Services of the Library for the Blind

The services of the Library for the Blind (Department of the National Library of Estonia) are available for the visually impaired people or people with other print disabilities in Estonia and abroad.

Library services are provided at the library, by mail, telephone +372 674 8212 and e-mail [email protected].

Library is open:

• On Monday – Thursday 10-16.

The following services are available:

• lending literature at the library
• renewing loans
• sending audio newspapers, journals and new book lists by mail (on CD)
• sending electronic newspapers by e-mail
• interlibrary lending
• Veebiraamatukogu (Web library) for downloading and streaming audio and e-books, newspapers and journals

The services are available for:

• Persons with visual impairment or other print disabilities
• Libraries, which have the persons with visual impairment or other print disabilities among the patrons
• Nursery homes, which have the persons with visual impairment or other print disabilities among the clients
• Societies for the visually impaired or people with other print disabilities

All the services are free of charge for the patrons.

Register as a user

People who are visually impaired or have any other disability, disorder or disease that prevents them from reading the printed text are registered as readers of the Library for the Blind.

Borrowing

Library users can borrow at a time:

• 5 audio books (for 30 days)
• 5 Braille books (for 60 days)
• 2 tactile books (for 14 days)
• 5 e-books (for 30 days)
• 5 films with audio description (for 14 days)

Patrons can renew the loans twice if the books are not needed by others.

On-demand books

Since September 2008 patrons can order on-demand audio books and e-books which are sent directly to their homes by mail in every 2 weeks without the request of returning the books to the library.

Patrons can orded 5 audio books and 5 e-books at a time for 30 days and they have to defect CDs after the loan period has ended.

The selection of on-demand audio books and e-books is limited caused by the character of recordings which has to be digital and comply with Copyright Act. We can lend on-demand only our own production, as well as the audio books and e-books published by those producers with whom we have come to the agreements.

Only the visually impaired people or people with other disabilities can order on-demand audio books and e-books.