Development of Library Services for disadvantaged people: a Japanese perspective

When thinking about people having difficulties in using library services, three main barriers causing this problem have frequently been discussed in Japan. The first reason is physical reason; for example, people in a hospital or in prison cannot use books or other services provided by libraries. The second is the difficulty of not being able to use the material unless the formats are accessible and meet their users’ needs. The third is communication problems. However, these difficulties are not attributed to the users themselves. Rather, these should be considered to be the problems of the libraries, which are actually preventing people from using their services. In other words, it is the libraries that have to overcome these difficulties. Library services should be provided with reasonable accommodation for people who have difficulties in using them. This paper focuses on the second barrier, and discusses the development of library services in Japan, especially for people who cannot use standard library materials, such as people with visual, hearing, physical, intellectual, or learning disabilities including dyslexia, and elderly people. In Japan, the most frequently used materials for people with disabilities are talking books. These are indispensable for people with visual disabilities and as the alternative format for printed books. They play an important role in providing information especially for people who have lost their sight in adulthood and therefore experience difficulty using Braille, as well as for elderly people. However, it is very difficult for these people to find and listen to the correct section in the cassette books that are usually provided in most of the libraries in Japan. Additionally, tapes are recorded in analogue format, so they last only 30 years or so and libraries have not been able to preserve those titles for users beyond that time. In order to solve these problems, an international standard for digital talking books, the digital audio-based information system, later called the digital accessible information system (DAISY) was developed in 1998, using CD-ROM and other modern technologies. DAISY was developed by the DAISY Consortium (http://www.daisy.org/) to replace the traditional cassette books for people with visual disabilities. The Consortium was established as a non-profit organization in 1996, consisting of major members of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions/Library for the Blind Section, excluding the US and Canada, which participated in it the following year. Japan, Sweden, the UK, Switzerland, Holland and Spain were full members from the beginning. The DAISY secretariat is presently located in Switzerland and aims for the development of an international standard for digital talking books, which meets the needs of persons with print disabilities and at the same time is convenient, sustainable and accessible to all people. September 1998 saw the development of DAISY 2.0, which fulfilled the requirements of ‘open international standard’ based on HTML 4.0 and synchronized multimedia integration language (SMIL) 1.0, which was established as a result of W3C recommendations at that time. Ever since, many countries including Japan have been updating traditional cassette books using DAISY 2.0 or DAISY 2.02; the latter is an improved version to enable footnotes and other functions. Just like the ordinary books, DAISY talking books enable users to move directly to the specific paragraph, section and page from the contents. They can contain more than 50 h of speech on only one CD-ROM, using the latest compression technology such as MP3. Moreover, permanent use and maintenance are also possible. As DAISY books are produced in accordance with established DAISY specifications that are accessible to the public as an international standard, they are internationally compatible and can be lent and borrowed across the world. One Japanese person with a visual disability said, ‘A dream has come true!’ when he read a book in DAISY format for the first time. In Japan, one of the founders of the DAISY Consortium, Hiroshi Kawamura, has been very active working to disseminate it widely through the activities of the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (JSRPD). With his initiatives, from 1998 to 2000, JSRPD has been carrying out the project funded by the Japanese government to implement the DAISY production system to about 90 libraries for the blind across the country by lending the necessary equipment and DAISY players as well as producing 2580 titles of DAISY books and a collection of 601 DAISY titles of laws and legislations in DAISY formats. By the end of 2000, a total of 230 000 titles of DAISY books had been lent nationwide and 5500 titles of DAISY books had been newly produced, according to the survey carried out by JSRPD. Currently, many DAISY books are being produced and lent as CD-ROMs at libraries for the blind, some public libraries and by a number of voluntary groups. DAISY was originally developed as the information technology for people with visual disabilities. However, as it went through further development, it began to be recognized as an effective technology with which people with various disabilities can have access to such media as Internet homepages, electronic books, and digital television. Users can read the highlighted text while listening to the audio and looking at the pictures on the same screen by synchronizing them. If the computer is connected with Braille display, the text is shown both on the screen and on the Braille display at the same time. With such development, the mission of the DAISY Consortium has moved from providing the services of accessible digital talking books for persons with visual impairments to ensuring access to information for people with all print disabilities. In March 2002, development of DAISY 3 standard was completed and authorized to be the American standard ANSI/NISO Z39.86 specifications, which was an important achievement. With the developments already mentioned, JSRPD began innovative research 3 years ago on the production of DAISY multimedia and their dissemination for people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities in Japan. A project committee was formed, including experts on the DAISY system, staff at workshops, researchers on learning disabilities and parents of children with learning and intellectual disabilities. Using their advice, JSRPD worked on research and development of the DAISY system that meets with the needs of people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities. Meetings were held in order to provide training in using the DAISY production tool for educational staff, supporters such as families and carers, and professionals. In addition, JSRPD provides a multimedia DAISY production software, Sigtuna DAR 3.0, which it had developed, to nonprofit organizations in Japan and developing countries as well as to DAISY Consortium members free of charge. An authoring software tool to create a DAISY Digital Talking Book in DAISY 2.02 format that includes HTML, XHTML and SMIL files. It has also developed multimedia-player software called AMIS (Adaptive Multimedia Information System). AMIS can play multimedia talking books containing full text, audio and images, as long as they are produced to DAISY 2.02 specification. By adding plug-ins, AMIS can use different options of output and input according to the user's disability or preference. For example, a user could use a joystick (remote control), a touch panel monitor, or a Braille display instead of a keyboard. A user could also chose to display text in large print in a different window, or play DAISY books by just pushing a button. Thus the concept of developing AMIS is that ‘everyone can use it’. As a result of the above activities, a report was presented from a mother of a boy in his second year at junior high school. He was dyslexic and had problems in reading and understanding ordinary textbooks and other reading material. However, as he used the computer to read DAISY books, simultaneously providing text, picture and sound, he was able to understand lessons at school and even started to enjoy reading books. In future, further dissemination of DAISY books is expected in order to promote library services for people with reading disabilities as an indispensable service, not only at libraries for the blind but also at public libraries in general. To achieve this goal, we have to work actively to improve the present copyright law that prevents public libraries from providing DAISY books, although libraries for the blind may produce them without the permission of copyright owners. However, both types of library have problems using full-text books on the multimedia DAISY without copyright permission. Multimedia DAISY titles make it possible to improve the situation of those who have reading problems. Public libraries and libraries for the blind need to mobilize all those concerned to revise the copyright law in order to ensure the right of access to information for those with disabilities.

Récupéré en direct depuis OpenAlex et désinversé. Les résumés ne sont pas conservés dans cette base de données : les index inversés représentent 8,6 Go des 9,3 Go de texte de la base, et le serveur dispose de 13 Go libres.