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The role and activities of the IFLA Libraries for the Blind Section.

Article Excerpt
ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to introduce some of the issues that blind and other print disabled people face in connection with reading and to explain how this situation influences the role of libraries for the blind. It goes on to describe the structure and purpose of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and its Libraries for the Blind Section, and to highlight the Section's challenges, goals, and activities contained in its latest strategic plan.

INTRODUCTION: THE ISSUES FACING BLIND AND PRINT DISABLED READERS

There are 161 million blind and partially sighted people in the world (World Health Organization, 2004) who need access to books and information for all the same reasons as sighted people: for lifelong learning, for work, for leisure, and to play a full part in society. To this number, one must add many other people who could benefit from books and information in accessible formats because they are print disabled for reasons other than visual impairment, for example, through motor or cognitive disabilities.

Nevertheless, 95 percent of books in the world are never made available in accessible formats that print disabled people can read, such as Braille, large print, or analogue or digital audio (Kavanagh & Christensen Skold, 2005). The same situation prevails in all countries, from the poorest to the richest. It is not known to what extent this level of provision meets users' needs, but it is not equitable. Quite simply, it means that readers with print disabilities do not have the level of choice regarding their reading that is associated with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions' (IFLA) ambitions to promote unrestricted access to information. Part of the problem is attributable to the cost of transforming print publications into accessible formats, which, despite technological advances, is still high. Also, copyright legislation puts barriers in the way of sharing resources.

The development of the Internet over the last decade has presented new possibilities for information to be delivered to print disabled people at the same time as sighted people. But a survey published by the United Kingdom's Disability Rights Commission in 2004 found that 81 percent of Web sites do not meet even basic standards of accessibility. Print disabled people are also lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of access to computers. Assistive technology typically entails additional capital outlay equivalent to the price of the computer.

Print disabled people are grossly disadvantaged through lack of access to books and information, and, to make matters worse, the digital divide threatens to exacerbate the situation. Both mainstream and specialist libraries can play a big part in addressing this inequitable situation.

LIBRARIES FOR THE BLIND

It is very difficult to generalize about the origins and evolution of libraries for the blind because the circumstances vary from country to country. Articles published in this journal and case studies that have been presented at IFLA conferences illustrate that there are many different models of governing and funding libraries for the blind. In some countries, such as the UK and Canada, specialist libraries for the blind were established by private benefactors as long ago as the nineteenth century, and to this day they are run as charities or voluntary sector organizations. In parts of Asia and Africa libraries for the blind were established by missionaries. In some countries libraries grew out of rehabilitation agencies.

In the United States the government took responsibility for training and educating blind people, and legislation was passed as early as 1931 to provide equitable public library services with support from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (see article by Frank Kurt Cylke and colleagues in this issue). In Sweden, too, library services for the blind are guaranteed by legislation: the Talking Books and Braille Library (TPB) exists as a separate entity, but it is integrated into state-funded mainstream library services as part of the public library system. In other countries, such as South Africa, similar models exist where the library for the blind is part of the national library service.

Whatever the political context, libraries for the blind are unique organizations because they not only provide library and information services and concern themselves with the usual professional matters, but in many cases they are also responsible for the publication of the books in accessible formats that they provide to their clients. Without this activity there would be very small collections available because in most countries there is a limited commercial market for books in accessible formats.

The most common scenario is that there is one specialist library for the blind in each country, or sometimes there are a few such libraries, specializing in providing books in different accessible formats or meeting the needs of different audiences (children, students, etc). Either way, there is a limited number of providers because there are economies of scale in making and managing specialist collections for an audience that is relatively small and dispersed. The transformation of print materials into accessible formats imposes a high requirement for specialist equipment and skills, and so it is usually more economical to manage services centrally.

Libraries for the blind have to consider how best to deliver services to a remote and scattered client group; how to assist them with the selection of books and information at a distance; and how to provide them with support and the sense of community that a sighted person would get from their public library. In order to fulfil these functions, specialist libraries work more or less in cooperation with mainstream library services such as public and education libraries. In an ideal world, one might argue, mainstream libraries would meet the needs of all potential users. Indeed, it is typically the remit of public libraries to meet...

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