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Funding and governance of library and information services for visually impaired people: international case studies

Part2:Country studies

The Netherlands

Are the models in flux?

Library services for both visually impaired and print impaired people will be incorporated in the public library sector from the first of January 2007. Front offices will be organized by the existing public libraries, with a special national office for immobile visually impaired (the current situation through the libraries for the blind). Production of Braille and talking books will still be provided by Dedicon. Another, smaller, producing organisation is the CBB. CBB produces 500 talking books and Braille magazines.

Content providers like publishers will increasingly produce accessible content from the beginning. Charity foundations will probably step back a little due to commercialisation.

Services for educational purposes (the former Dutch Library for visual and print impaired students) will be separated and kept within Dedicon.