The Local Weekly The heart and soul of our communities with news and information about the Sunshine Coast
The Sechelt Public Library and The Gibsons & District Public Library has great news for the approximately 10% of Canadians who cannot read standard books because of a print disability. Print disabilities include low vision and blindness, mobility problems such as MS and Parkinson’s, dyslexia, brain injuries, and so on (anything where changing the format of the book makes it possible to read).
Starting now, eligible community members can download an unlimited number of free audiobooks and listen to them on a CD, iPod, Apple or Android Smartphone, Victor Reader, or any other device that can play the DAISY format (please contact the library for more on the DAISY system). Readers can even get help with downloading from library staff.
There are approximately 10,000 books in English, and more coming in English, French, and soon, other languages. Best of all, if readers can’t find the information they’re looking for; they can request that a book be “created” in an accessible format that works for them.
“We’re so pleased to offer this service,” say library directors Tracey Therrien and Margaret Hodgins, “It fits in with our goal of being a welcoming, community hub.”
For more information about this service, please call the Gibsons & District Public Library at 604-886-2130 and ask for Chief Librarian Tracey Therrien or the Sechelt Public Library at 604-885-3260 and ask to speak with Chief Librarian Margaret Hodgins about NNELS, the National Network for Equitable Library Service.
This service complies with the Canadian Copyright Act and makes use of its exemption for people with print disabilities. It is funded by the provincial and territorial governments of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, and Yukon. There is no charge to the library or to the public. For more information about the project, please visit nnels.ca or email support@nnels.ca. By the way, if someone you know can’t read and doesn’t have a library card, by golly, you know what to give them the next time you see them… a library membership!
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