Services for Persons with Print Disabilities -The Library-University of California, Berkeley

Photograph: Student reading, South/Southeast Asia Library

Services for Persons with Print Disabilities

Using the Library’s online catalogs
Finding existing electronic copies of print materials
Self-scanning print materials into digital format
Requesting full conversion of print materials to digital format (in development)
Converting electronic files (into the Preferred Digital Format)

If you have a print disability that limits your independent use of a campus library, please check the list of Library Contacts for Users with Disabilities for someone to assist you. If the library service desk is busy or the assistance you need will take some time, an appointment may be necessary.

The Library has instituted the following procedures and practices to assist persons with print disabilities in accessing the Library’s resources. Please note that course-related items, such as assigned readings for class, may be submitted to the Disabled Students Program (DSP) in order to obtain a fully edited version in your preferred format. See DSP Guidelines for Course-Related Alternative Media for additional information.

Using the Library’s Online Catalogs

The Library seeks to make its online catalogs, OskiCat and Melvyl as accessible as possible for those who rely on screen readers for audio output. Many aspects of the Library’s online catalogs and web sites for research databases are operated by other entities that the Library does not control. If you encounter problems when using the Library’s online catalogs that are due to incompatibility with assistive technology, please report your experience to Keri Klein, Library Disability Liaison, by email at

Finding Existing Electronic Copies of Print Materials

Many of the Library’s materials already exist in an electronic version. The following catalogs should be checked to see if there is already an existing electronic copy of the materials you seek.

OskiCat
Melvyl
Electronic Resources (book & texts)
Internet Archive

Self-Scanning Print Materials into Digital Format

BookScan Scanners across campus: The Library enables patrons to self-scan by providing BookScan scanners at all campus libraries. Anyone may use these BookScan scanners for converting print into a digital format that can be downloaded onto a personal USB flash drive. BookScan scanners operate via the UC Berkeley Cal1Card for a fee. No-cost self-scanning options are available to students with print disabilities who are registered at the Disabled Students Program (DSP).

Free self-scanning for students w/print disabilities

Pre-“loaded” Cal1Cards for BookScan: Students with print disabilities, registered at the Disabled Students Program (DSP) as eligible for alternative media, may make a request to the DSP Alt Media Specialist for their personal Cal1Card to be “loaded” with pre-paid funds for the BookScan scanners. With these funds, there is no cost to the student with the print disability for self-scanning conversion of hard copy print into digital print.

Self-Scan with Audio Output: Scanners with JAWS software may be found at the Alternative Media Center and at the Moffitt basement general computer lab for use by students whose vision impairment precludes their use of the BookScan scanners. There is no charge to use an audio-output scanner, which downloads scanned text into all preferred alternative media formats. Students may save scanned text onto a personal flash drive or use personal headphones to hear synthesized speech at a workstation. Arrangements for advance instruction on how to use scanners w/audio output may be made by contacting The Disabled Students' Program (DSP), 260 Cesar Chavez Student Center, (510) 642-0518 or (510) 642-6376 (TTY).

Reserve items at a campus library are available to a single patron for only a limited period of time. Those with print disabilities are expected to self-scan as needed reserve books within the reserve time limits. Students whose disability necessitates access to a reserved item beyond the designated time limit may make a request to the library’s disability access contact person, whose name may be found on the list of Library Contacts for Users with Disabilities. An accommodation request for keeping reserve items beyond the designated time period will be individually considered, taking into account the number of copies available and the anticipated need for use of the same materials by others.

Rare materials: Students with print disabilities who need access for educational/research purposes to information in rare materials and/or other materials that may be easily damaged or are otherwise not suitable for scanning, may arrange with his/her DSP Specialist for a personal reader or other appropriate accommodation.

Microform: At campus libraries with microform collections there is equipment to print a paper copy (which readers may self-scan into digital format, see above). Machines at some libraries, including the Newspaper/Microforms Library, have software that allow people to save electronic files to a USB flash drive. At the Newspaper/Microforms Library, users can get assistance all hours that the library is open. However, extensive assistance should be arranged in advance with the head of that library.

Requesting Full Conversion of Print Materials to Digital Format

The Library is developing a new service to allow students with print disabilities, who are registered with the Disabled Students Program and have a disability that necessitates alternative media, to request print materials to be converted to a word-searchable PDF. A pilot runs November 2012-May 2013. Students eligible for this service can follow these steps.

Converting Electronic Files (into the Preferred Digital Format)

The free online program SensusAccess will convert an electronic file into any of several digital formats. This service is useful to use with image-based PDFs and when a file is not in a digital format preferred by the reader.