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

Part I: Summary Report

Organisation and methods of service delivery

Organisation of services

This section attempts to create a typology of how services are provided in the different countries e.g. is there a single body creating materials and providing a direct service to end users, or are services tiered so that there is one or more organisations creating materials then delivering them to the end user via other organisations, or is there a patchwork of multiple providers, operating semi-independently and collaborating more or less effectively.

Some countries have relatively simple models of provision (but see case studies as well to understand exactly how these work in practice). Denmark's Danske Blindbibliotek (DBB) is a clear example of the single direct provider. Sweden is a clear example of a tiered model, with one body - the Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille (TPB) - creating materials and then delivering them through public libraries. South Africa is similar, but with a serious gap in the provision of educational materials and with much less funding. Some of these models are changing, but they are changing from one fairly clearly defined model to another e.g. the Netherlands is moving from a broadly 'Danish' model to a broadly 'Swedish' one. Other countries have extremely fragmented models, which are characterised by a lack of overall strategy and also duplication of effort, for example, the UK and Japan.

In Japan, although the same range of organisations is involved in providing services as in the UK, the Japanese respondents believe the relative roles and responsibilities are clear, whereas in the UK they do not. Both Japan and the UK note good co-operation between agencies but this seems to be more systemic in Japan, whereas in the UK it was felt to depend more on contingent factors.

Korea was another case where roles and responsibilities between different specialist providers are not clear and where public and private not-for-profit provision is not adequately integrated into a single network. Public libraries are expanding in number but their role in servicing visually impaired people is very under-developed.

The USA is complex, which is not surprising given its sheer size in area and population. Though Japan has a very large population, it is relatively small in area and has a more centralised government structure and is very different culturally. The high degree of autonomy of the states in the USA means that there is not a national curriculum in schools, for example, and this affects textbook provision (though this is now being addressed by a national initiative). Educational materials (up to graduate level) are provided for loan by a private non-profit organisation, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), the main provider of nonstudy materials, operates under the national library (The Library of Congress) and in this respect the USA has a tiered, Swedish-type model, though it works via specialist regional and sub-regional libraries, which are distinct from the public library system, while sharing administrative functions and standards. But, unlike in Sweden, there are also many other private, non-governmental organisations producing materials e.g. the American Printing House for the Blind, and the Jewish Braille Institute.

Australia also has some problems of fragmentation, but these exist mainly at the geographical level, with the most populous states working under a single umbrella while the others remain outside it.

Canada is a particularly interesting case in that the last few years have seen a concerted attempt to research and map out a national strategy for equitable services by a number of stakeholders, notably the national library, the library association and the central third sector specialist library. If this were to be established, it would be on the basis of a tripartite partnership structure: service libraries at the local level; a national co-ordinating office at the federal level to coordinate the network and provide funding; and production centres to acquire, catalogue, produce, store and preserve alternative format collections. In structure it would be similar to Sweden, though the members of the network would not all be government organisations. The government funding to deliver it is not yet in place, however; some funding was allocated by the previous government but after the election returned a new government there has been a hiatus.

This summarises the different situations, but always with the proviso that the 'devil is in the detail' which is covered in the case studies in Part 2 of this report.

Specialist library or libraries direct to end user

Denmark - digital services bypass public libraries

Canada - but many public libraries also serve users directly and in partnership with special libraries (see below)

Australia

Netherlands (up to end 2006)

South Africa

USA (via a network of regional and subregional special libraries, plus other voluntary and private agencies)

UK

Croatia - the national Croatian Library for the Blind is the main provider, but also works with general public libraries

Korea

Public libraries direct to user, with materials supplied by specialist library (no or limited direct service from specialist library)

Sweden: state-funded national library provides materials and bibliographic services, county libraries build collections, local libraries lend to end users

Netherlands (from Jan 2007); local libraries will provide the service to end users, a national service to immobile visually impaired people will continue and study materials will remain with specialist library

Public libraries direct to end user in addition to direct services from special libraries/providers to end user

Canada

Denmark - digitisation is changing this model

UK

Australia - the specialist library service provides some services in partnership; other agencies outsource services. Delivery models vary mainly along state lines.

Japan

South Africa - public libraries have access to rotating minicollections of materials from the national library for the blind.

Korea - but very limited - only 10% of public libraries

A note on the role of national libraries

There is no "international standard" for national libraries. The scope and functions of individual national libraries vary considerably from one country to another, depending on their historical development and national context.

In some countries the national library acts as a national library authority, either advising Government on policy and on the overall provision of library and information services at all levels in that country (including the provision of services to the visually impaired) or the national library may have express responsibility and authority for the provision of library and information services at all levels.

Methods of delivery

Postal delivery is still extremely important, as are the accompanying postal subsidies. CDs, audio cassettes and e-books on diskettes are some of the formats sent out by mail. For example, in the US, NLS relies mainly on postal distribution for books and wholly for magazines.

Physical visits to libraries to borrow occur where the model of delivery is via public libraries, notably in Sweden (for talking books; Braille is usually borrowed direct from the TPB), and in the Netherlands from this year onwards. Provision is made for users unable to visit the library. It is also the usual practice for large print books.

DBB in Denmark also uses email to distribute e-books, which can be printed on Braille printers or used with a digital Braille display, or used with screen readers and synthesised speech on PCs. They can also be converted to large print.

Digital download

DBB has a portal from which electronic books can be directly downloaded; TPB in Sweden also plans to move to digital downloading. CNIB in Canada also offers digital download and streaming online.

The NLS in the USA provides Web Braille files of books, magazines and music, which can be read online or downloaded for use offline or with Braille embossers etc. With the transition to digital talking books from 2007 onwards, NLS will operate a dual system of sending and receiving requested titles on Flash memory devices (one book, one object) by post and allowing download of books direct, both to end users and to the NLS network libraries themselves who can download any titles they have not been supplied with (namely the retrospective digitised collection of titles) so that they can make copies. This is to cater both for early adopters who want to be able to access material directly, and those who for financial, technical or other reasons, prefer to continue to receive physical copies.

There are some other interesting trials and pilots occurring:

The Ubiquitous Talking Book Library in Korea, which makes DAISY audio books, created by the Korean Braille Library, available to users over wired and wireless, including mobile, networks. There are plans to extend this into textbook provision.

Australia has a satellite service in limited operation, called Books in the Sky. The Books in the Sky initiative is a project between the Royal Society for the Blind (RSB) of South Australia and a private company, Audio-Read Proprietary Ltd, which delivers audio books, newspapers, magazines, learning materials and other text to printdisabled users via broadband satellite. It employs a secure digital multicast system and a patented portable audio playback device called the Audio Navigator. The system allows book orders for next day delivery and makes magazines available in advance of newsstand sales. It claims that publishers can be confident that their copyright is protected as material cannot be copied and its use leaves an audit trail. Evidently the system is undergoing a limited roll-out following a trial.

In Denmark, DBB's Braille books are produced by print on demand and the user can keep or discard the copy as they wish.