This year 'Making a Noise In Libraries' has changed to Hi VIS. This will take place from 1st June to 14th June 2020 and celebrates accessible library services. The aim of this event is to raise awareness of the range of library services and activities available to visually impaired users.
Some of the services we have available for visually impaired users are as follows:
We have eBooks available on two platforms, Borrowbox and RBdigital, with a range of genres available.
Borrowbox also has titles for children and young adults as well as adults and has some great accessibility functions.
Functions from RBdigital include:
eAudiobooks
Please click here for information on accessing Borrowbox and RBdigital.
eMagazines
Between our two platforms, RBdigital and Pressreader, borrowers have thousands of eMagazines and eNewspapers to choose from. There are a variety of topics such as crafts, food and cooking, sports, entertainment and many more. There are also newspapers and magazines available from countries around the world.
RBdigital Website
We have a selection of large print books and Audiobooks (on CD) available within all our branches. There are a wide variety of genres available and users can access stock at any of our branches by placing a reservation on the item.
Audiobooks are mostly CD's however we do have some older titles that are available on cassette.
We also have a stock of music CD's that are available to borrow.
Other Resources
We also wanted to highlight some services that, whilst not provided by the library service, are useful for users such as the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) Talking books and also the East Lothian Messenger Service.
RNIB Talking books - The Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) have re-launched its library platform to provide increased access to Talking Books for those with visual impairments during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.
The new platform offers greater accessibility, full DAISY audio, and e-braille books.
To sign up to the RNIB online library visit the RNIB website or call the RNIB helpline on 0303 123 9999.
East Lothian Messenger Service- This is a talking newspaper which covers the whole of East Lothian, providing local news to blind and visually impaired people, based on the local newspapers, The East Lothian Courier and Musselburgh Courier and the magazine, East Lothian Life.
Any blind or visually impaired person living in East Lothian or anyone with a disability which makes it difficult to read a printed newspaper is eligible to receive The East Lothian Messenger.
The talking newspaper allows many people access to local news without having to rely on family and friends to relay it to them.
New listeners to the Messenger are very much welcomed. To be added to the mailing list, simply telephone Co-ordinator Veronica Wallace on (01368) 830363.
Borrowbox also has titles for children and young adults as well as adults and has some great accessibility functions.
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| Borrowbox Accessibility |
- The Borrowbox app is optimised to work with Apple’s VoiceOver functionality to enable to book to be read 'aloud'.
- It utilises the built-in screen reader to provide meaningful auditory descriptions of each on-screen element.
- You can also change font, font size, change theme and width of text. A font is available to make text more readable for dyslexic users.
Functions from RBdigital include:
- Changing the font size and font type
- Changing background colour
- Increasing/decreasing the page margins, line height, word and letter spacing for greater readability.
eAudiobooks
We have a huge range of eAudiobooks available on Borrowbox and RBdigital including children's and adult titles. On both platforms eAudiobooks have adjustable playback speed to suit individual preferences.
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| RBdigital Audiobooks playback speed |
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| Borrowbox Playback Speed |
Please click here for information on accessing Borrowbox and RBdigital.
eMagazines
Between our two platforms, RBdigital and Pressreader, borrowers have thousands of eMagazines and eNewspapers to choose from. There are a variety of topics such as crafts, food and cooking, sports, entertainment and many more. There are also newspapers and magazines available from countries around the world.
Text to speech is available on Pressreader and also available on RBdigital magazines accessed through the app on Apple devices. This means that the newspapers/magazines can be read aloud.
On RBdigital magazines ( on all devices) the size of the font and background theme can also be changed to suit individual preferences.
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| RBdigital Magazines via App on Apple devices |
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| Pressreader Text to Speech |
RBdigital Website
The RBdigital website has a unique toolbar with a full range of accessibility features. The toolbar provides a link to a helpdesk staffed by accessibility experts and tailored to people with disabilities to ensure that their specific needs are addressed.
The toolbar includes:
- Visual Toolkit—allows users to customise the visual display of the page to more effectively read and consume information through changing text/background colour and contrast, fonts, and magnifying text as needed
- Player—users can listen to web content read aloud via a built-in player and text-to-speech functionality which is not dependent on third party accessibility tools
- Site Menu—simplifies and optimises the site menu for keyboard users and individuals with cognitive disabilities
- Settings—allows users to customise settings to meet their individual preferences
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| Accessibility toolbar on RBdigital website |
Large Print, Audiobooks and Music CD's
As well as eResources, which are available to users 24/7, we also have physical resources that are usually available when our branches are open.
We have a selection of large print books and Audiobooks (on CD) available within all our branches. There are a wide variety of genres available and users can access stock at any of our branches by placing a reservation on the item.
Audiobooks are mostly CD's however we do have some older titles that are available on cassette.
We also have a stock of music CD's that are available to borrow.
Other Resources
We also wanted to highlight some services that, whilst not provided by the library service, are useful for users such as the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) Talking books and also the East Lothian Messenger Service.
RNIB Talking books - The Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) have re-launched its library platform to provide increased access to Talking Books for those with visual impairments during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.
The new platform offers greater accessibility, full DAISY audio, and e-braille books.
To sign up to the RNIB online library visit the RNIB website or call the RNIB helpline on 0303 123 9999.
East Lothian Messenger Service- This is a talking newspaper which covers the whole of East Lothian, providing local news to blind and visually impaired people, based on the local newspapers, The East Lothian Courier and Musselburgh Courier and the magazine, East Lothian Life.
Any blind or visually impaired person living in East Lothian or anyone with a disability which makes it difficult to read a printed newspaper is eligible to receive The East Lothian Messenger.
The talking newspaper allows many people access to local news without having to rely on family and friends to relay it to them.
New listeners to the Messenger are very much welcomed. To be added to the mailing list, simply telephone Co-ordinator Veronica Wallace on (01368) 830363.
