Southwest Georgia Library for Accessible Services

1. Southwest Georgia Library for Accessible Services Serving 22 counties in Southwest Georgia

2. What is SWGLAS? • The only subregional library in the state of Georgia • Outreach advisory center • Houses a large collection of recorded materials for patrons who are blind or physically handicapped • All materials mailed free of charge

3. SWGLAS covers the 22 counties in blue. The rest of the state is served by Atlanta.

4. Who do we serve? • Baker • Brooks • Calhoun • Clay • Colquitt • Decatur • Dougherty • Early • Echols • Grady • Lanier • Lee • Lowndes • Miller • Mitchell • Quitman • Randolph • Seminole • Terrell • Thomas • Webster • Worth

5. Eligibility • You are eligible for this program if you: • Are legally blind • 20/200 or less in better eye with correcting lenses • Cannot see well enough to read standard print • Are unable to handle print books or turn pages because of a physical handicap • Are certified by a medical doctor as having a reading disability due to an organic dysfunction (i.e., dyslexia)

6. How does it work? • Materials are delivered to your home • Once you receive the materials, flip the index card over on the materials to return them • All materials check out for 30 days • Completely FREE

7. Competent Authority • In the case of a reading disability due to an organic dysfunction: • Doctors of medicine • Doctors of osteopathy • Need signature of a competent authority • In cases of blindness, visual impairment, or physical limitations: • Doctors of medicine • Doctors of osteopathy • Ophthalmologists • Optometrists • Registered nurses • Therapists • Professional staff of hospitals, institutions, and public or private welfare agencies: • Social workers • Case workers • Counselors • Rehabilitation Teachers • Superintendents • In the absence of any of these, certification may be made by professional librarians.

8. Types of Materials • Free Bibles available • Materials are available in recorded format only • Popular Materials: • Including: • Best-sellers • Biographies • Children’s Books • Classics • Foreign Language Materials • Mysteries • Religious • Romance • Science Fiction

9. Additional Materials • Over 70 magazines are available for subscriptions, including: • Consumer Reports • Ebony • Good Housekeeping • Jack & Jill • National Geographic • Newsweek • Sports Illustrated • Magazines are available in Braille and Downloadable formats • Independent living catalogs and displays

10. Newsline • Read newspapers via the telephone • Can subscribe by contacting SWGLAS • Newspapers include: • Atlanta Journal – Constitution • Macon Telegraph • New York Times • Tallahassee Democrat • USA Today • Wall Street Journal

11. Bookshare • Bookshare is available for free to all GLASS patrons • Accessible Online Library • Has over 455,000 accessible titles • Provides multiple ways to customize your reading experience http://georgialibraries.org/glass/bookshare/

12. Deposit Collections Available • Talking books are available as a Deposit Collection • Deposit collections are placed at: • Assisted Living Facilities • Nursing Homes • Public Libraries • Schools • Senior Centers A Typical Deposit Collection

13. Finding Materials • Search our catalog at webopac.klas.com/glass • Contact us to receive materials: • Telephone: • 229-248-2680 (Local) or 1-800-795-2680 (Toll Free) • Email: lbph@swgrl.org • Mail: • 301 S. Monroe St. • Bainbridge, GA 39819 • To reserve materials online: • Call us to receive log-in information

14. Digital Players • USB Flash Cartridges • One cartridge per book • Over 17 hours of battery life • As of December 31, 2016, books recorded on cassette (RC) are no longer circulating. • Cassette players and books on cassette can be returned when patrons are done using them • Contact SWGLAS for information on how to return cassette players

15. Download Digital Books with BARD • BARD • Computer • Mobile Devices • Braille and Audio Reading Download • Users must fill out an application to use BARD • For application: www.swgrl.org/swglas • BARD books can be downloaded using a computer • Books cannot be played on the computer • Download books to a flash drive or cartridge • BARD has a mobile app! • The app is available on the following devices: • iPhone • iPad • iPod Touch • iOS 4.3 or later • Android 4.1 or later • Kindle Fire 2nd Generation or later

16. Special Equipment Vision Simulator Goggles Prints materials into Braille

17. Special Equipment Mobilux Digital Touch HDS Magnilink S Magnilink Voice Handheld digital magnifier that can display with reverse contrast Portable, text-to-speech machine Video magnifier for use with a computer for reading and viewing material

18. Special Equipment Screen Reading Software Optelec 20/20 + Perkins Brailler • Enlarges materials placed underneath it by projecting on a screen • Can enlarge up to 60 times its normal size • Check your local library for availability • Reads printed material on a computer screen • A Braille typewriter • Braille–N-Print Slimline

19. How to Apply • Obtain an application form: • Call us • E-mail us • Visit us in person • Visit your public library • Download a form from our website

20. Outreach Opportunities • Churches • Senior Centers • Caregiver groups • Institutions • Agencies such as • DFACS • Health Departments • Informal talks • Newspaper articles • Television interviews • Library displays • Demonstrations

21. By the Numbers • Counties we serve: 22 • Over 8,600.4 square miles • Population per square mile: 56.8 • Service Population: 525,306 • 1.4% eligible for service • 7,354 eligible for service • 40% of eligible population being served as of December 2018 • Number of active patrons: 3,268 • Number of materials checked out in 2018: 16,471 • Year we opened for service: 1974

22. Contact Us • Visit us in person! • 301 S. Monroe Street, Bainbridge, Georgia 39819 • Call us! • 229-248-2680 OR 1-800-795-2680 • E-mail us! • lbph@swgrl.org • Visit us online! • www.swgrl.org/swglas • Receive our monthly newsletter for all the latest news! • Facebook • https://www.facebook.com/SWGLAS/