Library and Information Service Provision to Groups of People with Special Needs

The Experience of Nikola Furnadzhiev District Library, Pazardzhik

The program was the first of its kind in the country and was implemented in 1995 – 1996

It targeted groups of people with special needs in Pazardzhik

Groups of people with special needs( 7):

- people with vision disabilities;

- mentally disabled people;

- people with physical disabilities;

- elderly people;

- people with hearing disabilities;

- hospitalized people;

- imprisoned people.

Public and government agenciessupporting and addressing people with special needs and District Library partners:

- Union of People with Vision Disabilities; - Home for Elderly People in Pazardzhik;- Home for Elderly People in the village of Glavnitsa;- Social Rehabilitation and Integration Center;- Hephaestus Social Rehabilitation Center; - “Protected Home” Center for Integration of Disabled People;- Shelter for Children Victims of Traffic;- “Faith, Hope, Love” Day Center for Children and Adolescents;- Ivan Vazov School for Children with Special Education Needs;- Salvation Association at the Union of Disabled People.

In the library service provision to patrons with special needs, we use a wide range of

information resources / library items.

1. Traditional library resources (books and periodicals)

2. Modern library resources (CDs, DVDs, multimedia)

3. Special library resources – talking books

4. Other resources (electronic resources – internet, computer games), games and didactic materials

.

Library and information services forpatrons with special needs

Stationary Non-stationary

Loans for home reading

Reading room

Information center

Innovative forms Traditional forms

Creative workshop

Summer reading room

Cinema hallsand a video

club

Sales exhibition

Site visits

Methodologicalactivities

Information andbibliographic activities

Large-scaleactivities

Locations of library and information service provision

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

SRIC Prot.Home HEP Paz. HEP Glav.

library on site summer reading

Library and information services for patronswith special needs

Stationary Non-stationary

Loans for homereadingall groups

Reading roomall groups

(exc. motor disabilities)

Information centermotor and vision disabled

Innovative formsTraditional forms

Creative workshop“Hephaestus”

Summer Readingall groups

Cinema hallHEP, SRIC

Sales exhibition

“Hephaestus”

Site visitsHEP,“Salvation”, social patronage

MethodologicalActivities

SRIC,people with vision disab.

Information and bibliographic

activitiesHEP, SRIC

Large-scaleactivities all groups

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1995 2000 2004 2009 2010

No. of readers

Number of library patrons with special needs

Activities for improvement and streamlining of library and

information services for patrons with special needs

- questionnaire surveys;- consultations with patrons;- experience of other libraries;- new information technology;- librarians’ qualities and skills;- volunteering; - PR technology ;- partners and projects.