Digital technologies and online tools are a key driver to foster improved library services for visually impaired readers. Nevertheless, in most EU countries: - library staff is not fully aware about the scope and potential of ICT tools and services for the involvement of visually impaired users, and awareness is also poor on valuable experiences and best practices that could be reproduced at local and international level; - digital competencies of library staff are often insufficient to effectively integrate digital tools. TECH.LIBRARY focuses on 3 main objectives: 1) favour the exchange of best practices among staffs of different libraries on services and ICT tools for the involvement of visually impaired users 2) expand library staffs’ digital competencies through tailored training activities on ICT tools 3) establish a network of libraries for cooperation in responding to visually impaired users’ needs. Following activities will be implemented in order to reach the foreseen objectives: 1) Project coordination, which will guarantee a sound technical and financial management of the project, 2) Exchange of best practices and study visits so as to give the possibility to each participant to learn and understand how other libraries and countries use ICT for the involvement of visually impaired users, 3) Development of a web platform enabling users to get trained, share experiences and opinions, communicate, networking and disseminate project activities and initiatives, 4) Short term joint staff training on latest ICT technologies to offer services to visually impaired users, 5) Targeted dissemination and exploitation activities: 6 conferences (3 at transnational level and 3 at national level) to disseminate the project achievements and to engage stakeholders within the TECH.LIBRARY online platform. The partnership is composed by 6 public libraries from 6 different countries, supported by one technical partner. The project will involve 122 participants in the training and exchange of best practices activities, whereas 260 will participate in the multiplier events. Moreover, a significant number of external libraries will be engaged in networking and sharing of experiences through the web platform, which will also provide them with useful information, training videos and materials, demos and much more contents to improve their staffs’ digital competencies (it is estimated that more than 300 users will register and actively participate in the platform). Three intellectual outputs will be produced by project activities: 1) TECH.LIBRARY online platform 2) Training videos in 7 different languages 3) Practical handbook and recommendations of best practices in 7 different languages. The expected impact of the project is to promote the professional development of libraries' staff in ICT methodologies all while upskilling their key competencies and fostering much greater inclusiveness in libraries by improving key services dedicated to blind and visually impaired users all around Europe. Becoming a genuinely inclusive library for visually impaired readers is not only about the capacity to adapt to ever changing digital technologies, but also about enabling library staff to play an all-inclusive role.
Through the need analysis emerged 2 main issues: - library staff is generally poorly aware of the ICT tools for the involvement of visually impaired users and successful experiences and best practices are very little known; - library staff’s digital competencies are usually not adequate to face this challenge. Starting from these 2 aspects, the project focused on 3 main objectives: 1)Promote the exchange of best practices among the staff of different libraries on ICT tools and services for the involvement of visually impaired readers; 2)Develop library staff’s digital competencies through training activities on ICT tools; 3)Establish a network of libraries for cooperation in the involvement of visually impaired users. Partners wanted TECH.LIBRARY to represent a concrete opportunity for EU libraries to communicate and collaborate, share common needs, improve the skills of their staff, develop innovative approaches in order to improve their services dedicated to visually impaired users.
The project idea stemmed from a specific need of public libraries’ staff: how to deal with visually impaired users in libraries? This necessity constituted the basis on which the consortium was built and the project developed. New technologies have opened up new possibilities for reading and for participatory activities targeted to people with disabilities. These days, visually impaired users can access specific computer programmes, digital resources and innovative instruments like screen magnifying monitors, screen readers and speech synthesis, Braille displays. Even if some of these services are gradually being supplied also in Public & Academic Libraries, there are differences from country to country, with a huge potential for improvement in terms of skills and competencies of libraries’ staff. Even though libraries for blind people are generally well equipped, the request for specialized services for visually impaired in local or national systems is raising constantly.