Resources for Library Staff

Training and Professional Development

The Academic and National Library Training Cooperative (anltc) has offered training sessions on the topic of library services and accessibility in the past and is likely to do so again, especially if an interest is expressed.
Techshare is an international conference held in Birmingham each fall. Hosted by the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Techshare is a very worthwhile event designed for professionals who work "in the field of visual impairment, or have an interest in technology and how it facilitates independent access to education, employment, lifelong learning and society for visually impaired people". The presentations are often relevant to other groups of individuals with print disabilities as well, and annually address library concerns specifically.

Text Access Discussion List - This list was established in response to suggestions from people working in the area of access and disability support in Ireland's third level educational institutions. The purpose of the list is to provide a forum for them to discuss the disability and access issues at third level and to facilitate the sharing of relevant information and resources.
It is assumed that the list will be of greatest use to the Library, Disability, and Assistive Technology support staff responsible for ensuring that students with print disabilities obtain alternative access to printed materials. Students and anyone else with an interest in this area are also welcome.

IFLA Section of Libraries for the Blind The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has a section that is concerned with library services to the blind and other readers with print disabilities. They have published Guidelines for Library Service to Braille Users on the the IFLA website, including guidelines for developing braille collections.

Library Services for visually-impaired people: a manual of best practice Commissioned in the United Kingdom by the Library and Information Commission and Share the Vision (a partnership agency working to improve library services for visually impaired people), this manual was produced in 2000 (revised 2002) for managers and staff of public and academic libraries. An excellent resource that is available on the web and in various other formats. See the An Leabharlann review in Volume 15, Number 3/4, 2001.
Library Access - produced by An Chomhairle Leabharlanna and the Equality Authority, it is an initiative "to support equality for people with disabilities in access to and participation in public library services" (launched 11/9/2003).

SCONUL Taskforce - Access for users with disabilities: a briefing paper "on the implications for libraries of the Special Educational Needs Disability Act [UK]". (SCONUL: Society of College, National and University Libraries).

re:source - The U.K. council for museums, archives and libraries. See in particular the final report on the NoVA project - Non-Visual Access to the Digital Library: the use of digital library interfaces by blind and visually impaired people. Published by the Centre for Research in Library and Information Management (CERLIM), The Manchester Metropolitan University, by Jenny Craven and Peter Brophy. (ISBN: 0 9535343 2 4).

"The Integrated Accessible Library" - "A model of service development for the 21st Century." Authors Peter Brophy and Jenny Craven for CERLIM. Electronic version available in Word or PDF format. Also by Jenny Craven, "Electronic Access for All: awareness in creating accessible web sites for the university library."

CLAUD - "Librarians in Higher Education networking to improve library access for disabled users in the South and South-West of England."

Proposed Charter IFLA and WBU - "Transforming Libraries For the Blind in the Learning Culture of the Information Age: The Role of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and the World Blind Union (WBU)." Proposed charter to develop cooperation between the WBU and IFLA's Section of Libraries for the Blind (SLB).

British Library - Digital Preservation. This British Library site provides data on collection care for digital material, looking at the different types of material and the challenges and solutions for its preservation. There is a link from the site to the BL audio collection.

VISUGATE - a U.K. National Library for the Blind service, funded by the New Opportunities Fund. The site is designed as a "one-stop shop" for information relating to visual impairment.

Last Updated: 22-Mar-2004