National Library of Australia - Gateways

ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 76 | August 2005


Annual Roundtable Conference on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities Inc.

A paper on National Library collections and services was given at the recent Roundtable Conference. The conference is held annually, to further the general mission of the Roundtable, which is to ‘facilitate and influence the production and use of quality alternative formats for people with print disabilities’.

A number of very interesting presentations were given at the conference, ranging across such diverse areas as copyright, access to local government information and services, teaching children with a print disability, and library services.

Of interest to many readers of Gateways will be a proposal from Deakin University for an international electronic catalogue for students with a print disability (http://e-bility.com/roundtable/downloads/conf05/abstract_everist.doc>).  Tony Starkey from the Royal Blind Society of South Australia presented an update on the ‘Books in the Sky’ service in South Australia, which is providing a digital information service through public libraries using the Audio Navigator. You can find a description of the system at <http://www.rsb.org.au/bits.htm>. This technology is now being implemented in a number of public library services in other states.

Presenters from the Australian Copyright Council and the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) spoke about copyright issues affecting people with disabilities. One of the success stories is the database set up by CAL, as a result of the first National Library Forum on Library Services for People with Disabilities, which provides member universities with information about alternate format masters created within universities. This is reducing duplication of effort in the production of accessible materials for students with print disabilities.

Those libraries with an interest in accessibility issues are encouraged to visit the conference website at <http://e-bility.com/roundtable/index.php> for more information about the conference, including the abstracts of presentations. Papers from the conference will be added to the site in the future.

—SANDRA HENDERSON, Manager, Research, Coordination Support Branch, shenders@nla.gov.au

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