For a number of years now we have interfiled children's large print fiction
within the main alphabetical fiction sequence, rather than maintaining a
separate collection. We feel that children who borrow them are less likely
to stand out or made to look different. We also find that they are popular
with children and young people who have poor reading skills and lack
confidence in their abilities, so by having them as part of the main
sequence they are easily browsable.
The problem is that they are not easy to find if a customer is specifically
looking for these items, so we are proposing to label them with an
appropriate spine tag of suitable colour, font and print size for the
visually impaired. We are disinclined to revert back to separate sequences
especially as some of our smaller libraries only stock a relatively small
selection. Titles are easily identified from the catalogue and available
to request from other libraries, with a quick supply time if on the
shelves. I would be interested to know how other services deal with
children's large print and whether there has been any feedback received
from visually impaired children and their parents and carers.
Hilary Marshall,
Children's Library Services Manager
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