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LIBRARY ACCESS FOR THE BLIND

 

Richard N Tucker & Mildred Theunisz

Dutch Library for Visually and Print Impaired Students and Professionals

Molenpad 2, 1016GM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

tel: + 31 20 6266465, fax: + 31 20 620 8459

email: dick.tucker@svb.nl

1. Summary

TESTLAB - which stands for TEsting Systems using Telematics for Library Access for Blind and visually handicapped readers - is part of the Libraries Programme of the DGXIII TAP Programme, but because of it’s application of new technologies to some of the problems of group of handicapped people finds a proper place in a conference on the TIDE programme. The project sets out to examine the practical, human and technical problems of providing visually handicapped readers with independent access to public and academic libraries

2. Background

The starting point was the final recommendations of the EXLIB project written in 1994. This looked at public and academic libraries and what visually handicapped readers thought that they needed in terms of access to information and reading materials. Those recommendations needed to be given concrete practical form. It is one thing to say that a particular service is required when it doesn’t exist. It may be quite a different matter to actually provide that service and sustain its use amongst the proposed target group.

In the earlier project many visually handicapped readers, particularly the blind, stated that they wanted access to catalogue information in libraries equal to that of the sighted reader. They were dissatisfied with a situation in which others, the library staff of the special libraries for the blind, decided what they could and could not read.

It has to be kept in mind that we are speaking here of a situation which is very diverse. We speak of the visually handicapped readers as though they were a homogeneous group. We speak of libraries as though they were all the same. We perhaps think of the special libraries for the visually handicapped as being the same across the whole of Europe.

None of this is so. Visually impaired people exhibit as many differences as the rest of the population with the exception that more of them are also elderly. Failing eyesight tends to go with age. Library provision, whether public or academic is not the same across Europe and when it comes to the specialised provision of books in alternative formats such as in braille, enlarged or spoken onto tape, there are scandalous differences in the level of provision across the European Union. By whatever criteria one measures the level of provision the differences are great. Take as a very rough guideline the number of titles in the catalogues of the libraries for the blind and divide these by the population. One finds figures ranging from 8,000 titles per million population in the Netherlands, through about 3,000 in Denmark, 1200 in the UK and Germany, to 600 in France and about 25 in Greece. These figures are of course very crude and distort a very complex situation. One can however see that there are differences. What these figure do not reveal is that only about 2% of all published materials are ever made available in alternate format. The chances that the book sought will be available in a format that one can read are small.

Keeping in mind that the great majority of the visually handicapped readers are elderly and have acquired this handicap late in life, one can understand that the computer-using section of this group is a minority. But it is a minority that is rapidly growing as more and more people gain keyboard skills before acquiring visual handicaps. In addition the old idea that anyone older than 35 was incapable of learning to use a computer has been proved false.

Currently the computer users tend to be those following some course of study or those still working, despite their handicap. But not only will this change as today’s computer users enter the population of the visually handicapped, but also the technologies themselves and their adaptations are becoming cheaper and easier to use (excluding the whole issue of the graphic user interface for the moment).

 

3. The Project

The task for TESTLAB was to provide access for visually handicapped reader to library catalogues and materials in this diverse situation. It was decided to provide an adapted workstation in a selection of libraries across the partner countries. Because of local differences in catalogue software and in the local norms of equipment (including the fact that stations have to work in the local language) no absolute standard workstation could be imposed. The basis was a PC with speech synthesis, a braille bar, and screen enlargement software. Where possible a scanner with OCR and a braille printer were also added. The common aim in all these installations was to give the user direct and independent access to the catalogue of the library and through that to provide access to other sources of information, such as the catalogues of other libraries and the internet. Where possible users would also have access to electronic documents which could be downloaded.

Because TESTLAB is so tightly tied to local implementations and therefore in the local language, the project departs to a large measure from the traditional project pattern. Each participating country has set up a local test-bed. The common linking element comes through the evaluation process and the possible development of a common interface.

 

3.1 Ireland

In Ireland the work is organised by the National Council for the Blind of Ireland. Adapted work-stations have been established in the Dublin Central Library, the libraries of Trinity College and Dublin City University and two rural public libraries.

Given that library services for the blind in Ireland have to run on charity it is not surprising to find that local production and resources are low and that there is heavy reliance on volunteer help. There are great differences between the libraries, not least of which is a lack of common catalogue systems and software. Under these circumstances the installation of the workstations has proved problematic and access to the OPAC - the catalogue of the library in which the computer has been placed - difficult to solve. Such a project has at least revealed the differences and weaknesses in the existing catalogues of alternative format materials. It has also lead to the creation of a new central catalogue of alternative format materials available in Ireland.

 

3.2 England

In England TESTLAB has the good fortune to be able to ride on the back of a much greater project. Eight of the ten library regions have joined together to create UNITY, a single catalogue of the holdings of more than 400 public libraries, complete with shelf location, availability and interlibrary loan. Under the leadership of the Royal National Institute for the Blind a union catalogue of alternative format materials from more than 150 production sources has been created under the name NUCAF. By making the NUCAF catalogue accessible through the (adapted) computers in public libraries, visually impaired readers are able to find out what titles exist and if they are available in a suitable format. Some may be able to handle conventional printed versions by scanning, so access to the totality of public library holdings makes a lot of sense. Where alternative formats can be ordered this can be done from the system. Where they do not, requests for conversion of the book can be placed with the appropriate institution.

Currently the adapted work stations have been placed in Manchester Central Library, Tameside Library (adjacent to and supporting a centre for visually handicapped people) and at the Harris Library (the public library) in Preston. As in Ireland problems were experienced in the installation. Ensuring that all the peripherals and access to the catalogue system work together without software or hardware clashes has proved to be far from trivial. The systems are now working and evaluation is underway. In the by-going and despite the technical difficulties the project has, as will be seen later in this report, generated positive results which were not foreseen in the planning.

 

3.3 Austria

In Austria the project is concentrated on a number of University libraries, building on facilities which were already in place. Under the leadership of the University of Linz and the support of the University of Graz the plan was to have adapted work stations in the libraries of these two universities and then to bring Salzburg and Vienna into the circuit. During the project more institutions have joined so that the ring now consists of the Universities of Linz, Graz, Salzburg, Vienna (the University of Vienna and the Technical University) and Klagenfurt. In addition a major catalogue has been created covering more than 65,000 mainly academic books available in alternative format in German. This has linked the project to other universities and centres in Germany.

 

3.4 Italy

The Italian part of the project based in Genoa faced the task of involving as many visually handicapped people as possible in a context in which not many of them have experience in using either computers or libraries. The main public library of Genoa and a suburban branch library are taking part together with the library of the main rehabilitation institute. The main emphasis has been on publicising the project and creating the mobility plan which would bring as many as possible of the 1000 plus target group to one or other of the libraries.

 

3.5 Greece

A costed feasibility study is being carried out in the Thessaloniki region of Greece to determine what would be necessary to provide support for visually handicapped readers through the library system in an area in which there is very little support and even less infrastructure. This study is benefiting from the experience of the other national task groups.

 

 

4. The technology

The technology being used in the work stations is not new. It has been deliberately chosen to be standard equipment within the local context. The context of the libraries is not generally created specially for visually handicapped people. The project is working in public and academic libraries although some of then had facilities for the visually handicapped readers before the project started.

 

 

5. Evaluation

So what is the project doing that is new? One aspect is the evaluation of the use of the workstations. Another is research on the interfaces being used and the possible development of a new standard interface. These are matters which can be planned in advance and costed into the project plan. What cannot be estimated in advance are the changes that the project will engender.

A common format of evaluation has been developed. A zero measurement study was conducted with a limited number of users in each of the test countries. This was necessary in order to set a base line for the subsequent mid-term and end measurement. Some difficulties were experienced in some of the libraries - in Ireland, England at Italy different problems were faced all of which served to delay the first evaluation and parts were not as effective they should have been. It is difficult to get sensible answers to questions about what people expect from the workstation when they had no experience of using a computer and for many no experience of using a library. The evaluation also concerned the librarians who have to instruct, guide and help the visually impaired users. For these people too, the experience was new and they have had to learn a lot, not just about adapted work stations but about also about the needs and capabilities of blind clients.

Some libraries already provided a production service for visually handicapped readers before the TESTLAB work station was installed. The production unit provides text on disc or in braille by means of a scanner. When the TESTLAB work station was installed some libraries choose to install this work station within the production unit. This unit is often located inside the library but not in the vicinity of the catalogue department or lending room. Preliminary results from the user survey indicate that the location of the TESTLAB work station inside this production unit influences: the way in which the visually handicapped people use the work station .

The respondents said that the possibility to search catalogues independently is an extra incentive for them to visit the library, especially the production unit, but the main reason to come is to get text converted. In those libraries where the work station is located near the those the sighted readers user to browse the catalogues the use of the adapted work station is much more directed towards this facility. When asked to give their impression of the services offered, priority was given to the independent catalogue searching and that they were offered more or less the same access to the catalogue as sighted people. It seems that these respondents separate the service of converting text and searching a catalogue much more than respondents who use the work station inside a production unit.

In addition when the TESTLAB work station is located near the other access terminals more efficient use can be made. First of all, when no visually handicapped person is using the work station it can be used by a sighted person. Secondly, the visually handicapped visitors are not dependent on the opening hours of the production unit - which is often run by one (part-time) employee - they can use the work station during opening hours of the library. But there are also some disadvantages when installing the TESTLAB work station in the library itself.

The next phases of the user survey must give more insight in this link between location of the TESTLAB work station and the use of it and the advantages and disadvantages of the locations.

 

 

6. Interfaces

The examination of the interface being used in the adapted work stations is a crucial element in the project. Under the leadership of the Centre for Spoken Literature, in the Netherlands, this part of the project is examining the different local solutions. It has to be kept in mind that when an adapted work station is used to access a library it is the existing software and often the interface of that library which determines what the user gets.

In an ideal world it would easy to build an interface using standard software and conforming to standards such as Z39.50. Whether this ideal is also practical in the real world of libraries has not yet been determined at the time of writing. What is clear is that imposing something on such different institutions as libraries is a non-starter. If one could do that they would all be using the same cataloguing rules and there would be a single central register of all published works in each country.

 

 

7 Benefits and practicalities

The practicalities of the project are there to see. Some 17 libraries have been equipped with adapted work stations. In some cases the number of users is measured in single figures. In other libraries the numbers who have used the station run into the hundreds. Evaluating this is not easy. For the Genoa region numbers are important since they have set out to engineer a social change. For a student at University what is important is not how many other people are using the system but whether he can get just the information that is needed, when it is needed and in a form that can be read. Quality and quantity both have a place.

Throughout the different test sites Librarians have become involved in the world of the visually handicapped readers. For many this has been their first real exposure to the special needs of this group and to the use of telematics for access to information. Such a project is forcing an attitudinal shift in both individuals and institutions. Every time that the project involves another professional or politician in making decisions about access to libraries by visually handicapped readers, the greater the chance is that the message will spread through the library world and its policy makers.;

A project like TESTLAB also exhibits a feature of EC projects that is not often brought into focus. The transnational requirement makes people work together who would not normally either have the chance or see the need. The subsidy makes possible action that was just beyond the reach of some institutions. The consortium in this case have all found that they have learned from each other. Given the right social atmosphere it is possible to admit that somebody else actually has a better idea or solution than oneself. Working together also exposes the differences in culture that can influence the progress of a project. These don’t actually emerge until one gets into the detail of the work. It is then that differences in thought and social norms become apparent. It is sometimes for these reasons that different solutions have to be found for different countries.

In addition to creating the context in which the consortium members can work together, TESTLAB has benefited from the setting up of an Expert User Group. These are people from different related areas of expertise whose only role is to join in the meetings, pose questions, challenge the assumptions of the partners and ensure that we see those things which one often ignores because one is too close to the subject. It is a strategy which can be highly recommended.

The subsidy for a project, 50% for most of the partners and 100% of additional costs doesn’t really cover what it is supposed to and on this project at least we know that the input of the partners is far greater than what shows on paper. The Austrian partners have ensured that all the higher education institutions in the country are taking part. A massive resource has been created in the catalogue and political recognition achieved right up to parliamentary level.

In England, for example, more than 250 people are actively involved in the project. The official budget provides support to three of these. This is a powerful demonstration of the level of penetration of the project into the target areas. That most of the partners are working with volunteers must be a common experience to many TIDE projects. It also makes some planning uncertain, for if work is not done there are very few sanctions one can exercise on voluntary help. One noticeable effect has been that the project has provided a neutral ground on which organisations which have either not worked together in the past or have even refused to work together are now sitting around the same table. Co-operative bonds are being forged for the benefit of the target group.

Perhaps because of the subject matter and certainly because of the efforts of the national organisers, TESTLAB has been receiving good media exposure. There is no product to bring on the market. We are not going to change the life of millions. The visually impaired people who may need or want to search for information independently may be a special group within the large group of visually impaired people, but for them to have the chance to access information at a level approaching that at which the sighted readers operate will be a major advance. The publicity is therefore more about people and patterns of administration than about the technologies themselves. Fortunately this is the aspect that is being recognised by the politicians and the press alike.

 

 

8. Will it be a success?

In the middle of all this apparent success and the overcoming of obstacles we have had a salutary reminder from the Dutch project "TOUCAT" which was a fore-runner for TESTLAB. After nearly two years of providing a full adapted workstation in a regional public library - which also provided links through to the University Library - the authorities have had the workstation removed. Nobody was using it. This was not for lack of publicity and training. It appears that mobility, the difficulty of actually getting to the library was greater than the ease with which the visually impaired reader can, in the Netherlands simply pick up the telephone and tap into a very high level of special library provisions.

We don’t know what the reaction and the long term use will be in countries without that infrastructure. Some may give up, some may make the system accessible through the web and reduce the need to actually go to the library. This is already happening with the students in Austria.

What can be stated is that TESTLAB is exposing parts of the public library system when we try to access what should be standard catalogues; it is forcing library staff and visually impaired readers into a better understanding of the needs and limitations of the other; it i creating circumstances in which library bodies are working together, many for the first time, and as a result of all this is beginning to show that under varying local conditions libraries can provide a valuable service for a group of readers who were until now excluded from independent access to library catalogues and information.

 

Literature:

All information on TESTLAB, the partners, test sites and all the public reports can be found at the SVB Projects Web site

http://projects.fnb.nl/