In this issue:
- Letter from CELA’s Executive Director
- Awards update
- October is Dyslexia Awareness Month
- TD Summer Reading Club Accessibility Award
- Reading in the news
- Support for CD users
- Loaning out Alexas? We can help.
- Reading for Truth and Reconciliation
- Death of Andrea Gibson
- Webinars
- eBraille workshop offering
- Featured title for adults: Fallosophy: My trip through life with MS, a memoir
- Top five books
- Top five for kids
- Featured title for teens: A Treachery of Swans
- Top five for teens
- Service Tip: Update your website!
- Holiday Hours
- Stay connected!
Letter from CELA’s Executive Director
While January may be the official start to the new year, I think for many of us, September feels like an unofficial time of new beginnings and an opportunity to look forward to new projects.
At CELA, there are lots of new things happening behind the scenes. We’ve launched our smart speaker service as a new way for users to read our audiobooks. And our new Outreach team, Cora Payne and Andrea Blake, has been developing plans and is starting to reach out to organizations and school boards to spread the word about CELA's services. With an estimated 1 in 10 students having a learning disability like dyslexia, it’s important for those students and the educators who support them to know that they can access CELA resources for academic and pleasure reading.
With Dyslexia Awareness Month happening in October, libraries can take the opportunity to promote accessible resources and create a warm and welcoming environment for people with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. In our September 2024 blog, Springwater, Ontario library’s CEO shared the ways their staff support users with print disabilities. It’s an excellent read if you are looking for inspiration.
As you know, CELA ceased producing and mailing CDs to our users at the end of July. We remain committed and focused on supporting those who are transitioning to a new way of reading. Our webinars and Q and A sessions continue in September, and our CD Transition Resources page continues to be updated. If your library needs additional support in helping patrons with print disabilities transition, please reach out to Member Services at members@celalibrary.ca.
Lastly, I want to take a moment to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. One of the best ways we can learn about the impact of Canada’s history is by sharing stories. The First Nations Communities Read longlist is an excellent resource for discovering books written by Indigenous, Métis and Inuit authors. Or check our blog for more suggestions.
Happy reading!
Laurie Davidson, Executive Director
Awards update
Congratulations to the following authors!
The Booker Prize long list has been announced. Canadian authors on the list include David Szalay for Flesh: A Novel and Maria Reva for Endling: A Novel.
The 2025 Lambda Literary Awards nominees were also recently announced. Twelve Canadian and Canada-based writers who have been named finalists include Sarah Leavitt, and Zoe Whittall. Read more of the nominees in our collection.
Congratulations to Xiran Jay Zhao who won best young adult novel in the annual Aurora Awards for their novel Heavenly Tyrant. The Aurora Awards recognize the best in Canadian science fiction and fantasy writing.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month
It’s estimated that as many as 20% of the population may have dyslexia. And that makes it especially important that the library community recognizes Dyslexia Awareness Month in October.
By proactively promoting resources, programs, and reading materials to community members who might have dyslexia, you are removing barriers to access and creating a welcoming environment.
- Need event planning tips and ideas? Check out the Dyslexia Canada Google Drive filled with resources and ideas.
- Looking for social media content? Wear red on October 8th and share a picture on social media. Feature books by or about people with dyslexia. And keep an eye out for Dyslexia Canada's social media templates.
- Consider a dyslexia-related book club event, or partner with your local learning disabilities support group to host an event to raise awareness.
- Feature dyslexic resources in your upcoming newsletter, on social media, and in your book displays. Don’t forget to mention CELA resources.
Here are even more resources:
Science of Reading Toolkit: Evidence-Based Approaches for Public Libraries
Dyslexia Canada
All about reading disabilities: how libraries can support readers with dyslexia – YouTube Webinar link for Dyslexia Canada, or a link to a webinar on our website where Dyslexia Canada is featured.
Organizations to learn from:
• Dyslexia Decoded
• Dyslexia Canada
• Learning Disability Association of Canada
• International Dyslexia Association
TD Summer Reading Club Accessibility Award
Apply now for the TD Summer Reading Club Accessibility Award!
As summer wraps up, it’s time to transition from summer reading clubs to back to school. But before you pack away those summer memories, we encourage all libraries that participated in the TD Summer Reading Club to apply for the TDSRC Accessibility Award.
CELA and the TD Summer Reading Club offer an annual award for excellence in accessible English or French programming. The award celebrates the creativity of library staff who engage children with disabilities in their TD Summer Reading Club by:
- making their reading activities, events and programs inclusive for children of all abilities
- connecting readers with TD Summer Reading Club titles in audio, e-book or braille formats
- promoting community partnerships that strengthen access to materials and programming for children with disabilities
- increasing library staff awareness of accessibility best practices.
CELA offers a $2,000 cash prize to the winning library. The winner is announced in the spring of the following year at either the English or French award ceremony, depending on the language of the winning application.
You can find more information, including eligibility criteria, on the Accessibility Award page.
To apply, complete the Accessibility Award application form. You can also send supplementary information to members@celalibrary.ca. This can include videos, photos, newspaper articles, statistics, testimonials, and more.
The deadline to apply is September 30, 2025.
Good luck!
Reading in the news
What happens if the Giller Prize shuts down?
The CBC recently hosted a discussion about the importance of the Giller Prize and what the impact might be for the Canadian literary community if that award shuts down due to a lack of funding. It's an interesting perspective on the importance of literary awards, especially Canada's most generous prize.
Support for CD users
If your patrons are looking for new ways to read audiobooks, we have lots of resources to help. Our CD Transition Resource page was developed to help users as CELA phased out the production and delivery of audiobooks on CDs at the end of July.
This webpage lists training videos, tutorials and resources available.
Over the coming weeks, CELA will convert previous CD users to our Direct to Player service. If your patrons are ready to use Direct to Player, they can request access now by calling the Contact Centre at 1-855-655-2273 or by using the option on the My Account page.
When patrons go to their My Account page, they will find a new link called “Service switch to Direct to Player for CD users”. There are three options on this page. Patrons are asked to choose the first option: Switch my CD service to DAISY Direct to Player now," which will switch their holds and magazine subscriptions to Direct to Player within 24 hours.
The Direct to Player service allows patrons to place CELA books and magazines they would like to read on a virtual bookshelf called the Direct to Player bookshelf. It is a quick and convenient way to receive DAISY audiobooks and magazines without using a computer to download and transfer files. If your patron has an internet connection, CELA can send the books and magazines directly to their DAISY player or mobile device.
These titles can be seamlessly accessed directly from patrons' compatible reading devices. This can be a specialized player, an app on your smartphone, tablet, computer, or smart speaker.
Upcoming Training
Our weekly Q &A sessions happen Thursday from 2:00-3:00pm ET
Or register for our next Wednesday evening session from 6:30-7:30pm EDT
Loaning out Alexas? We can help.
CELA recently launched a new smart speaker service which allows CELA users to read accessible books using an Alexa device and the Accessible Reading Canada (ARC) skill. Libraries who are able to support this service by loaning out Alexa devices to patrons can find information and support on our website.
Our new guide to loaning out Alexa devices includes technical support, suggestions for circulation, information to pass on to potential users about what’s required to try an Alexa speaker and the ARC skill, and details about how to reset an Alexa between loans. We also outline the library's and patrons' responsibilities and provide additional information to make this process as smooth as possible.
If you have questions or additional suggestions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Reading for Truth and Reconciliation
Waiting for the long night moon by Amanda Peters was recommended by Theresa, CELA's Content and Access Librarian. Theresa said "I read so many Indigenous books this year. I enjoyed them all, but none as much as Waiting for the long night moon".
An intimate and personal debut collection of short fiction from the bestselling author of The Berry Pickers.
The stories in Waiting for the Long Night Moon explore the Indigenous experience from an astonishingly wide spectrum in time and place—from contact with the first European settlers, to the forced removal of Indigenous children, to the present-day fight for the right to clean water. Amanda Peters portrays the dignity of traditional Indigenous life, the humiliations of systemic racism, and the resilient power to endure by melding traditional storytelling with her signature style of evocative, spare prose. A young man returns from residential school only to realize he can no longer communicate with his own parents. A young woman finds purpose and healing on the front lines as a water protector. An old man remembers his life as he patiently waits for death. And a young girl nervously dances in her first Mawi'omi. The collection also includes the Indigenous Voices Award–nominated story "Pejipug (Winter Arrives)"" as well the Indigenous Voices Award-winning title story. At times sad, sometimes disturbing, but always redemptive, the stories in Waiting for the Long Night Moon will remind you that where there is grief there is also joy, where there is trauma there is resilience and, most importantly, there is power.
Death of Andrea Gibson
Celebrated poet, performance artist and activist Andrea Gibson died in July as a result of terminal ovarian cancer. Gibson served as Colorado state’s poet laureate and has written several books, including Take Me With You and Lord of the Butterflies.
Our condolences go out to their family, friends and many fans.
Webinars
Are there topics related to accessibility that you would like to see included in our webinars? We regularly update our content and always appreciate hearing ideas from library staff. Send your suggestions to members@celalibrary.ca.
How you as a designate can support library patrons to read CELA’s audiobooks and magazines
Are you a friend, family member or library staff person who assists a person with a print disability to manage their CELA library service?
Are you concerned how the transition away from CDs may impact them? This 60 minute webinar will explain how to assist CELA users as they transition from reading CELA’s audiobooks and magazines on CD, to a variety of players and apps.
You will learn:
- Which audiobook players and apps work with CELA audiobooks and magazines
- How to start using Envoy Connect devices, the EasyReader app or Direct to Player on a Humanware Stratus DAISY player
- Where to buy players
- Where to find help, training and tutorials
- General tips for empowering others to use accessible technology
To register for the online Zoom webinar, select the link below and fill in the registration form. To attend by phone, please call the Contact Centre at 1-855-655-2273.
Tues, Sept 9 7:00-8:00pm EDT
Getting Started with Accessible Reading Canada: Listen to CELA Audiobooks with Alexa
Join us for a live webinar introducing Accessible Reading Canada, a new way for CELA patrons to enjoy CELA audiobooks using Alexa-enabled smart speakers. This 60-minute session will walk you through how to use voice commands to search, browse, and listen to audiobooks from your CELA Direct to Player Bookshelf using the Accessible Reading Canada Alexa skill.
This webinar will cover:
- What Alexa-enabled smart speakers are and how they work
- How to set up and use the Accessible Reading Canada skill
- How to use voice commands for browsing and reading
- Where to find help guides and additional support
After the presentation, there will be a Q&A session to ask additional questions. This session will be recorded.
To register for the online Zoom webinar, select the link below and fill in the registration form. To attend by phone, please call the Contact Centre at 1-855-655-2273.
How to support library patrons to read CELA’s audiobooks and magazines: Transitioning from reading on CDs to other devices
In this 60 minute webinar, library staff will discover how to transition patrons with print disabilities from reading CELA’s audiobooks and magazines on CD to a variety of players and apps. We will guide you through this change so you can continue to offer accessible reading materials through your library’s CELA account. You will learn:
- Which audiobook players and apps work with CELA audiobooks and magazines
- How to access CELA books and magazines onto library-owned devices
- How CELA can support book clubs and reading programs
- Where to find help, training and tutorials
Select the link below to register:
Educator Access Program webinar
This webinar will introduce library staff and educators to the CELA Educator Access program. This program is offered through public libraries and gives teachers and other educators access to CELA’s collection to support their students with print disabilities at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels.
Audience: Public library staff and educators. Educators can include teachers, teacher librarians, educational assistants, and special education teachers – anyone who supports students with print disabilities in a formal educational setting.
Learning goals:
- How to register with the Educator Access program
- What alternate formats and reading technologies are available for students at all levels in the CELA collection
- What is Bookshare and how can educators get access
- How to find, access and read our books, magazines and newspapers in audio, e-text and braille
Length: 60 minutes
Thurs, Sept 18 - 3:00-4:00pm EDT
Orientation webinar
An overview of CELA service for public libraries providing this service to your patrons with print disabilities.
This 60 minute webinar will cover the following:
- What is CELA and the role of libraries
- Eligibility
- CELA’s collections
- Formats & services available to patrons and libraries
- Registering for CELA
- How to integrate CELA service at your library
Thurs, Sept 25 1:00-2:00pm EDT
Envoy Connect: An accessible and affordable audiobook player
In May 2023, CELA launched our new service which uses the Envoy Connect audiobook player to read books in CELA’s collection. This webinar will provide a basic introduction to the Envoy Connect player, a portable, affordable and easy-to-use device. This webinar is for both library staff and CELA patrons who want to learn more about this device.
This webinar will cover:
- Basics of the Envoy Connect Player: what it is, how it works, etc.
- How to manage books on the Envoy Connect with the CELA Connect software.
- Where to find learning resources or purchase the player.
To register for the online Zoom webinar please select the link below and fill in the registration form. To attend by phone, please call the Contact Centre at 1-855-655-2273.
CELA and Accessible Reading Technologies, Devices, and Apps
People with print disabilities use a variety of mainstream and specialized technologies to read. Understanding these options is important because one size does not fit all, and choice of technology can help empower readers. This webinar will introduce participants to key accessible reading technologies used by library patrons with print disabilities including text-to-speech software, apps that support literacy, technologies that make reading accessible to those with motor or physical challenges, accessible reading apps for mobile devices and smart speakers.
Participants will learn about:
- The three types of print disabilities and the reading technologies used by them
- The importance of making technologies available to encourage reading enjoyment and success
- How accessible reading technologies work through demonstrating different apps and devices
- How to facilitate access to these technologies in your library and support your patrons who use these technologies
eBraille workshop offering
Join Braille Literacy Canada at 1pm EST (10am Pacific, 11am Mountain, 12pm Central, 2pm Atlantic) on Friday, September 19th to learn about eBraille!
Presented by Willow Free, Global Innovations Product Manager at the American Printing House for the Blind, this workshop will explore the new eBraille file format, which promises to greatly improve the experience for electronic braille readers. Files distributed in the eBraille format will be able to seamlessly adapt to various braille display line lengths, can incorporate both text and graphics, and can include markup (such as headings and lists) to make navigation and searching easier. Version 1 of the eBraille technical specification was released in August 2025.
“We’re at the beginning of another braille revolution,” said Willow Free, co-chair of the eBraille Working Group. Learn about eBraille the file type which allows braille and tactile graphics to be read together in one electronic document. Willow will talk about eBraille, how it is implemented and supported and also will take questions.
Willow Free is a certified transcriber, member of the World Braille Council, a former board member of the National Braille Association, and chair of the eBraille Working Group. Her job fuses technology and braille, both of which fill her with joy. She enjoys spending time with friends, in nature, and complaining about user interfaces.
Featured title for adults: Fallosophy: My trip through life with MS, a memoir
Twenty-three-year-old Ardra Shephard is sleeping with the wrong guy, living in a crappy apartment, and spending money she doesn't have on designer shoes, boozy brunches, and weekends in NYC. Making mistakes while you figure stuff out is what your twenties are all about. Then a doctor tells Ardra she has MS, and those two letters split her life into a Before and After. While over a million people in North America live with Multiple Sclerosis, there is no certainty when it comes to the progression of the disease.
By her mid-thirties, Ardra is struggling to walk, and it's terrifying. When she starts using mobility aids, she faces feelings of otherness and not belonging like never before. As Ardra's deepest fears keep coming true, she starts to learn the most important lesson: She's been sold a lie about disability—it isn't a fate worse than death. Having survived all of her worst-case scenarios, she begins to realize that a difficult life doesn't have to be a joyless life. Fallosophy isn't about fighting an unwinnable battle. This is a story about Plan Bs and pivots. Ardra serves up wisdom like a bartender who has been there: with good humor and a gentle refusal to sugarcoat reality—in this case, what it's really like to walk unsteadily through life with a progressive, disabling illness in a world that would rather not build a ramp.
Read My trip through life with MS: a memoir (Human-narrated audio).
Read My trip through life with MS: a memoir (Synthetic audio, Automated braille).
Top five books
Most popular with our readers last month:
- Beach reads and deadly deeds by Allison Brennan, Women sleuths
- Tom Lake: a novel by Ann Patchett, Family stories
- The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb, Historical fiction
- The Story of ABBA: Melancholy Undercover by Jan Gradvall, Music biography
- The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden, Suspense and thrillers
Top five for kids
Most popular with kids last month:
- The Kodiaks: Home Ice Advantage (The Breakout Chronicles) by David A. Robertson, Indigenous peoples in Canada fiction
- Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman by Dav Pilkey, Humourous fiction
- Melodie the music fairy: The Party Fairies Book 2 by Daisy Meadows, Fables and fairy tales
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Movie Storybook by Disney Press, Adventure stories
- The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles #5) by Holly Black, Tony DiTerlizzi, Fantasy
Featured title for teens: A Treachery of Swans
From the New York Times bestselling author of Where the Dark Stands Still comes an atmospheric fantasy based on Swan Lake, following Odile as her plan to restore magic to her kingdom gets disrupted by a murder—forcing her to beg for help from the young woman whose identity she stole. Can two girls—one enchanted, one the enchantress—save their kingdom and each other?
Two hundred years ago, a slighted deity stole the magic from Auréal and vanished without a trace. But seventeen-year-old Odile has a plan. All her life, her father, a vengeful sorcerer, has raised her for one singular task: infiltrate the royal palace and steal the king's crown, an artefact with enough power to restore magic. But to enter the palace, she must assume the identity of a noblewoman. She chooses Marie d'Odette: famed for her beauty, a rumored candidate for future queen...and Odile's childhood-friend-turned-sworn-enemy. With her father's help, Odile transforms Marie into a swan and takes her place at court. But when the king is brutally murdered and her own brother is accused, her plans are thrown into chaos. Desperate to free her brother, Odile is forced to team up with none other than elegant, infuriating Marie, the girl she has cursed...and the girl she can't seem to stop thinking about despite her best efforts. To make matters worse, there are whispers that the king's murder was not at the hands of man, but beast. Torn between loyalty to her father and her growing feelings for Marie, Odile becomes tangled in a web of treachery and deceit. To save her kingdom, she must find the true path to magic...and find the real killer before they—or it —strikes again
Top five for teens
Most popular with teens last month:
- The Inheritance Games (Book #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Mysteries and crime stories
- Dancing with werewolves: Delilah Street, paranormal investigator by Carole Nelson Douglas, Ghost and horror stories
- Hatchet (Book #1) by Gary Paulsen, Canadian fiction
- Once upon a time in the North (His Dark Materials Series) by Philip Pullman, Multi-cultural fiction
- Super Human (Super Human #1) by Michael Carroll, Adventure stories
Service tip: Update your website!
Do you have up-to-date information about CELA on your website?
Please take a moment to check that the following is reflected in your website description about CELA services:
- CELA no longer offers CDs. We do offer physical braille and print-braille, and Envoy Connect reloading by mail.
- CELA now offers more than 1.5 million titles, including bestsellers, award winners, nonfiction books and titles for all ages.
- CELA recently added a smart speaker option using Amazon Alexa. More information can be found on our website.
- Check out our recently updated Outreach Toolkit for more suggestions and specific content which can be used on your website.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Member Services at members@celalibrary.ca or call us at 1-855-655-2273 and use option 2.
Holiday Hours
CELA will be closed Monday, September 1 for Labour Day and will reopen on Tuesday, September 2. Have a safe holiday!
We will also be closed Tuesday, September 30 to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Stay connected!
Visit CELA's social media, including X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, YouTube and our blog, for more news about what's happening in the world of accessible literature.