This Best practice forms Appendix A in the Guidelines for Library Services to Persons with Dyslexia. The aim of the examples given is not to be complete but to inspire.

In order to keep the sources up-to-date, they will be checked annually and the most recent version of Best Practice will be available at the IFLA website (www.ifla.org/lsn).

If you know a valuable good practice to contribute to this list of good practices, please contact us. Thank you in advance.

Croatia

Story Workshop in the Bjelovar Public Library Children's Department from 2006 to 2011 geared toward primary school aged children with difficulties in reading and writing. The workshop concept was jointly designed by a speech therapist and a librarian. A series of creative and educational games was designed to motivate children for reading the story and children were encouraged to visualize what was being read in order to illustrate the story. All picture books created in the Story Workshop were digitalized and saved on a CD-ROM with added soundtrack and scrolling effect. Read more: http://www.knjiznica-bjelovar.hr/index.php/djecji_odjel/vesela_shkola_chitanja/

Merry School of Reading in the Bjeloverar Public Library Children's Department is a workshop for children, first grade elementary school pupils, who have problems with acquiring reading and writing skills and for second grade pupils with identified difficulties in reading and writing. Workshop presenters are a speech therapist and a librarian. The program includes parents as active participants in monitoring the progress of children. The workshop focuses on reading as a positive and pleasant activity because reading for pleasure has a positive effect on reading for information and acquiring knowledge.

Cooperation on a voluntary basis with speech pathology experts has been achieved for the two workshops and for advising parents and librarians in the best ways to help children with reading difficulties. The Croatian Dyslexia Association has also been involved as well as the Croatian Centre for Continuing Professional Development of Librarians. Children's Department developed a special collection for people with reading difficulties. Read more: http://www.knjiznica-bjelovar.hr/index.php/djecji_odjel/vesela_shkola_chitanja/

Croatian Library for the Blind (CLB) aims through its services, at meeting the needs of various categories of print disabled users, who differ in type of impairment, age and in level of IT literacy. CLB's goal is providing access to knowledge, information and cultural contents in order to educate, inform and ensure quality use of free time to all persons with print disabilities. In 2015 CLB launched a downloading service called "e-knjige", accessible through the library's on-line catalogue: http://library.foi.hr/kzs/ (Accessed May 18th, 2016). Service was instantly welcomed among CLB patrons, especially within the growing population of dyslectic users, pupils in need of accessible titles for their literature curriculum. Library is constantly working on the different ways to promote its services and approach potential end users with reading disabilities.
http://library.foi.hr/kzs/
http://www.hkzasl.hr

We Read Together with You: How to Recognize Reading difficulties and Dyslexia is a program launched by the public library “Fran Galovic” in Koprivnica in 2002. Target groups are children and youth with dyslexia, their parents, teachers, and other professionals. Service has been established by creating a book corner in the Children's department containing: Collection of handbooks, easy to read books, audio books, e-books, computer educational programs, and leaflets. Furthermore lectures are organized for parents and teachers, and a newsletter is published with a list of new audio books for local schools. Koprivnica public library also prepares an interactive exhibition of didactic materials to encourage early literacy, reading and writing skills as well as lectures training children and parents how to use e-books available in the Croatia Library for the Blind. Early 2016 the book corner was re-organized in compliance with the checklist from the extended and revised IFLA Guidelines for Library Services to Persons with Dyslexia.
http://www.knjiznica-koprivnica.hr/knjiznica/dokumenti/The_Example_of_Good_Practice.pdf
http://www.knjiznica-koprivnica.hr/knjiznica/defaultcont.asp?id=105&side=3

Denmark

letbib.dk. The project gathered best practice from public libraries in Denmark and from abroad. The project goal was to develop a simple and accessible tool for public libraries to make it easy for public libraries to assign higher priority to users with reading disabilities. The project was supported by The Danish Agency for Culture.

The website is divided into two parts, one for users and the other for professionals. The user-oriented part of the website provides ideas for reading, internet resources, videos and reading tools for persons with reading difficulties.
The website pages for professionals provide good ideas and advice about marketing, library recommendations, a newsletter, relevant websites and the library space.
http://www.letbib.dk/about

Nota is the Danish national library and Expertise Center for persons with print disabilities. The website is available in English.
https://nota.dk/om-nota/english

The Duo concept is a project between public libraries and Nota with support from Kulturstyrelsen, the Danish Agency for Culture. Duo is a network for dyslexic students in secondary and higher education. Duo gives students the opportunity to meet others in the same situation and share knowledge and experiences of reading difficulties. It also enhances the Duo students' knowledge and use of the library. It can hopefully become a permanent practice and thereby position libraries as a starting point for learning network.
http://slq.nu/?article=volume-48-no-3-2015-9
http://slq.nu/?article=volume-48-no-3-2015-10

Get going! How to bring library services to persons with dyslexia into focus at your library?
Examples of best practice of library services to persons with dyslexia from two Danish public libraries in Ballerup and Lyngby. Presentation at the P3 conference (IFLA Satellite Conference of LPD): Library Services for Print Disabled Persons through Partnerships with Publishers and Public Libraries, 2009, Belgium.
/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/assets/libraries-for-print-disabilities/presentations/get_going_pedersen_mortensen.ppt

Finland

Celia is a Finnish state-owned library which produces and provides literature in accessible formats for persons who are unable to read standard printed books, including persons with dyslexia. Celia produces textbooks for all educational levels. Some easy-to-read books are also produced as talking books. The webpage includes Read Speaker and there is an easy-to-read version of the website as well. The library has employed a teacher in special education to help develop products and services for children with dyslexia. Celia has created a website for information about dyslexia in cooperation with other dyslexia and learning disability organizations. The website includes a brief dyslexia test (based on the original developed by the British Dyslexia Association) and a page where users can ask questions.
https://www.celia.fi/eng/

“Senat.sakaisin” is The Celia Facebook initiative for teens with dyslexia. This initiative was presented at the IFLA Satellite meeting 2012 of LPD: Words Upside Down: Dyslexic Teens on Facebook
/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/assets/libraries-for-print-disabilities/conferences-seminars/2012-08-tallinn/2012-08-09-katela.pdf

Reading education assistance dogs who listen to uncertain child readers reading books in libraries have spread from the US to Scandinavia. The first library in Finland to introduce the service was Kaarina Public Library in Western Finland. Raisa Alameri, special librarian at Sello Library, Espoo City Library presented the service at the IFLA conference in Helsinki 2012: My mission is to listen: Read to a dog – but not just any dog.
http://conference.ifla.org/past-wlic/2012/160-alameri-en.pdf

Flanders – Belgium

Luisterpuntbibliotheek is the Flemish Public Library serving Persons with Print Disabilities. The campaign: I hate reading was presented at the IFLA Satellite meeting 2012 of LPD: I hate reading! Dyslexic? Go for an audio book! A campaign in Flanders for young potentials with dyslexia. Presentation by Saskia Boets, Tallinn, August 2012.
/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/assets/libraries-for-print-disabilities/conferences-seminars/2012-08-tallinn/2012-08-08-boets.pdf
http://www.ikhaatlezen.be
http://www.luisterpuntbibliotheek.be/nl/english

Japan

Chofu City Library in Tokyo has expanded its reach to persons with dyslexia and other reading disabilities and has set up a corner for DAISY multimedia books and leaflets about dyslexia and DAISY in order to raise awareness after the copyright law was changed in 2010. Through this library, users can access “Sapie Library” which is the DAISY online library system run by the Japan Braille Library and the National Association of Information Facilities for People with Visual Disabilities.
Chofu City Library: https://www.lib.city.chofu.tokyo.jp/contents?5&pid=91#serv05
Sapie Library: https://www.sapie.or.jp/

Takashina Branch Library in Kawagoe City established "Apple Shelf", a library space for children with special needs including children with dyslexia. They took the idea of "Apple-Shelf": A method to include children with special needs in the public library service in Sweden. They collected what could be considered as "materials for children with disabilities": cloth picture books, easy to read books, picture books in Braille, picture books about various disabilities, materials in large print, and comic books. In addition, the put DAISY multimedia books (copyrighted) that any patrons can borrow so that they can have a try without registering for services for persons with disabilities. More information at the following website: http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/access/appleshelf.html
Homepage: https://www.lib.city.kawagoe.saitama.jp/shisetsu/takashina.html

The Netherlands

The Easy Reading Plaza (ERP) is a special part of the youth department in Dutch and Belgian (Flemish) libraries intended for primary school children with a reading disability. The attractive and specially selected reading material encourages them to read. The ERP also has specially designed furniture, which means the collection is displayed facing forwards showing the cover instead of the spine of each item.

Thanks to its attractive presentation the ERP has reached many users such as children with dyslexia, AD(H)D, autism and children with a limited vocabulary. An Easy Reading Advisor organizes activities for parents, teachers and librarians.
The websites www.makkelijklezenplein.nl and www.makkelijklezenplein.be include information about easy reading for children, parents, teachers and librarians.

Norway

NLB, Norwegian Library of Talking Books and Braille is a national library for persons with print disabilities. The library produces fiction for all age-groups and student literature for persons in higher education. http://www.nlb.no/eng/about-nlb/facts-about-nlb/

The Right to Read is a long-term campaign encouraging collaboration and partnership. The campaign aims to highlight the importance of access to literature. Spread the word is the first Right to Read campaign. All public libraries in Norway are invited to host an exhibition and contribute to spreading information about accessible literature.
http://rettilålese.no/

South Africa

The library of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg offers a “libguide” about dyslexia. The guide provides information, services and resources to assist parents with children who have learning disabilities or disorders affecting learning, and for people with learning disabilities or disorders affecting learning.
http://libguides.wits.ac.za/c.php?g=145400&p=953757

Sweden

In most Swedish public libraries there is a shelf with books for children with special needs called the Apple Shelf marked with an apple symbol. The Apple Shelf provides information about media for children with reading disabilities. The Apple Shelf informs teachers and parents about the different forms of media that libraries have for children with special needs: audio books, videos with sign language for deaf children, tactile books, Braille books and so on.
http://www.barnensbibliotek.se/Hem/OmBarnensbibliotek/English/tabid/439/Default.aspx
http://www.barnensbibliotek.se/äppelhyllan/tabid/382/Default.aspx

Linköping Stadsbibliotek is a good example of how public libraries can reach persons with dyslexia. The public library cooperates with several organizations in the community, trains staff to support persons with dyslexia and arranges courses for teachers and other school staff.
http://www.linkoping.se/uppleva-och-gora/bibliotek/latt-att-lasa-pa-olika-satt/

Collaboration between the public library and pedagogues regarding children and teens with print disabilities – Public library Linköping
At the public library in Linköping there is a unique special education resource consisting of teachers and a psychologist. It is called Språkpedagogiskt centrum (Dyslexia Centre) and its goal is that everyone working in schools should know about dyslexia / print disabilities and their consequences. Språkpedagogiskt centrum supervises and provides training to school staff and also informs and advises students and parents. One of the library staff works 10% at the Centre, with a focus on supplying information about talking books, assistive technology and the use of the online catalogue of the Swedish Agency for Accessible Media (MTM).

Many libraries in Sweden work together with schools and/or have a learning centre for persons with (print) disabilities.

The initiative “Collaboration between a public library and pedagogues regarding children and teens with print disabilities” was presented by Anna Fahlbeck at the IFLA Satellite meeting 2012 of LPD, Tallinn, August 2012.
/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/assets/libraries-for-print-disabilities/conferences-seminars/2012-08-tallinn/2012-08-09-fahlbeck.pdf

Gothenburg University Library has a homepage with information for students with dyslexia or visual impairment.
http://www.ub.gu.se/help/funktion/

Swedish Agency for Accessible Media (MTM) is the Swedish national library for persons with reading impairments. The website is available in English. MTM publishes easy-to-read books written directly in easy-to-read versions as well as adaptions of classics. MTM also offers a newspaper in a printed end digital version.
http://www.mtm.se/english/
http://www.mtm.se/produkter-och-tjanster/lattlast/

United Kingdom

BBC has created a very comprehensive and helpful guide to making websites easier to use. The site "My Web My Way" provides accessibility help, enabling computer users to make the most of the internet whatever their ability or disability. In the guide: "I find words difficult" explain ways to change how your computer or web browser operates, to make things easier for people who have difficulty with words.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/guides/words_index.shtml

Essex University Library has a special homepage for students with dyslexia and specific learning difficulties with information about assistive technology, individual exam arrangements, recorded lectures and special library services.
http://www2.essex.ac.uk/stdsup/disab/disabilities/dyslexia.shtm

Essex Libraries offers an Easy Read Guide to the library for people with learning disabilities.
http://libraries.essex.gov.uk/facilities-and-charges/accessing-library-buildings-and-facilities/

RNIB UK Education Collection (former Load2Learn) is a free online resource helping schools to support learners with dyslexia and print disabilities. The service was founded in 2011 by Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Dyslexia Action. The service was re-branded and renamed to become RNIB UK education collection in 2016.
https://www.rnib.org.uk/insight-online

The dos and don'ts of designing for accessibility are General guidelines for posters and best design practices for making services accessible in government. There are six different posters in the series that cater to users from e.g. dyslexia.
https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2016/09/02/dos-and-donts-on-designing-for-accessibility/

Scotland – Edinburgh University Library has a website for disabled users about accessibility and information services e.g. how to make documents, presentations and online materials accessible, as well as information about assistive technology. All library documents are available in alternative formats. There is a range of assistive software and hardware across the libraries including specific dyslexia packages on all the university PCs. Every year library staff are invited to attend disability awareness training which covers dyslexia.

The university has a Student Disability Service which deals with individual adjustments for disabled students including adjustments to library service such as longer loan periods and the library has a Disability Information Officer.
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/information-services/services/help-consultancy/accessibility

USA

Organization of Learning Ally is a national non-profit organization which supports students with learning disabilities and their families.
https://go.learningally.org/parents/is-it-dyslexia/

The Bookshare Project is an accessible online library helping people with print disabilities to read. The project is supported by the US Department of Education. The Bookshare.org library provides print disabled persons in the United States with legal access to over 40,000 books and 150 periodicals that are converted to Braille, large print, or digital formats for text-to-speech audio. https://www.bookshare.org/

Reading Rockets, Washington, DC, is a national multimedia literacy initiative offering information and resources on how young children learn to read, why so many struggle and how caring adults can help. They bring the best research-based strategies to teachers, parents, librarians and anyone else involved in helping a young child become a strong and confident reader.
http://www.readingrockets.org/reading-topics/dyslexia/

The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity. This website delivers news and information about research on dyslexia, provides resources, information and encouragement to persons with dyslexia, parents, educators, and clinicians. The Center also highlights the strengths of individuals with dyslexia.
http://dyslexia.yale.edu/links.html
http://dyslexia.yale.edu/

The Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) programme improves children's reading and communication skills by employing a powerful method: reading to an animal. R.E.A.D. was the first programme that utilizes therapy animals to help children improve their reading and communication skills and teaches them to love books and reading. It's been growing around the world since November 1999 when it was launched in Salt Lake City.
http://www.therapyanimals.org/Read_Team_Steps.html

Last update: 15 August 2018