What CELA is

The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) provides a collection of books, magazines and newspapers in multiple accessible formats, such as audiobooks, e-text and braille books, for people living in Canada who have a print disability. A print disability is a learning, physical or visual disability that prevents a person from reading conventional print.

• Service agreement (Word document)
• CELA at Your Library (printable PDF information sheet)
• List of member libraries

Who can use CELA

• Individuals with a print disability
• Educators who work with students with print disabilities through the Educator Access program
• Other professionals who work with people who have print disabilities through the Client Access Support program

It is important to note that CELA’s reading materials are made available under an exception in the Copyright Act of Canada that allows for the creation or reproduction of published materials in alternate format for people with print disabilities only. Please ensure access is limited to patrons with print disabilities.

How CELA is funded

CELA is publicly funded through federal, provincial and territorial governments, and through direct subscriptions from libraries and library systems.

How libraries can get started with CELA

• Use your main CELA account to register patrons, order books, view borrowing history, add magazine CD subscriptions and view usage statistics. All CELA Member Libraries have a 6-digit account number to log into celalibrary.ca. Don't know yours? Contact us!
• Register your eligible patrons by logging in to your library's main CELA account and selecting Library patron registration.
• Purchase equipment such as DAISY players, tablets, or Envoy Connect devices to loan to eligible patrons. CELA does not provide players, but accessible devices can be purchased from Humanware and CNIB.
• Get staff training about all aspects of CELA service by attending a live webinar or watching a recording.
• Get statistics on registrations, items checked out through the library’s CELA account, items patrons checked out on their accounts, and items CELA sent to the library through the library’s deposit account on the library Statistics page.

How to let your community know about CELA in your library

Make CELA a part of everything you do at your library, and let your community know about it. People who are not able to read regular print do not always know what their library has to offer them and may not feel that it is a place for them. By getting the word out about how your library prioritizes accessibility, you will foster a more inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome. There are a number of different ways in which you can make CELA part of all your library services:

• Include information about CELA on your website
• Mention CELA in pamphlets and other library publications
• Make book clubs and community reads programs accessible by choosing titles that are available in CELA's collection
• Order books in accessible formats for your library displays
• Post the Accessible books for kids! poster in your children's area to let families know CELA has books for young readers
• Incorporate training about CELA into your staff training so that everyone knows how to help your patrons with print disabilities

How to get in touch with CELA

Libraries that require support on any aspect of CELA services should contact Member Services:

• 1-855-655-2273 (press 2), Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Eastern time
• members@celalibrary.ca

Patrons who need assistance with their account, CELA service or materials should reach out to the Contact Centre:

• 1-855-655-2273, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 7:30 pm Eastern time
• help@celalibrary.ca

How to update your contact information

To update your library's contact information, including the email address to which we should send important updates, our newsletter and reminders, please contact Member Services. We'll be happy to make any necessary changes.

Keeping in the know about everything happening at CELA

To keep up to date with CELA news, book recommendations, news on accessible reading and more:

• Subscribe to our newsletter Open Book for Libraries
• Follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter)
• Follow us on Facebook
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Check out our blog

CELA collection

Our collection includes award winners, best sellers, fiction and nonfiction. We emphasize Canadian and Indigenous authors and stories and favourites for kids and teens, plus accessible magazines and newspapers.

Bookshare

CELA also offers titles from Bookshare, a US-based accessible online library for people with print disabilities. The Bookshare collection is optional for patrons, and requires providing a proof of disability by having a certifying professional sign the form. Educators also have this option and need to sign and submit the Terms of Use form in order to access Bookshare. Libraries are not able to borrow items from the Bookshare collection.

Books for your patrons

Patrons can access books in two ways: libraries may request books on behalf of their patrons with print disabilities or patrons with individual accounts may also receive books directly from CELA. Libraries may only loan books and magazines from CELA to patrons with print disabilities. Libraries have different options for requesting books for their eligible patrons:

Temporary loan: use your main CELA account to download or order books in any format.
Direct to Player: libraries can configure a library-owned DAISY player, use an Envoy Connect device or add the Dolphin EasyReader app to tablets to access reading materials through Direct to Player.
Deposit collection of DAISY CDs: libraries may request regular shipments of DAISY CDs to be delivered on either an annual or semi-annual basis. Titles are offered in English or French and MARC records are emailed to libraries. Interested libraries should submit a deposit collection request, and we will set up a separate account for this collection. To make changes to title selections, contact CELA.

Returning books and magazines

Libraries who borrow materials on their main CELA account must return specific items. Please return all books on CD and any printbraille books to CELA. You can keep or discard braille books and magazines on CD. Please delete any electronic book files when the patron has finished with them.

Accessible reading formats and delivery options