One last post on this topic! Check out this website for more useful information on assistive technology. It is not only about providing the technology but also about how we interact with special needs patrons.

This library training has been developed to help front-line library workers better serve patrons with mental illness and/or developmental disabilities. The training was created using input from focus groups consisting of public library staff members, mental health consumers and mental health professionals. The content of the program reflects many hours of collaboration and interaction between Department of Mental Health (DMH) librarians and the “in-the-trenches” front-line workers of many Missouri libraries.

We hope visitors to this site will realize the vital role public libraries play in the lives of persons with mental illness and/or developmental disabilities. Click on the video section to experience the training. Also, visit our links and handout sections to learn more.

Librarian411.0rg

April is Autisim awareness month.

If you were working in a library, and a disabled person needed help with JAWS what are some of the key factors you would do differently in assisting this person?  

This video helps give some simple examples of communication, and assistance approaches.

How does a library fulfill the needs of providing assistive technology?

This book may hold the key to helping library facilities make purchasing, training, and organization choices for managing assistive technology approaches.  I have included the table of contents, and the abstract about the author and the book taken from the Amazon book pages. This book also includes resources for purchasing and compliance guideline issues!  After browsing the pages of the book, I can see where this can be a huge challenge to any library.  Making the right choices requires much research and input. The three areas highlighted in green cover some very important topics.

Assistive Technologies in the Library

Barbara T. Mates with contributions by William R. Reed IV

Item Number: 978-0-8389-1070-2

Table of Contents

1.    The Library’s Mission: To Serve All Patrons

2.    Creating Accessible Electronic Information

3.    Seeing the Bigger Picture: Large-Print-Access Technology Solutions

4.    When Computers Talk: Listening to the Web and Printed Materials

5.    Touching the Internet: Braille Access to the Internet

6.    Seeing the Sounds: Technologies for Persons with Hearing Impairments

7.    Surfing the Internet with a “Different” Board

8.    Accessible Collections, Resources, and Discussion Forums

9.    Staff Make It All Work

10.    Finding the Funding

11.    We Got It—Come and Get It; or, Marketing

12.    Creating Avenues for Accessible Electronic Communication

There are plenty of products out there for making information accessible to all users, but how can administrators and managers determine which are the most practical and economical for their particular library? Mates, former director of the Ohio Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled, strips away the technical jargon and introduces dozens of the latest options, including hardware, software, and peripherals. This guide will help readers: (1) Choose the products that are best for their organization, with the help of the evaluative commentary, lists of suppliers, and additional resources included; (2) Set up work stations and train staff on how to use assistive-technology such as screen readers, Braille displays, keyboard options, listening devices, and more; and (3) Meet compliance with regulatory agencies while benefiting every member of the community. This sensitively written and practical guidebook will be an indispensable resource for ensuring that a library's offerings are accessible to everyone.

Adaptive Technologies at CSUSM

A little information about adaptive technology at Cal State San Marcos, in cases you ever need it. It is good to know that the Kellogg library provides a variety of technology support for disabled students. On the 3rd floor their is one walk up catalog computer with wheelchair access and a 34" counter. On the same floor there are 3 roll up research carrels with 30" counters. All non computer tables and service areas have 34" counter access. On the 3rd and 4th floors are OCTV viewers to enlarge print, research computers all contain Magnifier, On-Screen Keyboard, and Narrator software for enlarging print, providing onscreen navigation of the computer, and read-a-loud software to assist disabled persons. The library contains a separate adaptive technology lab which contain all of the above mentioned features. Braille keyboards and printers are also available in the adaptive technology lab.

These technologies are designed to make the library at Cal State San Marcos both accessible and usable by those with special needs. Breaking down these barriers makes it possible for each and every person who attends classes at Cal State to use the library and be successful in their studies. It is always good to know that these products and services are out there, you just never know who will need them.

Need a break from the goth books of cliche vampires,  hideous witches, and animated corpse-zombies? 

In case your tired of dark themes, and want something more real that you can relate to, your new read has just arrived. This book sounds like a breath of fresh air just in time for Spring.  Trade in your black hornet's nest outfit, for a fresh pair of cutoffs, a favorite tee, and head over to the cafe with a friend and enjoy!

It has some stellar reviews too! Readers let us know what you think!!!

confessions of a library junkie

http://hellogiggles.com/confessions-of-a-library-junkie