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CELAPublic library services for Canadians with print disabilities

Centre for Equitable Library Access
Public library service for Canadians with print disabilities

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Quick user’s guide to Dolphin EasyReader

Overview

This guide provides a quick tutorial to get you started using EasyReader with your CELA account. 

Choose a topic:

  • Key features
  • Download the EasyReader app
  • Create a Dolphin account
  • Sign in with your Apple or Google account
  • Sign in to CELA with EasyReader
  • Choosing books and magazines
  • Download a Direct to Player book in EasyReader
  • Read a book
  • Stream a book
  • Navigate through a book
  • Delete a book
  • FAQs

You can also watch our video on using EasyReader (Word transcript also available).

CELA and EasyReader cheat sheet

Webinar recording on using Dolphin's EasyReader app to listen to CELA books 

A young black woman wearing white headphones and holding an iPhone she is using to listen to audiobooks

Key features

EasyReader by Dolphin Inc. is an easy-to-use, free, accessible reading app for people with print disabilities including dyslexia, low vision and blindness. EasyReader is available on iOS and Android.

With Dolphin EasyReader, you can do the following:

  • Play audio books
  • Receive books daily through automatic selection
  • Add a human sounding voice to text only titles with synchronized text and audio
  • Easily navigate through the book
  • Search within the text
  • Add bookmarks
  • Set a sleep timer
  • Adjust colours, text size and highlights, and speed to your preferences
Dolphin EasyReader application open on an iPad

Download the EasyReader app

The free EasyReader app is available through the Apple App Store for iOS devices and Android available through Google Play. Visit the app store and download the EasyReader app onto the device or devices you will be using.

Dolphin EasyReader logo

Create a Dolphin account

Because EasyReader is not a CELA product you’ll need to create a free account with Dolphin before you can use the app to read your CELA books.

To create a Dolphin account:

  1. Open Dolphin Easy Reader.
  2. Select Sign up for a new Dolphin account. 
  3. Enter your email address and select Next.
  4. Choose a secure password, at least 6 characters long.
    Note the email address and password you use to create your Dolphin account for future reference.
  5. Select I agree to the Terms & Conditions and then select Sign Up.
    A pop-up will appear telling you that your account has been successfully created and that have been sent an email to confirm your account.
  6. Select OK.

Sign in with your Apple or Google account

If you have an Apple or Google account, you also have the option of logging in with your Apple or Google account. If you sign in with Apple or Google, you do not need to create a Dolphin account.

To login using your Apple or Google account:

  1. Open Dolphin Easy Reader.
  2. Select Sign in with Apple or the Google option.
  3. Depending on the option you select, you may be asked to continue with your Touch ID, or select your Google account. Follow the prompts.
  4. Select I agree to the Terms & Conditions and then select Sign Up.
    A pop-up will appear telling you that you are now logged in to EasyReader.
  5. Select OK.

Sign in to CELA with EasyReader

The first time you log in to EasyReader with a new device you'll need to sign into your CELA account. Once these steps have been completed, your login information and passwords will be saved for you, allowing you quick access for subsequent use.

  1. Open the EasyReader app on your device.
  2. Select the Dolphin button to log into your Dolphin account.
  3. Login using the email address and password you used to set up your Dolphin EasyReader app account.
    If you forgot the email address or password you used to create your Dolphin account, please ask Dolphin for help. 
    Please note: There is a Forgot Password option on the app sign in screen.
    After successfully signing in to the EasyReader app, the My Books page will appear.
  4. Because you have not yet logged into CELA with the EasyReader app, a button will appear that says No books in your library.
  5. Select the button that says No books in your library.
    The app opens a menu to Manage libraries.
  6. Select CELA Library from the list of libraries. This will take you to a login screen for CELA. 
    Note: If you do not see an option for CELA Library, select Manage Libraries and enable CELA Library. After you open the Side menu (Side menu icon), you can login to CELA Library under Manage Libraries.
  7. At the CELA login screen, enter your six-digit CELA account number or user name. (Note: adding CELA_ is not required for version 1.3 of EasyReader and later).
  8. Enter the same password you use to log into your CELA account on the CELA website. Please note this password may be different than the password you selected for the EasyReader app.

You have successfully signed in to CELA with EasyReader. Any DAISY Direct to Player books issued to you will appear in EasyReader under CELA Library. 

Please note: Your CELA number and password are stored on your device until you log out of CELA. Logging out of EasyReader will not automatically log you out of CELA. If you are using the EasyReader app to read CELA books on a borrowed device you need to log out of CELA before shutting down the app in order to keep your CELA account secure.

Choosing books and magazines

Now that you have added EasyReader to your phone or tablet, you are ready to add some books.  You may choose your own titles or let us do this for you through our automated selection service. 

To choose your own books or individual magazine issues to read on the EasyReader app, you must go to celalibrary.ca and log into your account. You cannot search for CELA titles on the EasyReader app at this time.  

You may also receive books through automatic selection by contacting our Contact Centre so they can add your favourite reading genres to your account.  You will receive 3 books daily up to a maximum of 12 book titles. Once you are ready to read more books, you will need to delete some titles so our system can issue new reading materials to you.   If you like a mixture of choosing your own as well as receiving titles automatically, please note that you will be able to add as many books as the storage on your device allows, but automatic selection will only add more books if you have less than 12 Direct to Player books on your bookshelf. 

Download a Direct to Player book in EasyReader

In the EasyReader app, the CELA Library page shows a list of DAISY Direct to Player books you have already placed (or the system already placed through automatic selection) on loan and can immediately listen to. To learn about how to download a DAISY .zip book to EasyReader, see Download and read a DAISY .zip book in EasyReader instead.

  1. From the CELA Library page, choose the Book information button (Book Information icon) that immediately follows the book description of the book you would like to read.
  2. Select the Borrow option.
    Two new options appear on screen: Download and Open.
  3. Select Download.
  4. The book will begin to download and a progress bar will show the progress of download. You may experience a slight pause at the end of the download process before the book is ready to play.

The book has downloaded. To start listening to your book, select Open. You will also be able to access the book from My Books after it has downloaded.

Read a book

After you have completed the previous step and downloaded a book in EasyReader, the book is available to read from the My Books page. 

To read a book:

  1. Select the book you would like to read from the My Books page.
    The book opens.
  2. Select the Play arrow.
    If you have not yet started the book, EasyReader will start to read at the beginning of the book. If you have already begun the book, EasyReader will take you to the last word/phrase/paragraph that was read. If you selected a chapter, EasyReader will begin reading that chapter.
    If you are using the Voice Over screen-reader, it will follow the same pattern with Voice Over reading the highlighted text. To continue to read, you must select the Play button.

For more information on using the skip forward and backward controls in the EasyReader, read the Skip forward and backward topic.

Stream a book

Streaming allows you to play a book immediately without downloading the whole book whereas, if you download a book, you can read it even when you don't have an internet connection. If you are not sure you will read the whole book, streaming will be faster and likely use less of your mobile data plan.

To stream a book:

  1. From CELA Library, select the Book Information button (Book information icon) that immediately follows the book description of the book you would like to read.
  2. Select the Borrow option.
    Two options appear on screen: Download and Open.
  3. Select Open.

The book will begin to stream. Select the Play button to begin playing. You may experience a short pause before it begins.

Navigate through a book

You can navigate through books by heading or chapter, by page number, or by bookmark, depending on how the book is structured. The default navigation is by heading. The book navigation button is in the bottom left corner of the screen near the play/pause button.

To navigate through the book:

  1. Select the Book Navigation button (Book navigation icon) to take you to a list of headings within the book.
  2. From Book Navigation, select specific chapters or pages to which you you wish to navigate.
  3. Push Play to move to the selected position in the book.

Please note that selecting the Back button returns the reader to the start of the book. Dolphin is aware of this issue and will correct it in future versions.

For more information on book navigation, read EasyReader's navigation help.

Delete a book

  1. From the Side menu (Side menu icon), select CELA Library or My Books.
  2. Select the Book information button (Book Information icon) that comes after the description of the book you want to delete.
  3. Select the Trash can icon (Trash can icon).
    If you are using Voice Over, the trash can is one swipe back after arriving on the Book information page, and the trash can is reported as "Return book."
    Note: If the Trash can does not appear, the book cannot be deleted because it has not been borrowed or downloaded. Borrow or download the book first in order to delete it from EasyReader.
  4. EasyReader will ask if you wish to remove the book from your device. Select Yes.

You have successfully deleted the book.

FAQs

How do I read a book that’s not currently on my bookshelf?

To add a book to EasyReader, log on to the CELA website, find your book, select the DAISY Direct to Player format in the Get it! options menu, and then select the Get it! button.

How can I tell if a book has been downloaded to my device?

Books which have been downloaded are shown on the CELA Library and My Books page with a star over the top left corner of the book cover image. If viewed with the Voice Over screen-reader, the book details will be read with "on device" reported at the end of the description. Books which have been streamed appear with a cloud over the top left corner of the book cover image. Voice Over notes these books as “Online.”

What is the difference between downloading and streaming a book?

You can choose to download the book or stream it. If you download a book, it is available to read, even if you have no internet connection. If you choose to stream a book, then the book is played immediately without downloading the whole book. If you are not sure you will read the whole book, then streaming will be faster and likely use less of your mobile data plan. The quality of the book experience is the same for both the download and streaming options.

I requested a Direct to Player book on CELA’s website. Why hasn’t it shown up in EasyReader yet?

Make sure you are logged into your CELA account within EasyReader. (The steps can be found in the Sign into CELA with EasyReader section.) If you have logged into CELA Library and aren’t seeing the book: please keep in mind it can take anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours for a book to show up. Whenever a patron requests a book on CELA's website, the system generates a unique file for the patron, which usually takes less than 5 minutes. Two factors can make it take longer: longer book length and synthetic audio, as compared to books with human narration. Synthetic audio books may take several hours before they are available to download. If a book doesn't appear in EasyReader after 24 hours, please let the Contact Centre know by calling 1-855-655-2273 or emailing help@celalibrary.ca.

How much battery power does EasyReader require?

EasyReader is designed to stay active on the book reading page. Unless you close the app, the screen will not dim, and the phone will not go into sleep mode. This feature ensures you don't have to constantly wake up the phone to keep listening to your book, but it also means that your battery can run down. It is important when you finish reading to pause your book, and navigate back out of the book reading page to preserve your battery.

I have EasyReader installed on two devices. If I remove a book from EasyReader on one device, will the book be removed from EasyReader on the other device as well?

If the book is a Direct to Player book and you remove it from My Books in EasyReader, it will be removed from both devices. If you downloaded the book as a ZIP file on both devices, it will still exist on the other device.

Will EasyReader work on a data plan rather than wifi?

Yes. If you have a data plan, it will automatically work with EasyReader. If you specifically prefer to use data instead of wifi, you can enable the data option on your device.

My book didn’t appear in EasyReader but I see it on my bookshelf in My Account. What should I do?

Refresh your bookshelf by doing the following:

  • Select the Side menu (Side menu icon).
  • Select CELA Library. The book should appear.

If you still don’t see the book, please update EasyReader. For information on updating apps on iOS, see the Update apps or use automatic downloads. For information on updating apps on Android, see Update your Android apps.

How do I get more help or information on EasyReader?

The EasyReader app provides online help, including a full manual. For help with reading books and magazines from CELA on EasyReader, call our contact centre at 1-855-655-2273 or email help@celalibrary.ca.

FAQ

How is CELA responding to COVID?

Answer: The health and safety of our staff and patrons is our primary concern.

Read about our COVID plan.

Go to Frequently Asked Questions page

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The Centre for Equitable Library Access, CELA, is an accessible library service, providing books and other materials to Canadians with print disabilities.

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