The joy of books cannot be overstated and many in the Snowy-Monaro have already embraced the region’s home library service. Photo: Ian Campbell.
Those with low vision and cognitive impairments can now access new collections of accessible books across the Cooma-Monaro and Snowy Mountains to assist them when engaging in the joy of reading.
Snowy Monaro Regional Council says the region’s libraries will offer collections of braille books for children, as well as memory books to expand the range of accessible resources available to local residents.
Memory books are designed for older readers and to assist those with a cognitive impairment, dementia, or who are recovering from stroke or an acquired brain injury.
They pair larger print with pictures and easy-to-understand stories, which aids in the treatment, condition and symptom management of these readers. The books can be borrowed at all of the council’s libraries.
The new junior braille collection features popular children’s titles, which are leant out alongside a braille learning kit with a magnetic mat to help vision-impaired children and their families learn braille.
Council says the collection, which includes family favourites like Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, is also a 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,” a council spokesperson said.
“Available in-library and through the mobile library service, these accessible collections are a significant part of Council’s home library service.”
The spokesperson said the home library service provided books and library services to people who couldn’t easily visit the library due to their health, age, ability, or mobility. These orders can be delivered to residents or collected from a library.
The use of this service increased significantly in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with lockdowns and restrictions helping to raise awareness about it.
While lockdowns are no more, the current usage rates for the service still 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,” library coordinator Cheryl Smith said.
“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.”
For information about the accessible resources or the home library service, contact the libraries at [email protected] or call 6451 1630.
More details on these initiatives are available through the Snowy Monaro Regional Council website.
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