Open Book: December 2023

Open book
In this issue

Letter from CELA’s Executive Director

The new year is just around the corner and it’s a great time to look back at what has been a very full year. This year, CELA has launched our new Envoy Connect and Preloaded Envoy Connect services to give our users another option for reading their books. We’ve just completed our Braille Survey, which will help guide our work to enhance braille services. Our thanks to all of you who responded. Our team has also been hard at work adding nearly 100,000 National Library Service (NLS) audio and braille titles to our collection and look forward to adding more titles as our exchange with NLS continues in the coming years.

As our collection grows, we are pleased to continue with important partnerships in the literary world, including major Canadian awards, and right now, we are gearing up for the Canada Reads. We are so appreciative of the awards which work with us to ensure that timely access to these books is available to our users.

There is incredible work happening in accessible publishing, and this year, we’ve had the opportunity to take part in interesting collaborations and conversations with colleagues in both the accessible publishing and the accessible library services communities around the world. These exchanges have enhanced our own work, and we are grateful for the chance to share ideas and learn from others in this industry.

This year, we have also welcomed new Board members and new staff. All the incredible work we are able to do is made possible because of the dedication, commitment and expertise of all our staff and our Board. On behalf of all of us, I want to wish you a beautiful holiday season and a wonderful new year.

Happy Reading!
Laurie Davidson, Executive Director

Canada Reads

Covers of the 15 books on the Canada Reads longlist are show in 2 rows against a blue background. The Canada Reads logo and the text 2024 Longlist appear above the book covers.The longlist for the 2024 edition of Canada Reads has been revealed. The books were selected to reflect the theme of "resilience and the hope needed to carry on and keep moving forward."

On January 11, the 5 books selected for the shortlist, and the panelists who will champion them, will be revealed. Until then, there is lots of time to enjoy the longlist! 

Read books from the Canada Reads longlist.

Best books of the year

Cover of the book Spare by Prince Harry.Newspapers, libraries and bookstores often release lists of their favourite, best selling or most read books at this time of the year. We’ve checked out a few to select some of our favourites.

And we’ve also reviewed our own records to see which books have been the CELA books most read by our users.

Let us know what you think of the lists on our social media! Check out these links for accessible versions of:

Mark your calendar! World Braille Month is coming soon

A pair of hands guides another pair of hands reading a braille book.Join us for another wonderful World Braille Month for January 2024. This year, we are celebrating artists who use braille to create! We are gathering culture makers to discuss how braille shapes their craft and creativity.

Join us for four fantastic programs including:

  • A session with Chancey Fleet, Assistive Technology Coordinator from New York Public Library, to learn about how the library is creating community through accessible programming. Registration: Thurs. Jan. 11, 1:00pm EST
  • Braille Boost activities for educators and braille learners with new activities and resources. Registration: Coming soon.
  • A writers' festival. Registration: Thurs. Jan. 18, 1:00pm EST
  • A content creators panel. Registration: Sat. Jan. 20, 1:00pm EST

Watch this page in the coming weeks and look for social media and newsletter announcements from our partners at Accessible Libraries, AEBC, AERO, BLC, CCB, CELA, CNIB Foundation, NNELS, and PRCVI. Plan to join us!

Get your book requests in early!

A hand with the index finger pointed up with a red string tied around it.Due to the winter holidays, our CD and physical braille distribution will be paused between December 23rd and January 1st, resuming January 2nd, 2024. Please get your book requests in to us as quickly as possible to ensure you have lots to read over the holidays.

Audiobooks in the news

What happens if you love literature, but a diagnosis robs you of the confidence for reading and finishing a print book? Read one woman’s perspective.

“Giving myself permission to stop reading books has stopped the cycle of shame, and has allowed me to refocus my attention on what has become one of my favourite things – the audiobook.”

Come learn with us in the new year!

A woman sitting at a table with headphones on writes in a notepad and smiles at a laptop open in front of her.We are delighted to offer a full schedule of training webinars and  workshops in the new year. We are combining brand new programs with some popular webinars to provide useful training for our users so that you can make the most of your CELA accounts.

In February, MJ Barry from Dolphin will join us to present a new webinar about the Dolphin EasyReader app, focused on supporting people with dyslexia in accessing materials in a variety of formats. Also in February, we will be hosting a CELA Users Chat, which will be an opportunity for all users to join us to ask questions, share thoughts and connect with other CELA users.

In March, we will be offering our popular Envoy Connect webinar so you can learn all about our newest service option for enjoying audiobooks. For more about Envoy Connect visit our resource pages or read our recent blog posts.

Coming in April will be a brand new webinar all about CELA and braille! This webinar is for anyone using braille or supporting new or experienced braille readers, including CELA users, library staff or educators. Stay tuned for more details!

To learn more about these webinars and to register, keep checking the Webinars for You page for the latest updates.

Celebrating Years of Service for CELA

Many hands of different skin tones reach in to touch in the middle of a circle.This fall, two of the founding members of CELA’s Board of Directors completed their terms and stepped down after 10 years of service.

We asked Catherine Biss, the outgoing Chair and Jefferson Gilbert, the outgoing Secretary/Treasurer to share some thoughts about the changes they’ve seen over the past 10 years and what their hopes are for CELA in the future.

CELA: Tell us a bit about why and how CELA was formed.

Jefferson Gilbert: CELA came to be because of the dedication of a number of committed individuals. The public library community and the CNIB realized that people with print disabilities deserved equitable access to reading materials. The CNIB did an admirable job for more than 100 years and we were grateful for their support as CELA was established as a model that allowed more users with different types of disabilities to access the same standard of library service across the country.

I remember clearly the meeting where one of our colleagues stood up after some energetic discussion and said, “We have an obligation to provide equitable library service to our community members”. That comment really became the mission for CELA going forward.

CELA: What changes have you seen over your tenure on the Board?

Catherine Biss: Since I began working with CELA in 2014, services for all people with print disabilities have expanded immensely. The CELA collection has grown by more than 1 million titles and services have expanded to meet users' increasingly diverse needs. Libraries across the country now rely on CELA to provide collections and services which would be impossible for them to offer individually.

Just as importantly, there has been a growing awareness in and outside of libraries about the importance of access to reading material for people with print disabilities.

CELA: What were some of the challenges for the Board in getting CELA to where it is today?

Jefferson Gilbert: I think it has been two main challenges. The first is simply the amount of work it takes to get a national not for profit up and running. The second was stable funding. Part of our work was to convey the importance of a higher, more equitable level of service to all the jurisdictions which now fund CELA. I am proud of the work the Board did, especially in the early years, to steward CELA through those challenges and bring CELA to the place it is now as an autonomous organization which works directly with various levels of government and collaborates with innovative partners to serve people with print disabilities.

CELA: What are your hopes for CELA for the next ten years and beyond?

Catherine Biss: Going forward, with the support of funders who commit to offering sustainable, ongoing funding for accessible reading material production and distribution, I believe CELA and public library partners across the country can realize the goal of a fully equitable library service, where people with print disabilities have timely access to the same reading material and resources as their neighbours. That was always our motivation and the CELA team, both the Board and the staff, have done an excellent job in moving us so much closer to that reality.

Jefferson Gilbert: There are some incredible opportunities ahead for CELA. The equitable reading landscape is evolving, in part because technological advancements are shifting our understanding of what is possible for libraries serving people with print disabilities. There are important conversations and collaborations happening between all aspects of the publishing and library communities. One of the most impressive things about the CELA team has been its ability to retain so many talented and committed staff members for so long. I know that with the Board and the staff, CELA is in good hands to make the most of these opportunities for its users.

Webinars for you

We host a series of webinars to help users access CELA services, to stay up to date on new technologies and to learn more about accessible reading.

On the Webinars for you page, you will find upcoming webinars, including CELA’s collection for young readers with print disabilities. On that same page you will find links to other CELA video resources available on our YouTube channel.

Deliver Students with Dyslexia Accessible Reading Experiences

Deliver Students with Dyslexia Accessible Required Reading Titles, Textbooks and Educational Materials Using CELA and the EasyReader App.

Open a world of accessible books for students who are neurodiverse using the EasyReader app and CELA. Join MJ Barry from Dolphin who will demonstrate how students and educators can explore required reading books, textbooks through Bookshare titles in CELA’s collection and leisure reading materials. Explore how to use the EasyReader app to read audio and e-text books, including educational-related materials using the free EasyReader app and EasyReader Premium service. This webinar is for educators or others working with students with dyslexia.

This webinar will:

  • provide practical advice on ways to help students with dyslexia read and learn independently
  • demonstrate the app’s accessibility features to change the text size and appearance
  • highlight the features of a Premium subscription

Select the link below to register for this webinar:

Thursday, Feb 1 12:00-1:00pm EST

Featured title for adults: Endgame: Inside the royal family and the monarchy's fight for survival

Cover of the book Endgame by Omid Scobie.Endgame, the explosive book from longtime royal journalist Omid Scobie and author of the international blockbuster Finding Freedom, is a penetrating investigation into the current state of the British monarchy—an unpopular king, a power-hungry heir to the throne, a queen willing to go to dangerous lengths to preserve her image, and a prince forced to start a new life after being betrayed by his own family.

Queen Elizabeth II's death ruptured the already-fractured foundations of the House of Windsor—and dismantled the protective shield around it. With an institution long plagued by antiquated ideas around race, class and money, the monarchy and those who prop it up are now exposed and at odds with a rapidly modernizing world. Relying on his vast experience as a royal reporter and over a decade of conversations and interviews with current and former Palace staff, trusted friends of the royals and even the family members themselves, Scobie pulls back the curtain on an institution in turmoil to show what the monarchy must change in order to survive. This is the monarchy's endgame. Do they have what it takes to save it?

Read Endgame: Inside the royal family and the monarchy's fight for survival by Omid Scobie

Top five books

Cover of the book The Whispers by Ashley Audrain.Most popular with our readers this month:

  1. The Whispers: A Novel by Ashley Audrain, Suspense and thrillers,
  2. Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page, Biography
  3. The Exchange: After The Firm (The Firm #2) by John Grisham, Suspense and thrillers
  4. The Armor of Light: A novel (Kingsbridge #4) by Ken Follett, Historical fiction
  5. The Running Grave (Cormoran Strike #7) by Robert Galbraith, Gentle mysteries

Featured title for children: The Superteacher Project

Cover of the book The SuperTeacher Project by Gordan Korman.Oliver Zahn is not a fan of his new Brightling Middle School homeroom teacher, Mr. Aidact. But as the weeks go by, Oliver and his best friend, Nathan, realize that Mr. Aidact is not what they expected.

Read The Superteacher Project by Gordan Korman.

 

Top five for kids

Most popular with kids this month:

  1. Cover of the book The Secret Pocket by Peggy Janicki.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, Fantasy
  2. The Secret Pocket by Peggy Janicki, Alphabet, number and picture books
  3. Ways to Make Sunshine (A Ryan Hart Story Series #1) by Renée Watson, School stories
  4. The Lemonade War (The Lemonade War Series #1) by Jacqueline Davies, Family stories
  5. Snow Day: A Graphic Novel (Mr. Wolf's Class) by Aron Steinke, General fiction

Top five for teens

Most popular with teens this month:

  1. Cover of the book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins.The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins, Adventure stories
  2. The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Fantasy
  3. Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley, Suspense and thrillers
  4. Hunger Games 4 Book Digital Collection (The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins, Adventure stories
  5. Down Came the Rain: My journey through postpartum depression by Brooke Shields, Health and medicine

Service Tip: Let’s make sure we can keep in touch

If you have recently changed your phone number or address, please call us to make sure we have the correct information on file. We want to be able to get in touch with you should the need arise. Please call our Contact Centre at 1-855-655-2273.

Holiday hours

Two white lit candles are surrounded by pine branches, pinecones, and a white blanket.CELA and our Contact Centre will be closed Monday, December 25, Tuesday, December 26 and Monday, January 1, 2024. We will be open and available on Wednesday, December 27-Friday, December 29 and will resume regular hours on Tuesday, January 2.

Participants requested for research study

A longtime CELA supporter is looking for interview participants for her doctoral research about how readers with disabilities access books. This research has been approved by University of Toronto's ethics committee.

Participants will need to be 18+, live in Canada, have a print disability and be willing to be interviewed via Zoom or email between January and May 2024. If you are interested in participating please contact Ellen Forget at ellen.michelle@mail.utoronto.ca.

Stay connected!

Facebook and twitter logos.Visit CELA's social media, including Twitter, Facebook and our blog, for more news about what's happening in the world of accessible literature.