Public Library Services for Visually Impaired People

Citation

Harrison, D. (2001), "Public Library Services for Visually Impaired People", Library Review, Vol. 50 No. 1, pp. 42-56. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.2001.50.1.42.13

In contrast with a number of other countries, the UK has never had a state‐funded national library service for visually impaired people. At local level, during the twentieth century, British public library services to people with any form of visual impairment was based on a series of well meaning emotions and a few commercial initiatives, but lacked any form of overall planned provision. Large print books were widely stocked and displayed and, as new forms of media came along, they were also promoted for the blind and near‐blind. Voluntary sector support was widely used to supplement mainstream services, with the charitably‐supported National Library for the Blind and the Royal National Institute for the Blind leading the way. A survey was carried out by RNIB and published in 1997, but much has changed since then, most notably in the political field, with the current government placing an emphasis on social inclusion and requiring local authorities to adopt a planned, strategic approach to the provision of services.

This work emanates from a grant made in 1998 by the department of Culture, Media and Sport through the Library & Information Commission (now Re:source: the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries) “to ensure that blind and visually impaired people in the UK benefited more effectively from wider access to library and reading services”. Under these terms of reference, LISU undertook to build upon and extend the findings of the 1997 survey and it is this which is presented in this document. A postal questionnaire (a copy of which occupies six pages of this report) was sent to all 208 UK public library authorities, 141 of which responded. Respondents represented all types of public library authority. The survey covered policy issues, management of the service, relationships with other agencies, resources and special services available, staffing and expenditure.

The main findings detailed in the report are that many libraries did not have a specific policy statement on provision for the visually impaired, that most authorities did not have a specific budget for these services, that few had management information on the service and that there is little specialist equipment to assist in the use of Internet and other facilities. As well as being a useful adjunct to Best Value service reviews, this research could help library managers to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act. In addition to four pages of conclusions and recommendations, there is a very extensive list of references which will serve as a starting point for further desk research.