特定非営利活動法人 支援技術開発機構
ユニバーサルデザインと支援技術で実現する知識と情報の共有
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特定非営利活動法人 支援技術開発機構
ユニバーサルデザインと支援技術で実現する知識と情報の共有
Yasmine Youssef
The International Federation of Library Organizations and Associations (IFLA) Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities (LPD) Standing Committee is working on guidelines for library services for persons with print disabilities.
The Croatian library for the blind hosted a three-day meeting for the working group of the guidelines.
The guidelines are designed to serve as a tool and a resource for libraries, librarians, and library staff, enabling them to begin to provide, continue to provide, or enhance existing accessible library services for persons with print disabilities in their library communities.
The working group reviewed the results of the survey.
The aim of this survey was to gather feedback from public libraries to determine the most useful and relevant information to include in the guidelines to ensure we are creating a document and accompanying resources that are useful and meaningful.
After reviewing the survey results, we worked on reviewing the topics, and made some changes based on the discussions we had.
And we concluded the three-day meeting with a discussion on the communications plan of the section and brainstormed some new ideas for the coming activities.
In addition to the meeting, the working group did other activities.
We started off with a tour of the Croatian library for the Blind.
Then, we took a tour of the Typhlological Museum of Zagreb.
The museum exhibits the history of Braille and writing for the blind, as well as some artwork created by artists with visual impairment.
They hold temporary exhibitions and have a dark room where visitors can experience different art works and textures using their sense of touch.
The Croatian Library for the Blind (CLB) has existed since 1965.
First as a part of the Croatian Blind Union and from 2000 as an independent public institution under the Ministry of Culture and Media of Croatia.
CLB produces books and other materials in accessible formats (Daisy 2.02, EPUB, Braille(around 200 titles per year.
The library includes three departments: lending department, a department for sound recording and Braille printing.
The current collection of CLB consist of around 4.500 audio titles, 2.500 titles of books and music sheets in Braille, around 700 titles in XML/EPUB.
It serves around 1200 active users (persons with print disabilities) and they lend/download around 55.000 books in accessible format per year.
The “digital library” is the most popular service at CLB, where users can download audiobooks, EPUBs as well as magazines.
In addition to the online service, the library sends out CDs by regular mail via cecogram to their patrons located in Croatia in addition to other countries.
Users can also come to the library and borrow books, and for users in the Zagreb area CLB offers delivery of books to their homes (if they are in difficult situations).
Apart from the download service, the library still works by the principle of lending and return of copies of CDs and Braille.
Aside from the library services, the library organizes activities like lectures, workshops, Braille reading contests, quizzes, exhibitions.
CLB has a certificate for approving Braille print on packages of pharmaceutical products.