We Want To Join In David Owen Executive Director Share The Vision Collection Description Focus Workshop 5 Cambridge University 30 th January 2003

Who Are We? STV Calibre NLB RNIB TNAUK British Library CILIP LISC: Northern Ireland LISC: Wales SCL SCONUL SLIC Aim: To enhance access to library and information services for visually impaired people.

Who Are We Talking About? People whose sight impairments require special consideration of their needs Registrations: Blind [visual acuity – 6-60] Partially sighted [visual acuity – 6-18] Entitled to a range of benefits But many people do not register RNIB estimates only 1/3 rd register RNIB estimates that there are 1.7 million VIPs in the UK UK population 58 million Therefore 2.93% of UK population

Who Are They? People who are born blind People who go blind in early life People whose sight deteriorates with age

Registrable VIPs In 2001 By Age All Ages Number in 1000s % of UK Population NB. 1,100,000 registrable compared with 1,700,000 with severe sight problems

The major factor is visual deterioration because of ageing Projections: Year ,000801, ,000855, ,0001,008, ,0001,257, ,0001,536, ,0001,605,000 As our economies grow and medical sciences improve we can expect there to be more older people with visual impairments

How Do They Read? Visually impaired people read in different ways depending on their personal circumstances and choice

Alternative Formats: Braille Only 11% of registered blind people in the UK can read Braille People who are born blind or go blind early in life Part of their education

Audio 83% of respondents to LISU Survey [2001] use audio 51% preferred single track cassettes

Large Print 8% of respondents to LISU survey prefer L.P. for fiction and 10% for non-fiction 2% preferred standard print some people who are registered blind can read standard print, with or without a magnifying glass

Computers RNIB survey of 1,000 VIPs [fieldwork ] published September % use computers LISU survey of 582 VIPs [fieldwork 2001] published November % use computers Both agree, 90% of users are young people

Blind computer users are highly competent according to LISU: 94% used word processing 76% used the internet 64% used spreadsheets 62% used CD-ROMs It is clear that use of IT by visually impaired people will grow significantly with generational change This is a major consideration for library managers

What Do They Want? The same as everybody else Not a homogeneous group Only common factor is print disability and need for alternative formats to read Reading for pleasure Reading for education/lifelong learning Reading for work reasons Reading to live [benefits; how to use the microwave; how much medicine to take; to cast a vote; the bus number etc…]

Key Factors VIPs need information in a range of formats which allow them to choose the most appropriate for their needs and circumstances VIPs will use a mix of formats for different purposes at different times e.g. Braille for study; audio for leisure; computers for fact finding; friend for valentine card] Accessibility and choice are their main requirements to lead normal lives

The Problems 1998 Analysis for Library and Information Commission 10 major points including: Mixed library economy with no co-ordination Lack of content in alternative formats Copyright delays Lack of comprehensive and effective national database No national infrastructure

Number One Priority Create a complete and comprehensive, state of the art national database National Union Catalogue of Alternative Formats to be enhanced to become REVEAL: the National Database of Resources in Accessible Formats Enhancement from 80,000 limited entries to minimum of 156,000 data rich, fit for purpose entries Get the best people to do it Full Disclosure for VIPs = UKOLN

Fit For Whose/Which Purpose? The reader = different formats/different providers The producer = voluntary sector > different formats commercial sector > produced or planned? The intermediaries = voluntary sector libraries > different public sector libraries > holdings Union Catalogue for I.L.L. Copyright Register

The Readers Requirements The usual data entry fields: Author(s) Title Publisher Date of publication Edition Series Serial frequency Fiction/non-fiction

Additional Data Entry Fields: Format [Braille, Moon, large print, audio, electronic] Contracted/non-contracted Braille? Abridged/non-abridged audio? Narrator/cast Number of volumes [Braille/Moon] or tapes Genre Annotation/content summary Target audience Content warning notes?

REVEAL Collections Register Quickly apparent that: the range of producers the number of producers the range of holders the number of holders of alternative format materials necessitated the creation of a Collections Register as part of the overall REVEAL project

What Is REVEAL? When completed REVEAL will be a hybrid database which will perform the following functions: national bibliography union catalogue in production record copyright register collections register of accessible formats To use old library jargon:

REVEAL is a library and information plan Not: a geographic plan a subject plan a sector plan But uniquely: a user focused LIP a LIP for VIPs the fundamental cornerstone of a national infrastructure for library and information services for visually impaired people REVEAL will let visually impaired people join in

References Chapman, A. REVEAL: The National Database of Resources in Accessible Formats. UKOLN, March Davies, J.E. et al. Out of sight but not out of mind: visually impaired peoples perspectives of library and information services. LISU Occasional Paper No. 29, November Hopkins, L. (ed). Library services for visually impaired people: a manual of best practice. Resource, [updated June 2002 at

Owen, D. Print: not the only format. Library Association Record, August 2001, Vol. 103 (8) Owen, D. Share Our Vision. Library Management [to be published early 2003]