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Federal Election 2015: All-Party Information Bulletin

Friday, October 9, 2015

The National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) is a digital public library of downloadable titles for Canadians with perceptual disabilities. It is also a growing network of provincial and territorial governments, readers, community and advocacy organizations, libraries and librarians, publishers, and accessible format producers, all working together to increase access to library collections in Canada.

NNELS is an inter-agency, shared-service approach to leveraging existing expertise in the field of accessible format production, building world-first technological innovations, and making use of publicly-funded technological infrastructure like CANARIE. NNELS permits variations in regional capacity and service needs: eight provinces and territories fund NNELS on behalf of thousands of public libraries in those jurisdictions.

Accessible format production in Canada has never been the exclusive endeavor of a single entity. Since the early days of the Initiative for Equitable Library Access (IELA), stakeholders have recognized that a loosely-coupled network of accountable partners will best meet the needs of the approximately 10% of Canadians who have perceptual disabilities. NNELS is part of a vibrant network of existing Canadian accessibility service providers working to meet – and anticipate – requests from readers.

The spirit of both shared responsibility and commitment to action is what defines NNELS and resonates not only with the IELA vision, but also with the humanitarian and social development dimensions of the Marrakesh Treaty. Our common cause is improved access to books and information for all Canadians.

In 2015, Canada made a commitment to accede to the Marrakesh Treaty. We are encouraging Canada’s next government to do three things:

  1. Prioritize the alignment of Canada’s copyright limitations and exceptions with the international standard established by the Marrakesh Treaty;
  2. Establish a legislative framework that recognizes the vibrant network of existing accessibility service providers as authorized entities; and
  3. Enable these entities, including NNELS, to meet the growing and justified demands of Canadians with print disabilties for cross-border content exchange.

At NNELS, we look forward to co-creating an accessible future for all readers.

If you would like to learn more, please visit our About page, review our list of participating libraries, or use the sign-up page to look up your own library. We also welcome questions, comments, and other feedback via our Contact page.