Southwest Georgia Library for Accessible Services

1. Southwest Georgia Library for Accessible Services Serving the special needs of patrons in 22 counties in Southwest Georgia

2. What is it? • One of nine subregional libraries and outreach advisory centers in the state of Georgia • Currently serves a 22 county region • Houses a large collection of recorded materials for patrons who are blind or physically handicapped • All materials mailed free of charge!

3. What counties do we serve? • Baker • Brooks • Calhoun • Clay • Colquitt • Decatur • Dougherty • Early • Echols • Grady • Lanier • Lee • Lowndes • Miller • Mitchell • Quitman • Randolph • Seminole • Terrell • Thomas • Webster • Worth Georgia Subregional Libraries Map

4. Types of Materials • Popular materials! • Including: • Best-sellers • Biographies • Children’s Books • Classics • Foreign Language Materials • Mysteries • Religious • Romance • Science Fiction • Free Bibles available • Materials are available in recorded format only

5. More Materials Available • Subscribe to over 70 popular magazines, such as: • Consumer Reports • Ebony • Good Housekeeping • Jack & Jill • National Geographic • Newsweek • Sports Illustrated • Magazines are available in Braille and Cassette formats • Independent living catalogs and displays

6. Newsline • Read newspapers via the telephone! • Newspapers include: • Atlanta Journal-Constitution • Macon Telegraph • New York Times • Tallahassee Democrat • USA Today • Wall Street Journal • Call us at 229-248-2680 or 1-800-795-2680 to set up Newsline today!

7. Deposit Collections Available • Talking books are available at deposit collections • Deposit collections are placed at: • Assisted living facilities • Nursing homes • Public libraries • Schools • Senior centers • And more! • Contact us to set up a deposit collection. A Typical Deposit Collection

8. How do you find materials? • Search our catalog at webopac.klas.com/glass • How do you receive materials once you find them? • Call us! 229-248-2680 or 1-800-795-2680 • Email us! lbph@swgrl.org • Write us at 301 S. Monroe Street, Bainbridge, GA 39819 • Need to reserve materials online? • Call us to receive a login ID and password! • Browse the deposit collection at your public library!

9. New Digital Players Arrived in 2010! • New digital players! • USB Flash Cartridges • Many advantages over traditional players: • Smaller • Lighter • Easier to use • Longer battery life

10. Download Digital Books • Download talking books using BARD • Braille and Audio Reading Download • Download to a blank NLS cartridge or a USB flash drive • Users must fill out an application before using BARD.

11. Special Equipment • Amplifiers • For those who are certified as hearing impaired • Kurzweil Reading Edge Machine • Reads a printed page aloud • Braille Machine • We can put printed material into Braille for you! Kurzweil Reading Edge Machine Braille Machine

12. Special Equipment • JAWS software • Check your local public library for availability • Reads printed material on the computer screen • Optelec 20/20+ • Enlarges materials placed underneath it by projecting on a screen • Can be enlarged up to 60 times its normal size • Available at Headquarters library in Bainbridge Computer with JAWS software Optelec 20/20+

13. Special Equipment • Perkins Brailler • Equivalent of a Braille typewriter • Braille –N- Print Slimline • Computer card • Attaches to the bottom of the Perkins Brailler • Prints on a computer printer • DAAS Vision Simulator Kit • Helps sighted persons develop a better understanding of different vision impairments. • AND MORE! Perkins Brailler DAAS Vision Simulator Kit

14. Special Equipment • Machines needed to play special cassettes • Old material is still available in this format • Recorded at slower than conventional speeds • Loaned for as long as you use the recorded materials Graphic

15. Eligibility • You are eligible for this program if you: • Are legally blind • 20/200 or less in better eye with correcting lenses • Cannot see well enough to read standard print • Are unable to handle print books or turn pages because of a physical handicap • Are certified by a medical doctor as having a reading disability, due to an organic dysfunction

16. How does it work? • Materials are delivered to your home free of charge • Once you receive the materials, flip the index card over on the materials to return them free of charge • All materials check out for 30 days

17. How to Apply • Obtain an application form! • Call us • Email us • Visit us in person • Visit your public library • Download one from our website at www.swgrl.org/handicap.php

18. Competent Authority • Need signature of a competent authority • In cases of blindness, visual impairment, or physical limitations: • Doctors of medicine • Doctors of osteopathy • Ophthalmologists • Optometrists • Registered nurses • Therapists • Professional staff of hospitals, institutions, and public or private welfare agencies: • Social workers • Case workers • Counselors • Rehabilitation Teachers • Superintendents • In the absence of any of these, certification may be made by professional librarians. • In the case of a reading disability due to an organic dysfunction: • Doctors of medicine • Doctors of osteopathy

19. Outreach Opportunities • Churches • Senior Centers • Caregiver groups • Institutions • Agencies such as • DFACS • Health Departments • Informal talks • Newspaper articles • Television interviews • Library displays • Demonstrations

20. By the numbers • Counties we serve: 22 • Over 8,600.4 square miles • Population per square mile: 56.8 • Service Population: 488,572 • 1.4% eligible for service • 6,840 eligible for service • Number of active patrons: 1,837 • Number of materials checked out in 2010: 27,365 • Year we opened for service: 1974

21. Contact Us! • Visit us in person! • 301 S. Monroe Street, Bainbridge, Georgia 39819 • Call us! • 229-248-2680 OR 1-1-800-795-2680 • E-mail us! • lpbh@swgrl.org • Visit us online! • www.swgrl.org/handicap.php • Receive our monthly newsletter for all the latest news!