech disabilities. Back in Sweden the library in Härnösand wanted to start something similar, and in November 1992 the library’s new department, which was named Äpplet/The Apple, opened. An artist designed a special huge, tactile apple that children could use as a hut. A few years went by and in the region of Västra Götaland the idea was formed to make a smaller version that every library could afford – an Apple shelf. What Can Children Find at the Apple Shelf? Talking Books and Audio Books These are the most common and most borrowed accessible books on the Apple shelf. Sign Language Sign language is visual and has no written form. That is why books in sign language are recorded on DVD. AAC – Alternative and Augmentative Communication Books with sign as support to speech are made for children who can hear but need additional communication means. The signs are borrowed from the sign language but the books are in Swedish. Other common, alternative methods of communication are: photos, Bliss symbols, picture symbols (eg pictograms) or concrete objects. Easy to Read and Clear Images Books with pictures can be beneficial assistance in learning concepts and words. On the Apple shelf children find books with simple language and clear images. Books to Touch - Tactile Picture Books Tactile pictures are rendered in different materials and contrasting colours that make them easy to recognize understand. Tactile picture books are made primarily for children with visual impairments, but also children with other disabilities can enjoy them. The book’s text is also included in Braille and large print. Braille and Interleaved Books An interleaved book is an ordinary picture book with plastic sheets with Braille. Sometimes a Braille book has a printed book in a pocket on the binder. Both those who can see and those who cannot can then read the same book. Computer as Assistive Technology Using the computer as assistive technology a child with special needs can be active, play, learn, and have fun. The computer encourages interaction and communication. There are many programs to choose from. Children can borrow programs or play at the computer nearby the Apple shelf. The Future of the Apple Shelf All over Sweden libraries now have their own Apple shelves. The Apple shelf has also reached other countries, for example Norway. The knowledge about children with special needs and accessible books has improved in Sweden and the Apple shelf has definitely contributed to this improvement. Children’s librarians are now well aware that they shall include all children in their work at the public libraries. However the shelves still have to be better known to children, parents, and teachers. So marketing is the key for the Apple shelf to succeed. The joy of reading can be communicated in many forms, with imagination as the only limit. Website www.appelhyllan.se Brochure in English www.barnensbibliotek.se/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=NT3qPG5AI1o%3d&tabid=401 Jenny Nilsson, Children’s Librarian. The Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille (TPB). Braille Conference World Congress Braille21 “Innovations in Braille in the 21st Century“ After the successful and fruitful course of the conference project DAISY2009, the German Central Library for the Blind in Leipzig (DZB) will again be the host of an international World Congress. This time, the theme is Braille. With the event Braille21, there will be a platform where people from all over the world will deal with the innovations of braille in the 21st century. The six core themes are already fixed – one for every dot in Braille. They are in detail: 1. Education and literacy 2. Vocational training, employment and lifelong learning 3. Research and development 4. Improving access to information 5. Braille as a part of Universal Design 6. The role of Braille in enabling independent living. Braille21 will take place from 27th to 30th of September in Leipzig, Germany. The venue is the central campus of the University of Leipzig. Programme: 2011/09/27 Braille Day Germany 2011/09/28-30 World Congress Braille21 Further information at: www.braille21.net Braille21 already receives much support from institutions at home and abroad. To support us as well, please contact us! Jenni Handschack c/o Deutsche Zentralbücherei für Blinde zu Leipzig (DZB) Gustav-Adolf-Straße 704105 Leipzig, Germany Tel.: +49 341 7113 162 Fax.: +49 341 7113 125 E-mail: info@braille21.net Internet: www.braille21.net Ulverscroft Awards The Ulverscroft Foundation and the IFLA Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities Section are pleased to announce the outcome of the bids for funding from the 2010 programme. Ulverscroft Foundation has again made 20,000 Pounds GB available for individual and organisation awards to assist the development of library services for print disabled people worldwide and to foster cooperation between library services serving these persons. Individual awards have been offered to: Mark Freeman, Libraries Manager, South Tyneside Library Service and Chair of Share The Vision, GB. Mark as a public libraries manager wishes to extend his knowledge of how the specialist libraries for print disabled persons operate and to build on existing links between the libraries in the North East of England and the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Mark has been awarded 2,150 Pounds GB to visit the South African Library for the Blind and, especially, their Mini Libs service in local communities. Kathy Teague and Wendy Taylor, Librarians, RNIB National Library Service, GB. Kathy and Wendy are responsible for coordinating the Cataloguing Working Group of the IFLA LPD’s Global Library Project and are involved in the acquisition of a new library management system by RNIB NLS. They wish to visit the Celia Library in Helsinki, Finland to study their implementation of the new FRBR bibliographic model [Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records] which permits the assigning of relationships between different accessible formats of the same work. As Celia is the first specialist library in this field to implement this model this visit has clear potential to enhance RNIB’s services and worldwide developments. Ulverscroft has offered 2,700 Pounds GB to fund this visit. Yasmine Youssef, Librarian at the Taha Hussein Library for the Blind and Print Disabled at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt. Yasmine is the library’s specialist in the production of DAISY books and wishes to visit DAISY South Africa to provide expert assistance in their development of DAISY production and to understand the challenges posed by accommodating 11 official languages. This will also enhance her ability to develop services at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and to assist developments in other Arabic speaking countries. Yasmine has been awarded 2,550 Pounds GB to undertake this visit. The organisation award for 2010 has been awarded to the Shanghai Pudong New Area Library, China. Since 2002 this library has provided a unit which offers free ICT training for the local visually impaired community but the need for this service exceeds their capacity. In 2010 the library is moving to a new, larger building and they wish to expand their services for visually impaired people, including the employment of visually impaired people as trainers. They also intend to offer free training, lodging and travel to VIP’s from poorer provinces so they can develop services locally. This is a highly ambitious project to expand the life opportunities of VIP’s and has been awarded 12,500 Pounds GB as a contribution to the cost. The judges for the award were Allan Leach, Chair of the Ulverscroft Foundation, Dick Tucker, formerly Deputy Director of the Force Foundation Worldwide and David Owen, a trustee of both the Ulverscroft Foundation and Force Foundation UK. Allan Leach commented, “It was pleasing to receive such strong applications this year and to be able to offer all of the 20,000 Pounds GB funding available. We are confident that these awards will further the shared objectives of Ulverscroft and IFLA of promoting international cooperation and enhancing library services for print disabled people worldwide.” For further details about the awards please contact: Joyce Sumner, Secretary, Ulverscroft Foundation j.sumner@ulverscroft.co.uk Jenny Craven, LPD Joint Information Co-ordinator IFLA: LPD Section, cravenj@btinternet.com Spotlight on New Members Keun Hae Youk Keun Hae Youk is the Chief Librarian of the Korean Braille Library, a Professor of the Korea Nazarene University, and an advisor on the Committee on Library and Information Policy. Spotlight on the South African Library for the Blind The South African Library for the Blind (SALB) is a Schedule 3A Public Entity, funded by the South African Government. Founded in 1919, from humble beginnings with only 100 donated braille volumes, the SALB has been providing reading and information material to blind and print disabled people for 91 years. The SALB proudly serves a specific community, and together with other organisations is working towards the removal, as far as possible, of the barriers to access information. The Library is committed to providing a quality service to meet the information and reading needs of all South Africans who are blind or print disabled. The Library’s mandate is clearly defined in the South African Library for the Blind Act No. 91 of 1998. In fulfilling its mandate the Library produces and distributes audio and braille books and magazines as a free service to all of its more than 3,500 members. Material is available in seven of the nine official languages spoken in South Africa, namely English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, Northern and Southern Sotho and Tswana. Our collection of more than 25,000 fiction and non-fiction titles includes all possible genres and is continually expanded. Titles are available for pre-school children and juveniles as well as young adults and adults. The Library is converting its entire analogue (tape) collection to the Daisy (Digital Accessible Information Systems) format. This allows the reader random access by chapter, page and paragraph and many other features. Daisy players are provided free of charge to registered members. As a result of technological advances, since 2004 the SALB has been recording audio books directly in Daisy format and produces on average 300 audio titles per annum. Although our braille readership is less than the audio readership, the Library also produces around 300 new braille titles per annum. The Library has a staff complement of 43 full-time employees, a few contract staff and makes use of a network of more than 160 people from across South Africa who assist with proof-reading, copy typing, transcribing, editing, narrating, etc. The Library has embarked on a project to produce tactile books for pre-school children. The main aim is to introduce children to the joy of picture books as well as reading from a young age. The tactile books are produced on contract by three non-profit organisations, which in turn provides training and creates job opportunities for people with various disabilities. Another exciting project which the Library has embarked upon in collaboration with the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture in the Eastern Cape is a Mini Library Project. Seven public libraries have been identified and will be provided with the necessary technology, including document readers, to enable blind and print disabled people to utilise their local library. A core element of this project is the training of library employees to empower them to serve blind library members. Training will also be given to the blind members of the communities to enable them to use the equipment which is being provided. In addition, the University of Cape Town will assist with the development of an Information Literacy Skills programme. During the FIFA World Cup Soccer held in South Africa, the SALB sent 14 of its members to two of the matches held in Port Elizabeth. This was made possible by the generous sponsorship of tickets by Humanware. Library members received an earpiece device which enabled them to listen to a description of the game given by an expert commentator. This was part of a national initiative launched by the Swiss National Association for the Blind (SNAB), the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB) and financially supported by FIFA. To obtain information about the SALB, please visit our accessible website at www.salb.org.za, join our fan page on Facebook or contact our Marketing Section either by email (marketing@salb.org.za) or by using the contact details given below. Contact us: Telephone: 046 622 7226 Fax: 046 622 4645 Postal Address: P O Box 115, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 6140 Latest Revision: 28th July, 2010 Copyright © International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions www.ifla.org LPD Standing Committee Members Chair: Julie Rae, General Manager Community Information Access, Vision Australia. Secretary: Koen Krikhaar, Manager, Library Services, Dedicon. Joint Information Co-ordinator and Treasurer: Jenny Craven, Assistant Information Specialist, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Joint Information Co-ordinator: Minna von Zansen, Service Manager, Celia Library. Marja-Leena Ahola-vom Dorp, Librarian, Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille. Galina Sergeevna Elfimova, Head Librarian, Russian State Library for the Blind. Sanja Frajtag, Director, Croatian Library for the Blind. Jon Hardisty, Senior Librarian, RNIB. Keun Hae Youk, Chief Librarian, Korean Braille Library. Francois Hendrikz, Director, South African Library for the Blind. Dr. Thomas Kahlisch, Director, Deutsche Zentralbücherei für Blinde zu Leipzig. Hiroshi Kawamura, Technical Advisor, Information and Culture Center for the Blind. Kari Kummeneje, Head of Lending Department, The Norwegian Library of Talking Books and Braille. Margaret McGrory, Vice President & CIO and Managing Director, CNIB Library. Misako Nomura, Director, Information Center, Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities. Sanela Osmanagic, Assistant Manager, The Library for the Blind and the Visually Impaired in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ju Ok Park, Deputy Director, The National Library Support Center for the Disabled, the National Library of Korea. Steve Prine, Jr. Assistant Chief, Network Division, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. Geert Ruebens, Director, Flemish Library for Audio books and Braille. Elena Zakharova, Deputy Director, Russian State Library for the Blind. Special advisers: Helen Brazier, Head, National Library Service, RNIB. Courtney Deines-Jones, Principal and Founder, The Grimalkin Group. Christopher Friend, Chair of WBU Global Right to Read Campaign, Programme Development Advisor, Sightsavers International.