Services and collection

The services of the Estonian Library for the Blind are available for the visually impaired people or people with other print disabilities in Estonia and abroad. Literature on the activity, rehabilitation and teaching of the visually impaired people is lent to all who are interested in this field.

Library services are provided at the library, by mail, telephone (+372 674 8212) and e-mail (laenutus@rara.ee).

Library is open:

• On Monday – Thursday 10-16.

The following services are available:

• lending literature at the library
• renewing loans
• sending audio newspapers, journals and new book lists by mail (on CD)
• sending electronic newspapers and new book lists by e-mail
• interlibrary lending
• Veebiraamatukogu (Web library) for downloading and streaming audio and e-books, newspapers and journals

The services are available for:

• Persons with visual impairment or other print disabilities
• Sighted persons who need materials for the studies or research work
• Libraries, which have the persons with visual impairment or other print disabilities among the patrons
• Nursery homes, which have the persons with visual impairment or other print disabilities among the clients
• Societies for the visually impaired or people with other print disabilities

All the services are free of charge for the patrons.

Library users can borrow at a time:

• 5 audio books (for 30 days)
• 5 Braille books (for 60 days)
• 5 printed books (for 30 days)
• 2 tactile books (for 14 days)
• 5 e-books (for 30 days)
• 5 films with audio description (for 14 days)

Patrons can renew the loans twice if the books are not needed by others.

Since September 2008 patrons can order on-demand audio books and e-books which are sent directly to their homes by mail in every 2 weeks without the request of returning the books to the library.

Patrons can orded 5 audio books and 5 e-books at a time for 30 days and they have to defect CDs after the loan period has ended.

The selection of on-demand audio books and e-books is limited caused by the character of recordings which has to be digital and comply with copyright law. We can lend on-demand only our own production, as well as the audio books and e-books published by those producers with whom we have come to the agreements.

Only the visually impaired people or people with other disabilities can order on-demand audio books and e-books.

Veebiraamatukogu (Web library) – the system for downloading and streaming audio an e-books, newspapers and journals is created by the Estonian Library for the Blind in cooperation with the Estonian information technology company Trumpit Solutions OÜ.

Since April 2012 Veebiraamatukogu is available for the patrons of the Estonian Library for the Blind.

Audio titles in Estonian and foreign languages are accessible via Veebiraamatukogu. It includes materials produced mostly by the Estonian Library for the Blind, but also by other producers who have given the library permission to add their books to the system.

Veebiraamatukogu enables to:

• browse and search for books based on different characteristics (author, narrator, publisher etc.)
• download and stream audio and e-books, newspapers and journals
• add books to bookshelves
• subscribe for notifications about new items
• view previous downloads

All who visit Veebiraamatukogu can browse, search for books and view book data, but access to downloading and streaming is open only for the registered users of Veebiraamatukogu. They have to be or become the customers of the Estonian Library for the Blind.

Since 2007 literature is lent by using the online catalogue URRAM. It contains bibliographic entries of all the documents found at the Estonian Library for the Blind.

Via the electronic catalogue URRAM patrons can:

• search for the literature
• take a look at their current loans and a loan history
• reserve the needed books
• renew the loans

Go to online catalogue URRAM

Library collection covers:

• Audio books
• Braille books and journals
• Tactile books
• Films with audio description
• E-books
• Printed books on the activity, rehabilitation and teaching of the visually impaired people

The collection includes fiction, popular science literature and study materials. Besides literature in Estonian books in Russian, English, German, Finnish and Icelandic are also available.

The majority of audio and Braille books, as well as talking newspapers and journals, are produced at the library. Holdings are increased by purchases and donations as well. Literature in Estonian and Russian is acquired via book exchange with the foreign libraries for the blind (e.g. Celia Library in Finland).

Tactile materials represent an important addition to the selection of children’s literature. The very first tactile book was acquired to the collection in 2005. The majority of tactile books have been made and donated to our library by a non-profit organization Kakora and the students of Tallinn University and the Estonian Academy of Arts.