Open Book: September 2023

Open book
In this issue

Letter from CELA’s Executive Director

It’s award season which is always a busy time around CELA. We are pleased to work with a number of the Canadian literary awards including the Writer’s Trust, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General Literary Awards and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, with the goal of having featured titles available when the nominees or winners are announced. Check our Awards page often over the next few weeks to find the newly announced award titles.

If you are a braille reader, we have two pieces of exciting news. First, we are pleased to announce that we have recently begun adding new braille titles to our collection, thanks to our partnership with the US National Library Service. Over the next few months we will load thousands of titles including recent releases, old favourites, titles for younger readers and more. Learn more about the NLS collection on our website.

Secondly, CELA is undertaking a study to learn more about the needs and preferences of our braille readers. We’ve consulted with some of our partners in the braille community and shortly we will be surveying our users directly. There’s more information about our braille survey in this issue of our newsletter.

I also wanted to remind our users of the free training CELA offers. Our training team has been work hard to create new webinars and opportunities for users to learn more about CELA services and resources. You can check out this fall’s list on our Webinars for You page.

Lastly as we recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, I’m reminded of the Richard Wagamese quote “All that we are is story.” Sharing stories is an incredibly powerful act and we’re honoured to play a small role in ensuring stories are accessible to our readers. Visit our blog for some book recommendations for this important day.

Laurie Davidson, Executive Director

Share your experiences on our braille survey!

The words Take Our Survey! appear written on a white notebook. There is a black pencil beside the notebook,This fall, CELA wants to hear from our users about CELA’s braille services and collections. We will be sending out a survey and asking braille readers or those who are interested in braille to share their thoughts with us. 

The goal is to better understand the needs and preferences of braille readers, and those who might be braille readers, in order to improve our braille related work going forward.

Our project team has already had some very informative conversations with stakeholders and organizations in the braille community and we have used their input to help create our survey for CELA users. The user survey will be made available online in October. We will also be contacting selected braille users by phone to ensure we gather information from those who don’t have access to a computer.

Responses to the survey will be compiled and used to identify trends, needs and possible gaps in access for the braille community. It is estimated that the survey will only take a few minutes but if you are having challenges completing it online, our team would be happy to assist you. More information will be available once the survey is launched.

If you are a CELA user and interested in braille, please consider sharing your experiences and reading needs in our survey when it becomes available. Your feedback is very important to us.

Literary awards updates

Scotiabank Giller Prize logo.Fall has begun – and so has the Canadian literary awards season. Many of the major awards announce their longlists, shortlists and winners during September and October. 

Here’s a preview of what books have already been named as nominees, and what we can expect for announcements later this fall:

Congratulations to Wayne Johnson who won the Leacock Medal for Humour for his book Jennie's Boy. The winner was announced at a gala on September 16. 

The Scotiabank Giller prize has released their longlist and the shortlist will be announced October 11 with the winner being revealed on November 13.

The shortlist for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction was released on September 20, and on September 27, the Atwood Gibson Award for Fiction announced their shortlist. We are delighted to have all the nominated titles for both these lists in our collection.

In October, we are looking forward to learning about the nominees for the various Governor General Awards for Literature. 

Watch our Awards page for all the latest updates.

NLS braille now in CELA collection

Cover of the book Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.Thanks to an ongoing exchange of materials with the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), over the next few weeks, CELA will be adding approximately 14,000 braille titles from NLS braille collection.

Beginning with the most recently published titles, we will be adding new braille books in a variety of genres, including Mystery and Crime Stories, Historical Fiction, Adventure Stories, Biography, Poetry, Science and Technology, History and much more.

Prior to adding these books to our collection, we have collaborated with members of the print disabled community to assess the quality and usability of these titles in terms of content and presentation. The majority of these are offered in English Braille, American Edition (EBAE), and approximately 2,000 of these titles are available in Unified English Braille (UEB). There are also titles in uncontracted (grade 1) braille.

Because these books were created by a wide range of producers and transcribing agencies across the United States over several decades, readers may find that the quality, format and display may vary. There may also be instances where the original NLS formatting, such as page numbering, may still be included, along with reformatting required for CELA to combine books into a single volume for downloading or printing. If you receive an embossed copy of one of these books, please refer to the part numbers on the cover page of each braille book part to confirm that the item is complete and in order.

We hope you enjoy these new books in our collection. We’re pleased to be able to offer them to you.

Here are just a few of the books we're excited to have in braille in our collection.

Dyslexia Awareness Month

A jumble of letters on coloured blocks surround the word Dyslexia spelled with the blocks. Below the text reads October is Dyslexia Awareness Month.It is estimated that at least 1 in 10 people in Canada have a learning disability, and there is evidence the number may be much higher. People with learning disabilities like dyslexia represent a significant proportion of those eligible to use accessible books, like the ones available through CELA.  

Our friends at Dyslexia Canada and provincial organizations like Dyslexia BC ,and Decoding Dyslexia chapters across Canada are organizing awareness campaigns and special events to draw attention to the academic, economic and social impacts of dyslexia. 

For more information on supporting literacy, check out these resources:

Books for Truth and Reconciliation 

True Reconciliation by Jody Wilson-Raybould.September 30 marks National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Stories are an important way to increase our understanding of the experiences of Inuit, Métis, and other Indigenous communities. We have selected some newer titles from our collection for both children and adults as recommended reads for this important day. 

Books for Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

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.

Envoy Connect: a New Accessible and Affordable Audiobook Player

In May 2023, CELA launched our new service which uses the new 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 anyone who prefers listening to audiobooks using self-contained players with a tactile interface, rather than through computers, smart phones or tablets.

This webinar will cover:

  • Background and context to explain how and why the Envoy Connect became an option for accessing audio books.
  • 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.

Select the link below to register for this webinar:

Tuesday Oct 10 2:00-3:00pm EDT

Navigating the CELA website with JAWS or NVDA

This webinar will provide participants with a comprehensive guided tour of the CELA webpage using screen reader navigation with JAWS or NVDA. Through a live, described demonstration, participants will learn helpful tips and strategies regardless of whether they are beginners, or advanced users of the website. 

The demonstration will show: 

  • Essential JAWS/NVDA hotkeys used for quicker or more efficient navigation.
  • How to conduct a simple and advanced search, refine the search results, and then how to get a title from that search.
  • How to browse the collection using links such as New titles, Recommended reading, Top 5 picks and Awards.
  • Set search preferences and much more.

Select the link below to register for this webinar:

Mon, Nov 6 1:00-2:00pm EST

Navigating the CELA website for mouse users

This webinar will provide participants with a comprehensive guided tour of the CELA webpage by using a computer mouse. Through a live, described demonstration, participants will learn helpful tips and strategies regardless of whether they are beginners, or advanced users of the website.

The demonstration will show: 

  • How to log in and view your book requests, history and other patron functions of your library service.
  • How to conduct a simple and advanced search, refine the search results, and then how to get a title from that search.
  • How to browse the collection using links such as New titles, Recommended reading, Top 5 picks and Awards.
  • Set search preferences and much more.

Select the link below to register for this webinar:

Tuesday, Dec 5 1:00-2:00pm EST

Featured title for adults: Learned by Heart: A Novel by Emma Donoghue

Book cover of Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue.A heartbreakingly gorgeous novel based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply and dangerously in love at boarding school in nineteenth century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder. Drawing on years of investigation and Anne Lister's five-million-word secret journal, Learned by Heart is the long-buried love story of Eliza Raine, an orphan heiress banished from India to England at age six, and Anne Lister, a brilliant, troublesome tomboy, who meet at the Manor School for Young Ladies in York in 1805 when they are both fourteen.

Emotionally intense, psychologically compelling and deeply researched, Learned by Heart is an extraordinary work of fiction by one of the world's greatest storytellers. Full of passion and heartbreak, the tangled lives of Anne Lister and Eliza Raine form a love story for the ages.

Read Learned by Heart: A Novel by Emma Donoghue

Top five books

Cover of the book Pageboy by Elliot Page.Most popular with our readers this month:

  1. The Whispers: A Novel by Ashley Audrain, Suspense and thrillers,
  2. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann, European history
  3. Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page, Biography
  4. The Missus by E. L. James, Contemporary romance
  5. The Boys From Biloxi: A Legal Thriller by John Grisham, Suspense and thrillers

Top five for kids

Cover of the book Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney.Most popular with kids this month:

  1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7) by J. K. Rowling, Fantasy
  2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #3) by Jeff Kinney, Family stories
  3. The Dark Secret (Wings of Fire series #4) by Tui T. Sutherland, Fantasy
  4. The Hidden Kingdom (Wings of Fire series #3) by Tui T. Sutherland, Fantasy
  5. The Everafter War: The Sisters Grimm (Sisters Grimm #7) by Michael Buckley, Fantasy

Featured title for young adults: Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson

Cover of the book Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson.In her remarkable second novel following her Governor General's Award-winning debut, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, Jen Ferguson writes about the hurt of a life stuck in past tense, the hum of connections that cannot be severed, and one week in a small, snowy town that changes everything. 

Overachievement isn't a bad word—for Berlin, it's the goal. She's securing excellent grades, planning her future, and working a part-time job at Pink Mountain Pizza, a legendary local business.

Who says she needs a best friend by her side? Dropping out of high school wasn't smart—but it was necessary for Cameron. Since his cousin Kiki's disappearance, it's hard enough to find the funny side of life, especially when the whole town has forgotten Kiki. To them, she's just another missing Native girl. People at school label Jessie a tease, a rich girl—and honestly, she's both. But Jessie knows she contains multitudes. Maybe her new job crafting pizzas will give her the high-energy outlet she desperately wants. When the weekend at Pink Mountain Pizza takes several unexpected turns, all three teens will have to acknowledge the various ways they've been hurt—and how much they need each other to hold it all together. Jen Ferguson burst onto the YA scene with her first novel, which was a William C. Morris Award Finalist and a Stonewall Award Honor Book, and this second novel fulfills her promise as one of the most thoughtful and exciting YA writers today.

Read Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson

Top five for teens

Cover of the book Miracles Happen by Brooke Ellison and Jean Ellison.Most popular with teens this month:

  1. Miracles Happen: One Mother, One Daughter, One Journey by Brooke Ellison and Jean Ellison, Disabilities
  2. A Passage to India by E. M. Forster, Serious and literary fiction
  3. The Hawthorne Legacy (Inheritance Games Series #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Contemporary romance
  4. City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare, Fantasy
  5. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Suspense and thrillers

Service Tip: More info on our books!

Do you want all the details on our books? From a list of search results, you can select the title of each book to find lots more information including the narrator and the length of books for audio titles, or the number of volumes and type of braille for braille books. You will also be able to read the full book description and find out who published or produced the book.

Stay connected!

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