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Funding and governance of library and information services for visually impaired people: international case studies
Part2:Country studies
Sweden
Materials provision
Production of talking books
TPB produces more than 3 000 talking books each year for its lending library and student services. Most books take 6-8 months to produce. Libraries may buy individual titles of all TPB-production. Talking books can only be produced by organisations granted permission by the Swedish Government.
From 2001 all digital production has been in the DAISY format.
Book selection meeting
At the weekly book selection meeting, librarians at TPB select all books to be produced as talking books or braille. Books requested by readers have priority. The book selection meeting also decides which titles to buy from other producers, as well as commercial audio books. TPB acquires approximately 1000 titles from other producers, including audio books in foreign languages. The TPB stock includes books in almost fifty different languages. TPB may commission a book in a foreign language if it has not already been produced abroad.
The majority of books selected at the meeting are adult literature. 18 per cent are for children and young adults’ books, and 16 per cent books in foreign languages. More than 50 per cent of those selected are non-fiction. Guidelines for book selection are established by the Library Board.
Technical producers
TPB has no in-house production but outsources the entire talking book production to professional studios. TPB controls how the book is to be recorded via guidelines regarding narration and structure.
All narrators are certified by TPB and the book is recorded in mono.
TPB usually produces two copies of a title. In general the production process, from book selection to completed talking book ready for loan, takes approximately six months.
Purchasing TPB production
Public libraries and school libraries may buy copies of talking books produced by TPB. That includes both recent books and books from stock. BTJ, the Swedish Library Service Ltd, is the contracted dealer.
Braille
Original materials supplied: The literature can either be produced on-demand or selected by librarians in charge of selection.
Conversion: TPB outsources the Braille production, however files from publishers are converted into Word files by TPB before send to printing house. A new production system is under development where files will be in DT format (archive format), later converted into Word.
On-demand: About 60 percent is done on demand
Stock: Decision for each title is made by the selection team consisting of professional librarians.
Targets for range/depth/speed: 50% percent adult literature, 50 per cent children’s’ and young adults literature. Possibilities to receive books on demand (only economical restrictions). Equal division between fiction and non-fiction. Three levels of speed: 1. Books on demand, 1 months maximum; 2. Books that are of current interest, up to 3 months; 3. Other books selected by librarians up to 6 months.
Audio - standard cassette and CD
Original materials supplied: ----.
Conversion: No longer produced
On-demand: ----.
Stock: ----.
Targets for range/depth/speed: ----.
Audio Daisy
Original materials supplied: Decision of what to produce is done by a selection committee consisting of professional librarians.
Conversion: The book is narrated by a professional narrator. If DAISY 3.0 is used the text is added.
On-demand: Parts of the acquisition is on-demand.
Stock: ----.
Targets for range/depth/speed: According to government decision (part of Cultural policy) 25 per cent of the annual Swedish books production has to be made as talking books. That means approximately 3250 titles per year. The production is outsourced. Books on demand are prioritised. Production time varies from 1 to 6 month.
Daisy text and audio
Original materials supplied: A trial production has just started. 25 % of the annual acquisition will be made as DAISY 3.0.
Conversion: The book is narrated by a professional narrator. If DAISY 3.0 is used the text is added.
On-demand: Part of the acquisition is on-demand.
Stock: ----.
Targets for range/depth/speed: According to government decision (part of Cultural policy) 25 per cent of the annual Swedish books production has to be made as talking books. That means approximately 3250 titles per year. The production is outsourced. Books on demand are prioritised. Production time varies from 1 to 6 month.
Supplied in alternative formats
how supplied: It is only the public libraries that provide a service of large print books. TPB has only DAISY books in its collection and some older c-cassettes
who supplies: a) Talking books. The public library can either download a DAISY book from TPB or the County library, buy talking books in library equipped boxes; make a interlibrary loan from either the county library or TPB. b) Large print books can be bought from a library supplier. c) CD books can be bought from library suppliers or book shops. d) Books on cassettes for sale are not available anymore except as interlibrary loans from TPB or county libraries.
Basis for decision to acquire: Several ways: Either by the selection committee of each library, on-demand, or by librarian responsible for selection of alternate formats.
Targets for range/depth/speed: This is the business of public libraries and they probably want to have the books as soon as possible to the best price