Aclosed book: Public library services for blind and partially sighted people
Campaign Report 20, RNIB 2002.
This report has drawnextensively on previous surveys that have been conducted by the Royal NationalInstitute of the Blind (RNIB) and by a range of other bodies. I should like torecord my thanks to the authors and owners of those reports for allowing me toquote from them.
In particular, I wantto thank them for the findings and conclusions which their work has fed intoour policy and which have been distilled, however inadequately, into thispublication.
I also wish to thankthose people who have provided case studies from their own experiences of locallibrary services. There would be no point in sitting in our officespontificating if we did not have their evidence to base our work on.
Within RNIB, Iparticularly want to thank our Research Library. Thanks are also due tocolleagues in other agencies serving blind and partially sighted people inparticular to David Owen of Share The Vision and Helen Brazier of the NationalLibrary for the Blind for their comments on earlier drafts.
Finally, inanticipation, our thanks to all those who, having read the recommendations inthis report, go a bit further and work for their implementation in each andevery local authority.
David Mann
May 2002
This report followsRNIB s Clear Print guidelines. It is also available in large print, tape,braille and computer disk from RNIB Customer Services on 0845 702 3153, minicom0845 758 5691 or email cservices@rnib.org.uk
Make your informationaccessible. Visit www.rnib.org.uk/seeitright
Executive summary
1. Setting the scene
2.The case to answer
3. Government, legislation and standards
4. Working together:partnerships and best practice
5. Conclusion andrecommendations
Appendix 2. Voluntarysector provision
The Public Library hasbecome a multi-purpose agency with multiple roles covering the areas ofinformation and life-long learning, recreation and leisure, culture andresearch. The new information and communication technologies do not threatenthe existence of public libraries but offer an opportunity to provideincreasingly valuable and effective services for users.
(From: Comprehensive,efficient and modern public libraries, DCMS, 2001)
The public library isat the core of British life. Visiting the library is the fourth most popularleisure pastime in the UK.
Todays librariesserve a wide range of purposes, far beyond leisure. They lend books, as theyalways have done, along with videos and music; and they provide researchresources ranging from the daily newspaper to the weightiest of referencetomes. But now they also offer access to the internet and other information andcommunications technology (ICT), including computer games for kids.
Many factors combineto exclude people with sight problems from this wealth of information. To startwith, fewer than 5 per cent of all books are produced on tape or in largeprint, let alone in braille, and public libraries are often not geared up tohelp people get hold of those titles that are available. To make matters worse,the physical environment can conspire against would-be library users, and withinadequately briefed staff and a lack of appropriate equipment, even the mostdetermined reader may find that they must give up one of their favouritepastimes.
This report looks atthe different ways in which people expect to be able to use libraries, andhighlights the lack of accessible material and equipment. It points tostatutory requirements and to examples of good practice. Finally it recommendsthat government, local authorities and library staff should take urgent actionto ensure that our public libraries are truly accessible to all.
The recommendationsin this report will make a difference to peoples lives and RNIB is seekingtheir immediate implementation.
The take-up oflibrary services is lower among blind and partially sighted people than in thepopulation at large.
Only 5 per cent ofpublic libraries have a specific policy statement covering users with sightproblems.
Only a quarter oflibraries have a specific budget for services to blind and partially sightedpeople.
Libraries are oftenpoorly designed.
Libraries stocksof audio books and large print books are meagre and not growing.
Only slightly overhalf of local authorities even have simple closed circuit television (CCTV)reading devices in any of their branches.
There is littlestate funding for library services for blind and partially sighted people, incontrast with many other countries.
Voluntary agencies,working with no government support, constantly struggle to raise funds toprovide library services. They sometimes have to charge a subsidisedsubscription to keep things running. Yet some local authorities have turnedtheir backs on these services and refuse to support them, making a poorsituation for the user even worse.
The reality is thatthe majority of blind and partially sighted people have to rely on themselvesand on charity for something as fundamental as reading.
People with sightproblems pay the taxes that pay for libraries, but they dont always getanything in return. Indeed, they may well have to dig into their own pockets.
Yet research suggeststhat blind and partially sighted people enjoy reading and can actually devotemore time to leisure reading once they have lost their sight. They do want toread, to learn, to enjoy, to escape, to keep up to date and generally to doeverything a library helps you to do. And this is their right.
If people with sightproblems are to be able to participate fully in education, work, social andcultural life, they must be able to read the same material as everyone else, atthe same time and at no extra cost.
There are around twomillion people in the UK with a sight problem. Over half of these people onein fifty of the population would qualify to be registered as blind orpartially sighted. Four out of five people with sight problems are aged 65 orover.
Some people withsight problems read by touch, some can still cope with larger print, while anumber will rely on audio. It is not uncommon for people to be able to use morethan one format, depending on the urgency of their need.
It is not acceptablefor blind or partially sighted people to be barred from having access throughtheir public library to all sources of accessible reading material, whether theultimate source is commercial or voluntary. Of course, people can continue tohave a direct relationship with voluntary service providers to whatever extentthey wish. We are simply saying that the public library should play the leadingrole in fostering and promoting all channels of library support for blind andpartially sighted people.
Some localauthorities refuse to pay subscriptions to services such as the RNIB TalkingBook Service on behalf of people in their area. This is a major form ofdiscrimination. The lack of technology, equipment and suitable lighting in manypublic libraries is also unacceptable.
For people fromminority language groups the situation is even worse. Often there is verylittle reading material available in alternative formats in languages otherthan English.
The political agenda
The government hasemphasised the role of public libraries in fostering life-long learning andencouraging social inclusion, but all strategic thought as to the provision ofservices to people who cant easily read standard print seems to be happeningin the voluntary sector.
The government shouldbe integrating services for blind and partially sighted people within thepublic library movement. There should be a long-term plan for the developmentof non-print library services that takes into account the ageing of the generalpopulation. What is more, there is an urgent need to address local authoritieslack of awareness of need in their communities. Yet the government is actuallycutting back on its meagre core funding for infrastructure projects, and whereperformance targets have been set at all they are generally very timid.
To Whitehall andthe devolved administrations:
Think strategicallyabout the needs of blind and partially sighted library users.
Explore the scopefor deploying substantial state funding to support library services for blindand partially sighted people.
Revise the decisionnot to fund library infrastructure projects other than the Reveal databasebeyond March 2002.
Ensure that PublicLibrary Standards are introduced in those parts of the UK where they have notyet been issued.
Strengthen guidanceto library authorities to stress the importance of providing a comprehensivelibrary service to all blind and partially sighted people of equivalent qualityto that enjoyed by sighted people.
Make it clear thatpolicies which deny blind and partially sighted people access to titles fromthe voluntary sector are unacceptable.
To local authorities:
Bring people whohave sight problems into the life of the local library, and not assume thatsomebody else will look after their right to leisure and life-long learning.
Offer an integratedand adequately resourced library service for blind and partially sightedpeople, based on a written policy.
Develop andmaintain expanding collections of audio and large print titles.
Operate areservations and inter-library lending service for titles in alternativeformats, including those available from the voluntary sector.
Subscribe readilyon behalf of blind users to national agencies such as the National Library forthe Blind, the RNIB Talking Book Service and the national services of theTalking Newspaper Association of the UK.
Implementstrategies for helping to get people with sight problems to use the internetand ICT equipment.
Introducecomprehensive staff training programmes that encompass the needs of readerswith sight problems and the availability of sources of further help.
Include blind andpartially sighted people in activities such as reader development programmes.
Ensure that inevery public library there is access to reading aids such as closed circuittelevision (CCTV) readers and scanners with speech.
Instituteaccessible information policies and promote services in a way that isaccessible to people with sight problems.
Audit buildings tocheck that people with sight problems have easy access.
To librarians:
Be familiar withLibrary services for visually impaired people: a manual of best practice.
Encourage use ofthe Reveal database as soon as it goes live in 2003.
Ensure that allstaff receive training so that they can understand the needs of people withsight problems.
Be aware ofexternal sources of alternative format books and services.
Ensure thatcomputer users are acquainted with technology packages that may help them.
Do not be afraid toapproach a user who may be having difficulties.
Imagine that everyfortnight since you were a child you have gone down to the library and borroweda couple of books. Reading is your favourite pastime and you value the quietand calm of the environment. You catch up on the newspapers and your favouritemagazines, and have even used the internet to look for courses, jobs and dosome research into your family tree. Then you lose your sight.
Slowly you find itmore and more difficult to read, even with a magnifier. The large print sectionin the library is tiny, as is the audio section. The magazines are totally outand theres no point even going near the computer. You stop going to thelibrary completely.
This is not anuncommon situation, because libraries often fail people with sight problems.There are insufficient titles in alternative formats, problems with thephysical environment, poorly briefed staff and a lack of appropriate equipment.Faced with these difficulties, people who are blind or whose sight is failinggive up one of their favourite pastimes.
1.1 The purpose of this report
This campaign reportsets out areas where the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) believesthere is room for improvement if all public libraries are to become trulyinclusive. It looks at the different ways in which people expect to be able touse libraries, highlights the lack of available reading material, points tostatutory requirements and to examples of good practice, and makesrecommendations.
RNIB is very proud of its own library services, as indeedare our fellow service providers of theirs. However, it is not our aim here topromote those services or argue that they are better than others. Books fromall voluntary sector providers, large and small, along with those from thecommercial sector should all be seen as complementing one another in a vainattempt to keep up with the onrush of new titles from the publishing industry.
1.2 The importance oflibraries
The public library isat the core of British life. Whether housed in an imposing Victorian municipalpile or a van parked in a leafy lane, it has been used and loved by generationsof children and adults seeking information, enlightenment and relaxation.
Todays librariesserve a wide range of purposes. They lend books, as they always have done,along with videos and music. They provide research resources ranging from thedaily paper to the weightiest of reference tomes, and now they offer access tothe internet and a wide range of information and communications technology(ICT), including computer games for kids.
The essential virtueof public libraries is that they are for the public, for everyone, of whateverage, class or educational background.
Everyone? Well, whatif you cant read the books or newspapers, or study the weighty referencevolumes, or see all those fascinating things on the internet dancing beforeyou? Is the library still for you?
Of course, it shouldbe. People with sight problems pay the taxes that go to support publiclibraries. And they do want to read, to learn, to enjoy, to escape, to keep upto date and generally to do everything a library helps you to do. Yet far toooften there is little or nothing available to them from their local publiclibrary. There may be no information on the accessible library servicesprovided by voluntary organisations. Worst of all, readers with sight problemsmay be compelled to pay for services from outside agencies from their own pockets,even though they have already paid for a library service through their taxes.
Visiting the libraryis the fourth most popular pastime in the UK (Matheson and Babb, 2002). Sadly,research shows that take-up of library services is lower among blind andpartially sighted people than in the population at large. Stock levels of audioand large print books have been stagnating and only slightly over half of thelibraries surveyed in 1999/2000 even had simple closed circuit television(CCTV) reading devices in any of their branches.
1.3 The extent ofthe exclusion
There are around twomillion people in the UK with a sight problem (Grundy et al, 1999). Over halfof these people one in fifty of the population could be registered as blindor partially sighted.
The older you are themore likely you are to have a sight problem. Four out of five people with sightproblems are aged 65 or over. It is estimated that one in five people aged 75or over have a sight problem.
Six out of ten peoplewith serious sight loss never go out alone.
An estimated 22,000young people under the age of 16 are growing up in the UK with a sight problem,according to RNIB estimates.
1.4 How do peoplewith sight problems read?
Blind and partiallysighted people read in a variety of ways. While some can use ordinary smallprint, many prefer large print (defined by RNIB as being 16 point or above).Some cannot use the printed word easily or at all and use other methods such asbraille; some use audio reading by listening. Many people use differentmethods of reading according to the circumstances, for example braille forcomplicated text, audio for leisure reading, email with synthetic speech outputfor correspondence and someone in the household to read personal post.
1.5 Who isresponsible for the services?
In 1996 LindaHopkins, then Head of Library Services in Gloucestershire, wrote in herforeword to the National Guidelines on Library and Information Services forVisually Impaired People: the public sector has, for all too long, relied onthe voluntary sector to fill a gap in provision through charitable donationsrather than the public purse. The overall picture has scarcely improved sincethen.
The Public Librariesand Museums Act, 1964, was drafted at a time when it was assumed that charitieswould look after blind and partially sighted people. Later legislation inScotland and Northern Ireland is equally oblivious to the needs of people withsight problems. It is only now, with the introduction in 2001 of Public LibraryStandards for England and Wales, that central government has explicitly taken afew timid steps towards demanding an inclusive library service. Even that hasnot yet happened in every part of the UK.
Books in accessibleformats come from a wide variety of sources. Some large print and audio titlesare produced commercially, but all braille and the majority of audio titles areproduced and distributed by voluntary agencies run on charitable funds. In someinstances, particularly that of the national service run by the TalkingNewspaper Association of the UK (TNAUK) or the RNIB Talking Book Service, thesefunds have to be supplemented by a subscription paid by or on behalf of theuser.
1.6 Bookstarvation
Blind and partiallysighted people are starved of books. Library authorities need to understandjust how few titles are available in any accessible format. In 1999, forexample, almost 110,000 titles were published in the UK, of which a mere 2000were in large print and 2500 in audio.
Most titles neverbecome available in an alternative format.
Faced with thisvastly restricted choice of reading material, we might naively have hoped thatpublic libraries would do all in their power to make everything that does existavailable: not so. The number of commercially produced large print and audiotitles may be creeping up, but ironically access to titles from the voluntarysector is being restricted because fewer local authorities are prepared to payfor their users to access one of the major audio collections: the RNIB TalkingBook Service. Nor are very many prepared to pay the token annual subscriptionrequested by the National Library for the Blind for access to its braillecollection, or the subscription levied by TNAUK for its newspaper and magazineservice.
A library servicecannot be judged simply by what is on the shelves. If sighted people want booksthat are not held by their own branch library, they can ask for them to beobtained through well-established inter-library lending schemes between libraryauthorities. Thus the reader in Pembroke who wants an obscure book held only bypublic libraries in Pontefract, Perth or Portadown has only to wait a while andit will materialise. Inter-library lending of commercially produced alternativeformat material, on the other hand, is only patchy.
There are mechanismsin place for the inter-lending of some voluntary sector material, but this doesnot cover all formats. People who want an accessible copy of a best seller maywell only be able to obtain it if they themselves pay for a subscription to aservice from a voluntary agency such as RNIB. If their local authority does notpay a subscription, then that is the only alternative.
People with sightproblems should have access through their public library to all sources ofaccessible reading material, whether the ultimate source is commercial orvoluntary. Some local authorities refuse to pay subscriptions to outsidelibrary service providers. This is a major form of discrimination.
In the past,financial support enabling local residents to enjoy national services generallycame from social services departments. Today, these still often play animportant role by funding subscriptions to the RNIB Talking Book Service. Butboth social services and library departments have been faced with tightfinancial constraints, and so this form of support has been cut back in atleast 25 areas in recent years. In addition, the tendency to assess risk ratherthan need has pushed access to reading way down the list of priorities forsocial services departments. In many areas no new users are being supported atall.
We urge the two armsof local government to work closely together; benefiting from each othersexpertise in assessing and meeting needs. National standards to be issued thisAutumn by the Association of Directors of Social Services will recognise thevalue of this relationship (ADSS, in press).
The drive towardsbest value ought to improve matters. Best value demands that serviceproviders take account of best practice and consultation with users, as well asfinancial considerations, when making purchasing decisions. However, if dilutedinto pure penny pinching, it will not be a positive development. For example,signposting someone to a free service, or adding a few titles to a collectionmay look better on a balance sheet than paying a subscription to an externalorganisation, but if that is all you do then you are denying users access tothousands of titles. It is a fundamental error to look at different providersof alternative formats as providing alternative services. There is solittle available in total from all sources, that people with sight problemsmust be given access to all those sources. It is not like choosing between amajor airline and a no-frills competitor, both of whom get you to the sameplace. Denying access to over 12,000 titles that would be available to sightedusers is like cordoning off half of the library and setting up a turnstile intowhich blind and partially sighted users must insert their own money!
In March 2001 a majorcity in the south-west of England gave over 200 of its citizens just two weeksnotice that their RNIB Talking Book Service subscription would no longer bepaid for them. The local authority cited the growth in its own collection ofaudio titles, and the home delivery service operated on its behalf. Thus, at astroke, the number of audio titles available to people with sight problems inthat city was reduced by more than a half, and the daily delivery service oftapes through the post dried up.
And yet
In another part ofthe West Country a shire county took a different approach, setting up anexemplary integrated service. A pilot was set up to explore the possibilitiesof combining national and local resources, and providing a local service pointfor access by all the countys visually impaired readers. It offered a loan andrequest service for all alternative format materials, from both the libraryservices own audio book resources and voluntary agencies, as well as access tobraille and large print books.
The countys libraryservice took over funding from the social services department for allsubscription-based services, which were then negotiated on a block subscriptionbasis. All readers with sight problems could be registered as members of thelibrary service, and would then receive access to all resources free of charge.Delivery was through the post or through mobile and housebound services.
Readers greatlyvalued the local contact with staff, and the single ordering point for allmaterials. The success of the service was also very apparent from the immediateand continued growth in the numbers of registered members. At the start of theproject, 423 reader subscriptions were transferred from social services; 12months later the service had 686 readers. By 2000 there were 1060 readers usingthe service.
2.1 Case studies
Barbara, 23, has afirst class honours degree in Fine Arts. Reading is one of her many interests,alongside music, the theatre and ice-skating.
She is verydisappointed with her local library in the south-east of England. She writes:
My local library hasa small selection of audio cassettes, with the title not marked in anyalternative format. The tapes are often not rewound and not labelled, making itdifficult to know which one comes first. The computer-based catalogue is notaccessible, but staff are usually helpful. They did tell me about their houseboundservice, I have been on the waiting list for four months.
Jack is in the primeof life. Married, with children and a successful career in the voluntarysector, he lives in a small market town in the East Midlands.
He writes:
One of the ways inwhich I most feel my visual impairment affects me is how it cuts me off frombooks.
So little isavailable in any medium that I can read, and finding out what is available is areal nightmare. I envy those people who can just walk into a public library,browse among thousands of titles and get spoilt for choice. Its so simple, soeasy for them and so difficult for me.
It's not justdifficult because things aren't available. People librarians make itharder. First you get the general impression that the staff would rather youhadn't come in at all. I once asked about borrowing audio cassettes and anotherwise no doubt very helpful lady said No, you don't get them here; YOU getthem from our special postal service, and produced a hard-to-read form,suggesting I go away and fill it in. No offer to help and no choice. Ipersisted and asked about audio books in the library... Yes, they have some. Icounted them. It didn't take long: 80 titles.
Melanie is a braillereader with two fully sighted children. She wants them to grow up with booksand was keen that they should join the local community library in the NorthernIreland town where they live. But she also wanted to share with them the joy ofreading, particularly bedtime stories. Clearvision, a charity based in London,funded largely from donations, operates a postal lending library of childrensbooks that have braille overlays in clear plastic, so that blind and sightedadults and children can share them. These were perfect, but Melanie could onlyget them through the post, two or three at a time, chosen by the person back atbase. But Melanie wanted to take her children to the library and choose bookswith them, just like any other mum.
Clearvision wouldhave supplied the local library with a changing selection of appropriate titlesfor a mere 40 per year. It took over two years and complaints to the mediabefore the local Library Board agreed to do this, and even then thesubscription had to be shared with another family in a town twenty or thirtymiles away. And anyway, by the time the books had finally arrived Melanieschildren had grown out of bedtime stories.
Barry is in his early60s, and has been blind for over 40 years. A few years ago he was made redundantfrom the company where he had been working for decades as a lathe operator. Heenjoys listening to books on tape, particularly biographies and othernon-fiction.
He has to rely on amonthly visit from a volunteer who helps to run a housebound service from thelocal library, and on another volunteer who brings tapes to a local club forblind people once a fortnight. He says:
The trouble is, youcant choose. You dont even know whats available. The only catalogues are inprint, so theyre no use to me. Im sure there are lots of lovely books outthere that Ive never even heard about, and even if a book has been put on tapeyou dont know that it has!
Barry used to receiveRNIB Talking Books, but the subscription rose to a point where he felt he couldno longer afford it. The English county where he lives is notorious for payingno such subscriptions at all.
The pavements androads are narrow and poorly maintained, and going to the library alone is notreally an option. So Barry will have to rely on the good will of volunteers forthe foreseeable future.
They are very kind,but its just so frustrating not being able to choose for yourself in the waythat other people do.
Mr L., on the otherhand, is delighted with his local library in a country town in southernEngland. They have a growing selection of audio titles, and the staff go togreat lengths to acquire books for him if they are not immediately available.All his enquiries are answered positively. And this is just a small town, notthe county town or the central library.
Case study 6
Adrian started usingcomputers just 18 months ago and already he is writing a chess column in anational magazine. Even more remarkably Adrian, 54, is deafblind and physicallydisabled. But that has not stopped him learning. Indeed, learning new skillshas had a major impact on his life. He says:
Because of mydisabilities I didn't think that I would ever be able to use a computer. Ittook me a long time, but eventually I learned basic word processing skills andgained the confidence to operate a computer successfully.
I am now able toread and reply to my own correspondence for the first time in my life. Im alsoin communication with people from all over the country in print, large print,braille and by email. My relations in Australia were amazed to receive an emailfrom me. I achieved a degree of independence that I would not have believedpossible.
Adrian believes thischange in his life is thanks to his local library in the north-east of Englandand the facilities made available through the librarys partnership with alocal community group for blind and partially sighted people, as well as thesupport of a volunteer. He adds:
I was born disabledand have been totally blind since the age of 14. I really believed that I wouldnever be able to take advantage of what a computer could offer. I now have amajor new interest in my life. Im able to communicate with people in ways Inever dreamt of. The written word has been given back to me and I intend totake full advantage of this opportunity.
2.2 Research findings
2.2.1 Performance of local libraries
In 1985, the BritishLibrarys Information Research Report (Craddock, 1985) asserted: Few librariesappeared to have identified blind people as a particular group amongst thedisabled more generally, or having special needs to which the library felt ableor obliged to respond. The role for most libraries was one of referral to otherservice providers working in the area of social welfare.
Matters havecertainly improved since then. There has been a growing recognition within thelibrary profession of the role that it can play and the services that it canoffer to people with sight problems. More alternative format titles and more equipmenthave become available. Concepts of equality of access have gained ground,aided by the Disability Discrimination Act, 1995 (DDA).
Nonetheless, surveysconducted by the Library and Information Statistics Unit (LISU) at LoughboroughUniversity (Kinnell et al, 2000) and by RNIB (RNIB, 1999) reflect very patchyprovision. They also show that, while services were gradually improving duringthe 1980s and most of the 90s, they have levelled off and even, in someinstances, declined over the past three or four years.
The LISU survey foundthat only 5 per cent of library authorities had a specific written policy forservices to blind and partially sighted people, and only just over 25 per centhad a specific budget. Some aspects of training, such as briefing staff on thework of specialist agencies, were neglected in half of the authoritiessurveyed.
Take-up of libraryservices is lower among blind and partially sighted people than in thepopulation at large. Stock levels of audio and large print books havestagnated, and only slightly over half the authorities surveyed by LISU evenhad simple CCTV reading devices, and then not in all branches.
2.2.2 User awareness and satisfaction
In November 2001,LISU published a further report, Out of sight but not out of mind (Davies etal, 2001). This time the survey asked almost 600 blind and partially sightedpeople about their library usage or non-usage. Respondents reflect accuratelythe age spread and gender split of the registered blind and partially sightedpopulation, as well as the incidence of additional disability.
Of those interviewed,half had not used their public library at all over the past three years. Theirreading needs were being met, if they were being met at all, entirely from thecharitable sector.
Of those who didvisit the library, only half said it was easy to find their way around withoutassistance, while 34 per cent reported some difficulties and 16 per cent saidthey had serious problems.
Regular users did, onthe other hand, express quite high levels of satisfaction with the attitude,helpfulness and awareness of staff.
RNIBs survey,Access to written information the views of 1000 people with sight problems,(Bruce and Baker, 2001), revealed not only a lack of awareness but a lack ofknowledge about where to turn for information. Almost 40 per cent ofrespondents who did not have access to the RNIB Talking Book Service would likeit. Those who did not receive the service were asked how they would find outmore about it. Many people (44 per cent) simply did not know. Only 13 per centsaid they would approach
their library.
The facilities ofpublic libraries can be split into borrowing, reading on site and accessing theinternet, as follows:
2.2.3 Borrowing books
In 1998 RNIB commissioneda telephone survey of some 1200 people who were either customers of its TalkingBook Service or of the Calibre Cassette Library (RNIB, 1998). The respondentswere spread across the UK in proportion to the overall population of thedifferent countries and regions, and also reflected the overall population ofpeople with sight problems in terms of age and gender.
Interestingly, themajority reported that they read for longer now than when their sight wasbetter (though of course they were reading audio rather than print). Thischange was attributed primarily to their having a greater amount of leisuretime. Far fewer read newspapers. The increase was in fiction and non-fiction,where the numbers of people reading had also increased, by 11 per cent and 8per cent respectively.
Eighty-two per centof the sample regarded reading as a very important part of their leisureactivities. Sixty-three per cent spent more than two hours a day reading.
Just over a third (35per cent) of the sample in the 1998 survey borrowed audio books from theirlocal library, and a further 5 per cent borrowed from their local authoritymobile or housebound library services. This illustrates that, for a substantialnumber, the statutory and voluntary services were seen as complementary. On theother hand, it also shows that almost two thirds of people who read audio booksout of necessity rather than choice still relied completely on charitableagencies for this service.
Altogether, 42 percent used the public library for one reason or another (similar to thefifty-fifty split found in the LISU survey). This includes those who visitedthemselves and those for whom a friend or relative went. They ranked thehelpfulness of staff very highly, but only 27 per cent of large print readersand 44 per cent of audio readers rated the range of available titles as good.
Among those who didnot use the service, poor public transport and a poor selection of titles werethe main reasons cited.
2.2.4 Reading on site
Technology offersplenty of ways for people with sight problems to read print material in alibrary. This ranges from something as basic as a good lamp, through the 1970sbasic technology of a CCTV reading device or the twenty-year-old science of anoptical character recognising scanner (OCR) with synthetic speech output.Hardly red hot stuff but unfortunately where libraries have invested in suchequipment it has too often turned into a white elephant. In general this isprobably because the purchase was driven more by good intentions than by anintegrated social inclusion strategy.
RNIBs report (Bruceand Baker, 2001) found that 67 per cent of people with sight loss either couldnot read magazines (22 per cent) or could only do so with difficulty (45 percent). The earlier RNIB report (RNIB, 1998) found that while 70 per cent ofrespondents reported reading newspapers when they had their sight, only 9 percent continued to do so when they had lost it.
A library providingbasic reading equipment might start bridging this gap.
2.2.5 Getting on the net
Libraries are at thecentre of the governments plans to turn us into an
e-society. Librariesplay a key role in developing government on-line
and in promotingprogrammes of life-long learning. The Peoples Network should be for ALL thepeople.
With the righttechnology, people with sight problems can access PC screens through enlargeddisplays, synthetic speech or temporary braille displays. Some blind andpartially sighted people can have this at home, but they face many morebarriers than their sighted counterparts. For example, the cost of the accesstechnology adds considerably to the overall cost of getting on-line. Trainingis expensive too, and post-training advice may be at the end of a voicemailmessage. The communal facilities of libraries could provide a more affordablesolution. To do so, however, they need equipment, training and a policy topromote and encourage use.
The LISU survey(Davies et al, 2001) found that 79 per cent of library users who have sight problemsonly visited their local branch library rather than a regional or centrallibrary. This means that equipment needs to be available in all branchlibraries (if only for some of the time) if it is to reach most potentialusers.
The same survey alsofound that 77 per cent of those interviewed have never used a computer. Ofthose who did use computers, most did so in a school or college, or at work.Only 4 per cent did so in a public library, so there is a large potentialmarket for this technology in public libraries.
RNIBs report (Bruceand Baker, 2001) showed, not surprisingly, that few elderly blind or partiallysighted people had a strong desire to get into computers. But among working agepeople the picture is different. Only 31 per cent of respondents in this agegroup identified themselves as computer users, but the major reasons given bythe others as to why they were not users were lack of training (28 per cent)and lack of money (26 per cent).
2.2.6 People from minority language groups
If your firstlanguage is not English, and you are blind or partially sighted, there are evenfewer accessible books and fewer library services for you. This applies whetherthe language in question is Welsh, Gujarati or Polish.
In 1997 and 1998 RNIBconducted focus group research among people with sight problems fromAfro-Caribbean and South Asian communities in England. Two findings stood outvery clearly. Both groups regretted the paucity of material available, whileamong speakers of South Asian languages there was only very patchy awareness ofthose services that did exist. Neither group used the library very much.
Comments from users included:
Since the difficultywith my sight and also given that you are not likely to find material of yourchoice, l have given up using the library.
Predominantly thematerial that you find in the library is in small print and is not suitable.The issue seems to be that there is hardly any choice both in relation toformats and languages.
The overallimpression given by the groups about libraries was that the staff were helpful,but they did not fully understand the reading requirements of people fromethnic minority communities who have sight problems. The libraries would needto stock more large print books as well as audio-books and on a wider varietyof subjects, such as religious topics, poetry, classical music, humour andnews, if they were to encourage greater use by these communities.
Information was alsoa problem, not least because most of it was available only in English.
Even though l ameducated ...l feel that it is very difficult to access any information becauseit not well publicised... Reading services for people from ethnic minoritybackgrounds are minimal.
It is, of course,simplistic to view the needs of people from minority language groups as asingle challenge. Just as the provision of a ramp instead of steps does notaddress the problems of all disabled people, so providing, say, a first-classservice of Vietnamese audio books would not help all ethnic minorities.
A survey conducted byManchesters public library service pointed, quite fairly, to shortcomings inthe work of the voluntary sector as well as statutory library services(Warburton et al, 2001). More resources are needed, but so is greaterunderstanding of needs and closer collaboration between all parties concerned.
3. Government,legislation and standards
3.1 Legislation
We would like tothink that library authorities will be motivated solely by a wish to bring themost extensive and comprehensive range of services possible to people withsight problems who live and work in their area. However, there are at leastthree official pronouncements to which library authorities must have full regard.These are:
the statutesgoverning public library services
Public LibraryStandards (so far issued only in England and in Wales)
the DisabilityDiscrimination Act 1995 (DDA).
3.1.1 Public libraries legislation
In England and Wales,the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, lays an obligation on local libraryauthorities to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for allpersons desiring to make use thereof. Unfortunately, comprehensive andefficient are not defined. The Act does oblige library authorities to ensurethat facilities are available for the borrowing of, or reference to, books andother printed matter and other material sufficient in number, range andquality to meet the general requirements and any special requirements both ofadults and children. The Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986, makessimilar provision for Northern Ireland, but regrettably omits the word allbefore persons. In Scotland, the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 lays aduty on local authorities to secure the provision of adequate libraryfacilities for all persons in their area. The fundamental service of lendingprinted books, at least, has to be free of charge in all jurisdictions.
It is doubtfulwhether our legislators had blind or partially sighted people in mind whenthese duties were formulated. However, local authorities might be advised toask themselves if the number, range and quality of their material really doesmeet the general and particular needs of blind and partially sighted people,or truly provides an adequate library services for all persons. Users willcertainly be asking.
3.1.2 Public Library Standards
For the first time,public libraries in England and Wales are now obliged to adhere to Standardsissued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and by the WelshAssembly. The Welsh standards are a little more exacting than their Englishequivalents. Both sets acknowledge the role libraries have to play in tacklingsocial exclusion, and include a few first timid steps by central government andthe Welsh Assembly towards looking at how the needs of people with sightproblems are covered by libraries when the performance of library authoritiesis measured.
The provisions obligelibrary authorities to compile community profiles and to introduce reservationsystems for alternative formats. Some tentative targets for large print andaudio holdings are also foreshadowed, though not actually set.
Local authoritieshave to set out in their annual plans how they are serving disabled people, andtargets have to be met within a three-year cycle. Some authorities have no timeto lose.
3.1.3 The DDA
Libraries, like allservice providers, are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Theyare not obliged to turn all their books into braille or audio, but we believethey do need to consider seriously whether they might be at risk of being inbreach of the Act in some areas. For example, the existence of inter-lendingschemes means that any print book held by any library in the country can beobtained for a library member. Policies which mean that the same is not truewhen the user wants an audio or large print book (whether produced by thecommercial or voluntary sector) might be discriminatory. Libraries that havenot made reasonable efforts to make their information technology facilitiesaccessible to users with sight problems might also be in breach.
3.2 Central and devolved government.
We have talked a lotabout the role of local authorities. But their funds are limited by overallgovernment spending restrictions, emanating from Whitehall or the devolvedadministrations. While in England the DCMS issues standards, and demands andmonitors local library plans, it is the Department of Transport, Local Governmentand the Regions (DTLR) which holds the purse strings. There is no specificspending allocation for libraries, because the money comes out of the otherservices block of the Standard Spending Assessment from DTLR.
DCMS is nonethelessin a position to help create the infrastructure needed to support effectivelocal service delivery for blind and partially sighted people in all parts ofthe UK. For three years, until March 2002, DCMS did provide Resource (theCouncil for Museums, Archives and Libraries) with a grant of 200,000, to bedevoted to projects for the benefit of blind and partially sighted libraryusers. The largest share of this money has gone towards the development of theReveal database a web-based catalogue of alternative format material. But ithas also been used for the creation of the Manual of best practice; for thedevelopment of inter-lending schemes for alternative formats; for thecommissioning of research into the policies of local authorities and the viewsof users with sight problems; and the Talking Eyes project, which producesaudio information tapes in a range of minority languages.
We were thereforedismayed to learn that this grant had been axed. No reasons were given. DCMShas undertaken to look seriously at continuing support for the Reveal project,after conducting a short audit of the scheme. Hopefully this will have beenresolved by the time this Report is published, and we do anticipate that thiswill result in continuing and substantial support for this project. Evenassuming it does, though, there will be no money for other projects, and anoverall drop in government investment. This is a retrograde step.
There is an even morefundamental need, however, to address the overall shortage of material inalternative formats. Only if the voluntary agencies in this field receive amassive injection of public money can they significantly increase the overallproduction of titles. Closer collaboration with publishers can also help toreduce overall costs, but for too long the government has left the productionof braille, audio, large print and other accessible material almost entirely tocharity. This cannot be allowed to continue.
3.2.1 Scotland
In Scotland, localauthorities are responsible for public libraries. There is no specificdepartment within the Scottish Executive with responsibility although,depending on their remits, various departments take an interest.
Scotland was someyears ahead of the rest of the UK in drawing up standards for public libraries.These were developed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)and were issued in 1995. They devote significantly more attention to the needsof disabled people than the more recent English and Welsh Standards, which comedown from government rather than up from the local authorities. They will berevised once the Public Library (or Peoples) Network has been rolled out.
3.2.2 Wales
Wales, like England,is subject to the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, but responsibility forlibraries is now devolved to the Welsh Assembly. Through the Department ofCulture, Sport and the Welsh Language, the Assembly issued its Public LibraryStandards about nine months after England, but produced standards that are moreexacting, in that they address issues of ICT accessibility, acknowledge that agreater range of alternative formats are available, and set some expendituretargets, albeit not very specific.
These Standards areneeded. During 1999 and 2000, RNIB Cymru surveyed all 22 Welsh library authorities(Jackson, 2000). As with the LISU survey of local authorities, a patchwork ofservices was discovered, aggravated by the paucity of large print or audiomaterial in Welsh. A third of those authorities had no policy relating toservices for blind or partially sighted people.
3.2.3 Northern Ireland
Libraries areadministered by five regionally based education and library boards, under theEducation and Libraries Order (Northern Ireland) 1986. Since devolution,library administration is part of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.The library service is currently conducting a wide-ranging review of itsoverall services, under the banner Tomorrows Libraries, but the Boards havealways taken an interest in services for blind people, in a more consistentfashion than can be said of the rest of the UK.
Of particularinterest is a scheme to put access technology into all branch libraries and,equally importantly, train both technical and front desk staff in its use, aspart of a concerted plan to encourage blind and partially sighted people to usethe services.
4. Workingtogether: partnerships and best practice
We believe thatlibrary services for blind and partially sighted people should be a partnership,with the public sector taking overall responsibility and voluntary agenciesproviding additional expertise and experience, leaving the end-user free tointeract with either or both. We have been working towards this for many years.
4.1 Sharing the vision
RNIB establishedShare The Vision (STV) a little over ten years ago to bring library servicesfor blind and partially sighted people into the mainstream. STV brings togetherthe voluntary and public sectors for a common purpose. Members include themajor voluntary providers, together with the Society of Chief Librarians, theBritish Library, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Providers,the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) and theScottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Library and Information Councils.
STVs aim is tointegrate services for blind and partially sighted people within the publiclibrary movement. STV wants the local library to be the natural point of entryto all services. The library may be a building, a van or an outreach service,or someone at the end of a phone or email link: the services that a libraryprovides will be a mix of its own and of specialist services bought in tocomplement local provision. This does not mean that the major voluntaryagencies should abandon their expert activities; far from it. The intention isthat the library should be the intermediary, sorting out funding and paperwork,publicising the service and helping its users (as they would any library user)to choose books and get the best out of everything available.
This project has led,directly or indirectly, to a number of concrete advances:
In November 2000the then Minister for the Arts launched Library services for visually impairedpeople: a manual of best practice (Hopkins, 2000). This contains chapters ondemography, library policy and management, and on practical issues such asinter-lending procedures, sources of alternative formats, informationtechnology, marketing and promotion of library services, guidelines, standardsand examples of good practice. It is a valuable resource for all those seekingto serve their users and potential users who have sight problems to the highestlevel. The manual is available in the internet, and the website (updated in May2002) also features a discussion board for debating topical issues or seekinganswers to individual problems.
Reveal, aweb-based catalogue to be launched early in 2003, will enable individuals orlibrary staff to identify whether titles have been produced in any alternativeformat and if so how copies may be obtained. The associated collectionsregister should be available in the autumn of 2002. Overall, this will improvethe inter-lending situation, although more work is needed to ensure thatinter-lending is adequately staffed and supported. Until Reveal is launched,RNIBs Library and Information Service can provide enquirers with similarinformation and provide a range of bibliographies and other services.
4.2 The role of the voluntary sector
The voluntary sectorhas long realised that it is not perfect. Different organisations havedifferent enrolment procedures, and we have not always collaborated on titleselection as we should have. Work is in hand to address these problems. For example,the RNIB Talking Book Service now offers a range of service level agreementsunder which a library authority can make a single annual payment rather than aseries of separate subscriptions, for a service tailored to that authoritysrequirements.
Appendix 2 lists someof the major voluntary sector service providers. All the bodies listed dependfor their existence on legacies, jumble sales and other variations oncharitable income. Even where subscriptions are levied, these do not cover thetotal cost of providing the service.
4.3 Digital audio and electronic books
The world of audiobooks is going digital, and RNIB will be launching its Digital Talking BookService in May 2002. Material for educational purposes is already beingproduced by RNIB in Glasgow and Belfast.
Digital audio willoffer all the facilities of search and retrieval, annotation and navigationthat are difficult or impossible with present-day linear analogue tape. A bookcan be indexed so that you can move from sub-paragraph to sub-paragraph, recipeto recipe, or simply chapter to chapter. The player can even remember whatpoint in the book you had reached when you stopped reading and took the discout.
The DAISY Consortium(Digital Audio Information System) has established internationally acceptedstandards which mean that the same material can be played on a variety ofdevices in different parts of the world, reducing duplication of effort andenabling widespread distribution.
4.4 Practical initiatives
In recent years theNational Library for the Blind and other agencies have sponsored a series ofevents aimed at drawing blind and partially sighted users into publiclibraries. With names such as Branching Out and A Touch Of, each hassought to encourage library staff to find ways of involving local blind andpartially sighted people in the life of their local library and encourage themto take up both local and national services.
5. Conclusion andrecommendations
5.1 A picture of unacceptable exclusion
Public libraries arean invaluable resource. People can borrow books, delve into works of reference,or learn how to surf the internet, usually at no charge. Blind and partiallysighted people have a right to be able to use their local library services, andwe want those services to be the gateway to life-long learning and leisure. Butthis takes commitment and action from local authorities.
Many factors combineto prevent blind and partially sighted people having the same access to booksand other publications as everyone else. These include the low priority givento the teaching and promotion of braille; producers in the voluntary sector nothaving enough capacity to transcribe or record everything that is published;publishers not being able or willing to produce alternative formats themselves;and concerns about abuse of copyright powers.
Blind and partiallysighted people do not have special needs. They have the same needs aseveryone else: to read, to learn, to relax, to enjoy, to share. It is thesolutions to those common needs that have to be tailored to the way in whichthey access information.
We are aninformation-driven society. A lot of resources have, quite rightly, been pouredinto adult literacy over the past twenty or thirty years. But the public sectorhas been slow to respond to the needs of blind and partially sighted people. Itis too easy to pass the buck to the voluntary sector, without passing thebucks. The voluntary sector has the expertise, the experience, and thewillingness to assist, but cannot hope to meet the true need. Morefundamentally, we do not think the ultimate responsibility lies with us. Weshould be partners and sub-contractors, working with a library sector that isdetermined to include blind and partially sighted people in all its activities.
5.2.Recommendations Whitehall and devolved administrations
The Department ofCulture, Media and Sport (DCMS) should think strategically about the needs ofblind and partially sighted library users and look at how voluntary agenciescan be funded so that they can start to close the gap between the amount ofmaterial available in print and that accessible to people with sight loss.
DCMS should revisethe decision not to fund any infrastructure projects other than the Revealdatabase.
Guidance to libraryauthorities from Whitehall and devolved administrations should be strengthened.
Clear targets should be set for audio and large printholdings and stock development.
Guidance shouldstress that any policy which denies blind and partially sighted people accessto titles available from the voluntary sector is unacceptable.
Clear direction oninclusive policies relating to accessible technology for catalogue and internetaccess must be developed.
Public LibraryStandards should be introduced in those parts of the United Kingdom where theyhave not yet been promulgated. The existing English guidelines should not beseen as models but as timid beginnings that each new formulation should improveupon.
5.3 Recommendations local authorities
Draw up andimplement (with local consultation) a written policy on comprehensive,integrated services for people with sight problems.
Draw up communityprofiles that take full account of the blind and partially sighted population.
Make sure thatsocial services and libraries work together to identify and meet peoplesreading needs.
Measure youractivities against the requirements of the Public Libraries and Museums Act,1964, the Public Library Standards and the requirements of DDA.
Audit your premisesin anticipation of the next phase of DDA (to be implemented in 2004).
Develop andmaintain expanding collections of audio and large print titles.
Always be preparedto buy-in specialist services that are run on a national or regional basis, andto help people with all aspects of accessing these services, such as enrolment,title selection and, where appropriate, familiarisation with equipment.
Develop policies tohelp people with sight problems to read on the premises.
Ensure that on-linecatalogues and the internet are accessible for people with sight problems, andthat staff are trained to provide appropriate support.
Operatereservations and inter-lending policies for alternative formats, includingthose available only from voluntary agencies.
5.4 Recommendations librarians and other library staff
Include people withsight problems in activities such as reader development programmes.
Take practicalsteps to maintain the quality of the audio stock, checking the condition ofcassettes and marking them in a way that blind and partially sighted people canuse.
Take steps toinclude format preference in any user database.
Familiariseyourselves with the Manual of best practice and keep an eye on the on-linediscussions board.
Use the Revealdatabase as soon as it goes live in 2003.
Have information onlocal and national services for blind and partially sighted people availablefrom every front desk.
Do not be afraid toapproach a user who may be having difficulties.
STV exists toencourage ever improving facilities for blind and partially sighted people fromthe public library network.
Share The Vision
c/o National Libraryfor the Blind
Far Cromwell Road
Bredbury, StockportSK6 2SG
Telephone: 0161 3552079
Email:sharethevision@nlbuk.org
This service can tellyou whether a title is available in an alternative format, and if so fromwhere. It also offers a range of book lists.
RNIB Library andInformation Service
P.O. Box 173
Peterborough PE2 6WS
Telephone: 01733370777
Web:http://www.rnib.org.uk/library/libinfo/welcome.htm
This service canadvise libraries on ICT equipment and policies, either directly or through ourregional network of education and employment centres.
RNIB Technology inLearning and Employment (TILE)
Warwick House c/oExhall Grange School
Wheelwright Lane
Ash Green
Coventry CV7 9HP
Telephone: 024 76369551
Our library holdsEuropes largest collection of material on all aspects of blindness and partialsight, including books, journals, videos, or other resources.
RNIB Research Library
105 Judd Street
London WC1H 9NE
Telephone: 020 73912052
Email:library@rnib.org.uk
Search our onlinecatalogue at http://www.rnib.org.uk/library/research
RNIBs See It Rightpack consists of 12 booklets with practical advice on planning for, designing,and producing accessible information, ranging from large print and braille toaccessible websites and Clear Print guidelines. Websites that pass ouraccessibility audit are entitled to display the See It Right AccessibleWebsite logo. For more information, visit www.rnib.org.uk/seeitright orcontact our customer response team. Telephone: 0845 702 3153.
The organisationslisted in Appendix 2 would also be happy to tell you more about their ownlibrary services.
We outline below thework of some of the major service providers in this field. The list is by nomeans exhaustive, and is in no particular order of priority. All the bodieslisted depend for their existence on legacies, jumble sales and othervariations on charitable income. Even where subscriptions are levied, these donot cover the total cost of providing the service.
Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB)
The RNIB Talking BookService is the largest audio library for blind and partially sighted people inthe UK.
It offers over 12,000titles, and titles are added at the rate of some 400 per year. Books aredistributed by post from a national centre. Unabridged, and professionallyrecorded, they currently come on custom-made long-playing cassettes. These areabout to give way to CD-ROMs, when RNIB launches its Digital Talking BookService in May 2002.
RNIB also offers alending service using other forms of audio cassette. This service covers somespecialised topics and bespoke recordings for individuals with particularinterests. It also produces braille books for sale and for loan, as well asbraille magazines.
RNIB CustomerServices
P.O. Box 173
Peterborough PE2 6WS
Telephone: 01733370777
Email:cservices@rnib.org.uk
Web:http://www.rnib.org.uk
National Library for the Blind (NLB)
The National Libraryfor the Blind (NLB) is a gateway to free comprehensive library services forthose who cannot read print and the people who help them to read. It aims togive all people with sight problems the same access to library services assighted people. As well as lending a wide range of reading material for all agegroups, from its extensive collection of hard copy braille and Moon books andbraille music, NLB also provides access to electronic books and referencematerial via its award-winning website.
National Library forthe Blind
Far Cromwell Road
Bredbury
Stockport SK6 2SG
Telephone: 0161 3552000
Email:enquiries@nlbuk.org
Web:http://www.nlbuk.org
The Calibre CassetteLibrary is a charity set up in 1974 to provide a postal lending library serviceof unabridged audio books for blind, partially sighted and print disabledpeople of all ages. This service is free of charge to anyone who provides acertificate confirming their entitlement. Calibre delivers 2000 packages a day,containing standard cassettes that require no special playback equipment. The18,000 members have some 6000 titles to choose from, covering both fiction andnon-fiction.
Calibre CassetteLibrary
New Road
Weston Turville
Aylesbury HP22 5XQ
Telephone: 01296 392599
Email:enquiries@calibre.org.uk
Web:http://www.calibre.org.uk
Talking Newspaper Association of the UK (TNAUK)
TNAUK is a registeredcharity that provides national and local newspapers and magazines on audiotape,computer disk, email and CD-ROM for blind, partially sighted and disabledpeople who find reading a strain. TNAUK reaches over 200,000 peoplenation-wide, either through its local or its national activity. Localnewspapers and magazines are supplied free of charge by over 520 local talkingnewspaper groups which are affiliated to TNAUK, but are autonomous. The nationalservice records over 200 national newspaper and magazine titles at itsheadquarters, and copies and despatches over 2.5 million audio cassettes ayear. An annual subscription is charged for the national service, based on asliding scale according to the number of titles taken.
Talking NewspaperAssociation of the UK
10 Browning Road
Heathfield
East Sussex TN21 8DB
Telephone: 01435866102
Email:info@tnauk.org.uk
Web: www.tnauk.org.uk
Association of Directors of Social Services (in press) National Standards for Social Services forvisually impaired adults (to be published Autumn 2002)
Brophy, P and Craven, J (1999) The integrated accessible library: a model of servicedevelopment for the 21st Century; the final report of the REVIEL (Resources forVisually Impaired Users of the Electronic Library) project, British LibraryResearch & Innovation Report 168, Manchester, Manchester MetropolitanUniversity.
Bruce, I and Baker, M(2001) Access to written information: the views of 1000 people with sightproblems, London, RNIB, ISBN 1 85878 506 5.
Capital Planning Information Ltd (2000) Co-ordinating alternative format title selection;final report to Share The Vision and the Library and Information Commission,Bruton, Somerset, Capital Planning Information Ltd, ISBN 1 898869 66 9.
Capital Planning Information Ltd, (2000) VIP access to information Consultation with usersof VIP library and information services (final report to the Library andInformation Commission) Capital Planning Information Ltd, unpublished.
Craddock, P(1985) The public library and blind people: a survey and review of currentpractice, Library and Information Report 35, London, British Library.
Davies, E J, Wisdom, S and Creaser, C (2001) Out of sight but not out of mind: visually impairedpeoples perspectives of library and information services, Loughborough,Loughborough University Library and Information Statistics Unit, ISBN 1 90178649 8.
Grundy, E, Ahlburg, D, Ali, M, Breeze, E and Sloggett, A (1999) Disability in Great Britain, Department of SocialSecurity Research Report No. 94, Leeds, Corporate Document Services.
Hopkins, L (ed)(2000), Library services for visually impaired people: a manual of bestpractice, London, Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, ISBN 1 902394 437.
Jackson, C(2000) Information right: accessible information for blind and partiallysighted people in Wales, Campaign Report 17, Cardiff, RNIB Cymru, ISBN 1 85878475 1.
Kinnell, M, Yu, L and Creaser, C (2000) Public library services for visually impairedpeople, Loughborough, Loughborough University Library and InformationStatistics Unit, ISBN 1 9017 8638 2.
Machell, J(1996) Library and information services for visually impaired people: nationalguidelines, London, Library Association Publishing, ISBN 1 85604 208 1.
Matheson, J and Babb, P(2002) Social trends, Newport, Great Britain Office fro National Statistics,ISBN 0 116217 472 4.
RNIB Corporate Planning and Evaluation Department (1999) RNIB Talking Book Service The current situation,London, RNIB. This umbrella report summarising the findings of a number ofrelated pieces of research, including:
RNIB (1999) Theleisure reading habits of visually impaired people using audio reading services customer survey.
RNIB (1997) Leisureand information services for visually impaired people. Local Authority LibraryServices Survey, November 1997.
RNIB (1998) Leisurereading needs of visually impaired people.
Chartres, S (1998) The leisure reading needs ofvisually impaired people from ethnic minority communities: a joint study withEMERGE (Ethnic Minorities Education and Resource Group for Equality), London,RNIB Corporate Planning and Evaluation Department.
Warburton, J et al,An investigation into library services for visually impaired people from ethnicminorities, in New Beacon, January 2001, 85 (993) 22-24.
Royal NationalInstitute of the Blind (RNIB) campaigns at a local, national and European levelfor the rights of people with sight problems.
Public PolicyDepartment
Royal NationalInstitute of the Blind
105 Judd Street,London WC1H 9NE
Telephone: 020 73912123
Minicom: 020 73912150
Fax: 020 7388 2706
Email:campaign@rnib.org.uk
www.rnib.org.uk/campaign
Trident Court, EastMoors Road, Cardiff CF24 5TD
Telephone: 029 20450440
Fax: 029 2044 9550
40 Linenhall Street,Belfast BT2 8BA
Telephone: 028 90329373
Fax: 028 9043 9118
Dunedin House, 25Ravelston Terrace, Edinburgh EH4 3TP
Telephone: 0131 3118500
Fax: 0131 311 8529
Email:rnibscotland@rnib.org.uk
If you or someone youknow has a sight problem, call the RNIB Helpline on 0845 766 9999.
RNIB May 2002Registered charity number 226227