overview

Bookshare is an online library with e-books for people who read differently because of disabilities that affect their use of traditional print, including blindness, visual impairment, learning disabilities, and physical disabilities, such as Parkinson's disease and paralysis.

The e-books on Bookshare are accessible in a variety of formats, such as large print, audio and audio synchronized with highlighted text, Microsoft Word, ePub, Braille Ready Format (BRF) or DAISY (Digital Accessible Information SYstem). They can be read on mobile devices, computers, and assistive technology devices. 

Bookshare works with more than 820 publishers from the USA and other countries who contribute to Bookshare by donating their digital files. Bookshare then ensures that this content is available to people with print disabilities at the same time as other people. Up to 420,000 titles are available to users in EIFL partner countries.

Who qualifies to use Bookshare?

• A person who has a visual impairment, that is a person who is blind or has low vision and who is unable to read standard print qualifies, as long as a competent authority confirms that the person is legally blind or has a significant problem accessing text. 
• A person with a learning disability, such as dyslexia, as long as a competent authority confirms that the learning disability significantly interferes with reading.
• A person with a physical disability who is unable to read standard print, as long as a competent authority confirms that the physical disability significantly interferes with reading. This includes individuals unable to manipulate print books, turn pages or focus on pages.

Who Does not Qualify?

People with disabilities such as autism, intellectual disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), hearing loss, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and people whose first language is not English DO NOT QUALIFY ON THESE CRITERIA ALONE under the laws and agreements that determine Bookshare eligibility. However, it is quite possible that a person with one or more of these disabilities could still qualify for Bookshare because of an accompanying print disability. For example, a person who is both deaf and blind, or who has ADHD and dyslexia, could qualify.

subject coverage

Animals, Art and Architecture, Biographies and Memoirs, Business and Finance, Children's Books, Communication, Computers and Internet, Cooking, Food and Wine, Disability-Related, Drama, Plays and Theatre, Earth Sciences, Education. Entertainment, Foreign Language Study, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender, Health, Mind and Body, History, Home and Garden, Horror, Humour, Language Arts, Law, Legal Issues and Ethics, Literature and Fiction, Mathematics and Statistics, Medicine, Military, Music, Mystery and Thrillers, Nonfiction, Outdoors and Nature, Parenting and Family, Philosophy, Poetry, Politics and Government, Psychology, Reference, Religion and Spirituality, Romance, Science, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Self-Help, Social Studies, Sociology, Sports, Study Guides, Technology, Teens, Textbooks, Travel, Westerns.

key features

• Up to 420,000 titles available internationally (including EIFL partner countries). You can search for content on this page - for a basic search, there are three easy steps: (1) Scroll down to the Available In (Country) box, and select your country from the drop-down list. (2) You must also fill in another search term, for example, Language (select from the drop down list). (3) Click Advanced Search to get results.
• How can users read Bookshare books?
  • Listen to books with high quality text-to-speech voices
  • Hear and see highlighted words on screen
  • Read with digital braille or enlarged fonts
  • Create physical braille or large print
  • Read directly from your Internet browser
  • View a list of reading tools preferred by users in the US here

Process for set up

• Librarians in interested libraries should contact the Licensing Coordinator in their country to receive the correct forms to complete: the licence acceptance form + roster (spreadsheet) listing initial list of users (listing email addresses for users is optional)
• The contact librarian will be set up with an administrator login, which allows them to manage users/members (review the list of users, delete/add members), and assign books to users.
• The librarian can also change the status of students from organisational member (who need to have books assigned to them) to individual members (who can choose books themselves). Please follow these instructions for the librarian and instructions for students.
• Once users are set up as individual member, they can find and download books themselves

further information

• Link to catalogue search
• Link to freely available books
• View list of Bookshare's publishing partners
• View list of preferred reading tools
• Quick start guide for EIFL
• Training and resources (including video tutorials)
• Video on how to Add Members to Your Account
• Video on How to Read with Bookshare Web Reader