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Libraries become more dyslexia-friendly
Posted on 19/03/2010
Community Services
Libraries across Leicestershire have signed up to a new set of guidelines designed to make them more dyslexia-friendly.
Over the next few months, staff are being trained to ensure they understand the basic issues facing people with dyslexia.
Most of the checklist has already been adopted by county libraries and includes offering easy-to-read and audio materials, working with dyslexia groups and making reasonable adjustments.
This follows a national project - led by the Society of Chief Librarians - aimed at making libraries better equipped to help people affected by dyslexia.
Around 10% of the population are dyslexic to some extent and at least 4% are seriously affected, including about 375,000 children. People with dyslexia are often successful at reading and writing but they may need reasonable adjustments to be made to give them additional help.
To mark the changes, a special event is being held at County Hall on Friday 26th March at 2pm where the new staff training resource will be launched.
David Sprason, County Council Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities, said "It is great to see that libraries are taking on this initiative and raising increased awareness of dyslexia. In adopting these new guidelines, Leicestershire libraries will be able to better train their staff to include promotion of relevant material and adequate stock as well as better facilities.”
The final part of the project has been developed in co-operation with NIACE, with grant funding from the JJ Charitable Trust, to provide on-line training for all library staff.
Background notes
Libraries across Leicestershire are seeing an increase in visitors as the UK finds itself in a recession. Traditionally, people turn to public libraries during hard economic times - for cheaper entertainment, to help with employment, for free access to computers and to help them save money and be ‘greener’ by borrowing free books rather than buying.
Leicestershire Libraries have seen vast improvements recently as part of the £8 million transformation programme and staff are inviting the public to step into their local library to discover all the up to date services and facilities available for no or little cost.
Visitors will be supported by libraries over the coming months in their health, wellbeing, career prospects, lifestyle and general enjoyment by:
- Stepping up to savings and improving finances – a free internet service where all the consumer price comparison and information websites are available, there are free books to borrow and you can have a cheap night in with a DVD that you can keep for a week
- Stepping Up to success and improving job prospects – with free newspapers, free internet facilities and a large choice of titles for all sorts of learning and development
- Stepping Out - alone or with friends and family to free events ’’
- Stepping Into the library’s welcoming surroundings where you can read all the latest best sellers for free and get up to date DVDs and audiobooks.
- Stepping Up to a challenge - train your brain with crosswords, Sudoku and general knowledge quizzes.
Details of library developments can be found on www.leics.gov.uk/libraries
Details of events can be found on www.leics.gov.uk/events
Facts and figures about Leicestershire Libraries for 2008 – 2009
- 55 libraries
- 92,378 hours open
- 3,853,867 visitors
- 6 Mobile libraries
- 412 PCs
- 22,205 DVDs to rent
- 728,628 books to borrow