Webinars and teleconferences

Training for library staff

An open laptop on a desk displays the CELA logo. Beside it, a hand holds a pen poised over a notebook. CELA is a public library service offered in most libraries in Canada and provides a collection of reading materials in multiple formats for people with print disabilities. Public libraries play an essential role in ensuring that the approximately 3 million people living in Canada who cannot read regular print due to a learning, physical, or visual disability are able to access published materials in the format of their choice. CELA supports public library staff in fostering accessiblity in all aspects of service. Our webinars provide direct training for library staff to support their users with print disabilities.

Our webinars, presented on Zoom, are designed to meet the training needs of public library services at all levels.

Register for a webinar

To register for a live training session on Zoom, select the link with the webinar date and time and complete the registration form. (You will need to adjust the times for your region - all times given on the website are in Eastern Time).

We offer additional webinars for our patrons on our Webinars for You page. Library staff are welcome to register.

Watch a recording

Our webinars are recorded and you may find a full list of our webinar recordings to watch at any time.

Follow a learning path

We offer learning paths designed to help library staff in different roles understand CELA services and provide it to patrons with print disabilities. Check them out on our Learning Paths for Libraries page.

More training opportunities

Library staff in Ontario can also follow the CELA Service in Ontario Public Libraries Certificate Course. Learn more on the Ontario Library Service website.

Orientation webinar

This webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of CELA services for library staff who work in, or are responsible for, accessible services.

Audience: Staff who act as the primary CELA contact at your library, as well as other public library staff with an interest in the full services CELA provides to patrons through their public library.

Learning goals:

What is CELA and why accessible library services are important
What flexible options are available for libraries: direct registration of patrons with print disabilities; interlibrary loans to libraries, deposit collections of DAISY CDs
What alternate format materials are available: books and magazines in audio, e-text and braille
How library staff can connect patrons with CELA
What support is available from CELA

Length: 60 minutes

Tues, Sept 17 2:00-3:00pm EDT

CELA member libraries chat: what you need to know about CELA

Are you new to offering CELA’s alternate format collections and services at your library or just looking for a refresher? This chat session for CELA member library staff can help answer some of your questions.

CELA chat sessions are an informal space for library staff to connect, ask questions, and share knowledge directly. Sessions are moderated by a CELA staff member. Q&A is not only expected but welcomed.

Please join Janette Hellmuth from Sechelt Public Library in BC and Janice Finkle from Kingston-Frontenac Public Library in Ontario, who will share their ideas and best practices on providing CELA service in their communities. In particular they will cover:

processes regarding registering patrons, loaning players, ordering books and more
how to introduce the service to new users
FAQs from patrons about CELA and accessible library service

After a brief introduction from Janette and Janice, the session will open up for questions and contributions from participants. This is a good opportunity to hear how other libraries include access to CELA’s services into their own branches and systems.

To register for this one-hour session select the link below:

Tuesday Oct 8 1:00-2:00pm EDT

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

Tues, Oct 15 3:00-4:00 EDT

We offer additional webinars for our patrons on our Webinars for You page. Educators are welcome to register for these webinars.

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 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:

Thursday Oct 24 1:00-2:00pm EDT

Help! How do I support struggling readers?: An introduction to accessible literacy and reading formats

In this webinar, you’ll learn how to support readers with print disabilities, including learning disabilities, vision loss, and physical disabilities. You’ll receive an introduction to different reading formats and the features that make them more accessible. Formats will include ebooks, audiobooks, braille, decodable books, hi-lo books, and graphic novels. Join in to discover a broader approach to reading and literacy development.

Review of the different types of print disabilities and their unique reading needs.
Discover various reading formats and their accessibility features.
Learn how alternate formats contribute to literacy development.
Learn helpful tips for supporting struggling readers, including those with print disabilities.

To register for this one-hour session select the link below:

Tues Nov 12 2:00-3:00pm EST

All about print disabilities: CELA eligibility workshop for library staff

Have you ever wondered whether someone was eligible to use CELA’s collection of accessible reading formats? Library staff are essential in helping to make sure that people living in Canada of all abilities get access to reading materials in the formats that they need. Equally important is the crucial role they play in ensuring that use of the CELA collection is restricted to those who have a print disability, which is a learning, physical, or visual disability that prevents someone from reading conventional print. Through polls, discussion, and other interactive activities, this workshop will help library staff to better understand eligibility, be confident in explaining it to their patrons and colleagues and increase CELA usage through their library by promoting it to all community members who may be eligible for CELA. Attend this workshop for the opportunity to:

Understand what a print disability is
Understand why it is important that only people with print disabilities use CELA’s collection
Gain confidence in determining eligibility and explaining it to others
Get ideas on how to promote CELA to eligible patrons

Thursday Nov 21 2:00-3:00pm EST