Everyone has different reading needs. Reading needs can also change over time. Our Accessible Audiobook Service can provide the support you need to access what you want to read.

Accessible Audiobook Service provides audiobooks to patrons with a perceptual disability. This term is more commonly referred to as a print disability, which is defined by section 32 of the Copyright Act. Our Accessible Audiobook patrons have access to audiobooks beyond the library collection available at our branches.

Because we’re a member of Public Library InterLINK, our patrons have access to their extensive audiobook collection for people with print disabilities, some of which are housed at Burnaby Public Library. We are also a member of CELA (Centre for Equitable Library Access) and provide access to NNELs (National Network for Equitable Library Service).

The collection is updated often and is based on users’ tastes. It includes current bestsellers, classics, and popular fiction. We encourage our patrons to let us know when they want a title, series, or author in a specific format.

Burnaby residents with a perceptual disability have access to Center for Equitable Library Access (CELA), an online service that provides access to an extensive collection of downloadable reading material in accessible formats. Their collection includes books, newspapers and magazines. Once you verify through us, CELA sets you up with an account and you can download your own material or have them send you a selection of audiobooks on a regular basis.

National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) is another online provider of downloadable audiobooks for people with perceptual disabilities. There are thousands of titles, and the collection is growing. Just let us know you want to have access to their collection, and we’ll get you set up with an account so you can download material at your leisure.

We recognize that needs differ, so we offer a number of ways to access our Accessible Audiobook collection. Once you register with our Home Library and Accessible Service, you can arrange to have material sent to the branch of your choice, or set up home delivery if you’re eligible.