Collections of braille books for children with blindness or low vision and memory books for people living with cognitive impairment are now available from Snowy Monaro Regional Library branches across the region, expanding the range of accessible resources available to local residents.
Accessible collections are part of the Library’s mission to make lifelong reading and learning available to everybody in the Snowy Monaro, providing books and learning resources in a variety of formats to meet the diverse needs of our community.
Memory books are especially designed for older readers and to assist those with cognitive impairment, dementia, or who are recovering from stroke and other forms of acquired brain injury.
These titles pair larger type with pictures and easy-to-understand stories, aiding in treatment, condition and symptom management, and help to boost quality of life for these readers.
The new junior braille book collection features many popular children’s titles, each leant out alongside a braille learning kit with magnetic mat to help vision-impaired children and their families learn braille.
With family favourites like Maurice Sendak’s ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ available now at your local library, this collection is a vital resource for parents to help ensure that vision impairment is no impediment to their child’s literacy and overall development.
These new collections join existing accessible options available at library branches across the Snowy Monaro, which include talking books, and titles published in large print and dyslexic-friendly fonts.
Available in-library and through the Mobile Library service, these accessible collections are a significant part of Council’s home library service.
The home library service in particular is a key part of Snowy Monaro Regional Library’s commitment to accessibility and equitable access, providing books and library services to people who can’t easily visit the library due to their health, age, ability, or mobility.
User numbers for the home library service increased significantly in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with lockdowns and restrictions helping to raise wider awareness about the program.
Many residents continue to take advantage of this more accessible way of accessing library services, and current usage rates remain well above their pre-pandemic levels.
‘The popularity of our large print, dyslexic font and home library options show that there is strong demand in our region for all kinds of accessible reading materials,’ said Library Coordinator Cheryl Smith.
‘With the addition of these two new collections to our already-popular range of accessible titles, Snowy Monaro Regional Library is ensuring that everyone in our community can enjoy reading and learning in a format that works best for them.’
