Support for dyslexia – discover the library’s services!
Dyslexia awareness week is on 5–11 October, and the International Dyslexia Day is on 8 October. The goal of the week and day is to raise awareness and understanding about dyslexia. Approximately half a million people in Finland have dyslexia, and in this group, many are students or staff in higher education facilities. Dyslexia doesn’t block higher education studies, but it can present extra challenges. The aim of the accessibility services of the library is to offer support for these challenges, and enable the use of the library’s materials, facilities and services for everyone.
Accessibility Library Celia and Bookshare
Customers of Oulu University Library can be registered as users of Accessibility Library Celia. Celia’s services are meant for everyone, who has dyslexia, visual impairment or other barrier of reading. You don’t need to present proof of the reading barrier, but it is discussed with a member of the library staff. You can register in the Pegasus Library, Medical Library or Health and Social Care Library. If you want to use the services of Celia, visit the library customer service or send us an email to kirjasto@oulu.fi. Please note that most of the materials in Celia are in Finnish. Through Celia, you can also use the Bookshare service, which offers material in English.
Extended loan period for course books
The loan period for course books is usually 14 days. However, as a part of individual study arrangements, you can get a right for a extended loan period, which is 28 days. You can apply for the individual study arrangements for health reasons. You can get more information about the possible arrangements from the Learning Support and wellbeing Centre.
Listening to and accessibility of e-resources
The possibility to listen to e-resources, like scientific articles and e-books, is especially helpful for students with dyslexia or other reading barriers. However, it can be useful for everyone! The listening tools are built in in many databases, and you can also use the text-to-speech tool of your browser. Difficult subjects or text in a foreign language can be easier to understand, when you can follow the written text as you listen to it. You can find instructions on how to use the listening tools in the library’s guide.
Reading aid set
Difficulties in comprehending text visually or staying on the right row is often part of dyslexia. Coloured reading overlays and guide strips can help to concentrate on the text. You can borrow the set of different overlays and guides from Pegasus Library and Health and Social Care Library. You can also place a request to be picked up at any library. You can find the set in Oula-Finna with the keyword “lukukalvot”.
You can find more information about all the accessibility services in the library’s accessibility guide. You can also always ask library staff or send us an email at kirjasto@oulu.fi, we are happy to help!