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Accessible Library Services

Collections

Audiobooks

Audiobooks are full-length recordings of popular fiction and non-fiction books available on CD. These items can be listened to on your computer or portable device and are available at many libraries.

eBooks and eAudiobooks

There are a variety of eBooks and eAudiobooks for children and adults that can be downloaded to a computer or portable device with a valid library card and PIN number. Visit our Digital Library for more information.

Large Print Books

Large print books are available at many of our library locations. Titles include a wide choice of best-sellers, fiction, and non-fiction. Some books are also available in French.

Signed Stories (ASL)

There is a collection of ASL (American Sign Language) signed picture books available through our Digital Library. With a valid library card and PIN number, you can access short streaming videos of picture books signed in ASL (also includes voice-over narration).

Video - Descriptive and Closed Captioned

Descriptive videos are films with special narration which describes the action, characters, costumes, locations, and sets to a viewer with visual disabilities without interfering with the movie's dialog or sound effects. They are available on DVD.

Closed captioned videos have subtitles that can be seen with a closed captioned decoder or with a built-in decoder on newer televisions. Most featured DVD's come with optional subtitles as well.

Services

Talking Books Service

Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries offers a Talking Books Service that is available province-wide. Patrons can request specific audiobooks, or have staff choose titles based on preferences. Audiobooks available through this service can be picked up in person at the A.C. Hunter Library, sent to the nearest library location, mailed to patrons at home, or delivered through the St. John's and Corner Brook Home Reader Service.

Borrowers of this collection must complete an application for this service and either have a CNIB number, or supply a doctor's note which describes and documents the physical, visual, or other concerns which prevent the customer from reading the regular print collection. Once the application is completed, please bring it to the A.C. Hunter Library or email to reference@nlpl.ca.

Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA)

Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries offers access to the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) collection for people who have difficulty reading print due to a visual, physical, or learning disability. CELA is a national not-for-profit organization focused on the creation, collection, delivery, and preservation of both digital and physical alternate format accessible materials for Canadians with print disabilities through public libraries.

As a member of CELA, we offer:

  • A growing collection of books and magazines for every age and interest
  • Format choice of audio, Braille, and accessible eBooks
  • Accessible online services for web reading and research
  • Material available in English or French, with expanding access to other languages
  • Patrons with print disabilities have free access to Bookshare titles through CELA’s site. Learn more about CELA’s and Bookshare’s collection

To be eligible for CELA services, patrons must have a perceptual disability as defined under the provisions of the Copyright Modernization Act, which includes:

  • Learning disability: an impairment relating to comprehension
  • Physical disability: the inability to hold or manipulate a book
  • Visual disability: severe or total impairment of sight or inability to focus or move one’s eyes

To receive CELA services, eligible patrons must register with CELA and have a valid NLPL library card. Patrons can either self-register using the Centre’s online registration form or contact Technical Services to get registered.

Once registered, patrons can access the CELA collection in a number of different ways, including:

  • Download books to your computer or mobile device
  • Download books to a DAISY player over a wireless connection without using a computer
  • Receive audio CDs or Braille through your local branch or by mail directly to your home

Educators who work with students with print disabilities in an elementary, secondary, or post-secondary institution may use their public library cards to access materials through CELA’s Educator Access Program. To learn more about this initiative or to register, visit CELA’s educator access site.

CELA Inter-Library Loan Policies
Available formats through the library are:
  • DAISY CDs delivered to your library or burn them on site
  • DAISY zipped files (transfer to a DAISY player on an SD card)
  • Direct to Player - pre-load your library's DAISY player with books
  • DAISY text (read using apps such as VoiceDream, transfer to a DAISY player on an SD card or on your computer)
  • Braille books, including picture books for children with braille (printbraille)

Home Reader Service

Available only in St. John's, Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor, and Corner Brook.

Are you unable to get out to a library due to disability or illness?
Do you know of someone who is in this situation?

The Home Reader Service delivers materials free of charge to residents in these communities if they are:

  • senior citizens who cannot visit the library
  • visually or physically challenged persons or
  • persons living in care facilities or seniors housing.

This service will deliver new books and take back previously loaned materials on a rotating schedule.

The service can bring you:

  • books in regular and large print
  • talking books
  • audio books

Contact the Corner Brook Public Library, St. John's Public Libraries, Grand Falls-Windsor Public Library, or Gander Public Library to register or to obtain more information about this service.