Information for members of Academic Staff

Members of Academic Staff are welcome to contact the Library regarding any of their registered or prospective students who have additional support requirements. Please email  lib-support@sheffield.ac.uk or contact Lois Burt in the Library's Additional Support Service on (0114) 222-7294.

Information on all Library services for disabled and dyslexic customers is available from the Library’s web pages.

The Library’s web site, maintained by the Metadata & eTechnologies Section, is designed with accessibility in mind. However, the Library cannot accept responsibility for any of the external sites to which its web pages may link.

What if one of my visually impaired students needs material in an alternative format?

A very useful joint JISC TechDis/ Publishers Association publication, Guide to obtaining alternative formats is available from the Quick links. It may help with understanding the processes involved in this very complicated area in which library staff, learner support staff and subject tutors and lecturers find themselves caught between two sets of legislation - Disability and Copyright.

• An entire book

If the book is essential reading for a course, please contact Jayne Woodward (j.l.woodward@sheffield.ac.uk) in the Disability and Dyslexia Support Service (DDSS) in the first instance. This is because the Library does not have access to all the information about the student´s requirements which are often requested by Publishers. Where possible the DDSS will apply to the Publisher for an electronic version.

Please be aware of the following:

• It may take up to 12 weeks before an electronic version is available.
• Not all Publishers respond to requests.
• It is extremely difficult to obtain older material or previous editions this way.
• The student may not be happy with the alternative format that is provided – usually PDF.
• The Publisher may insist that the student owns a copy of the book before supplying an electronic version. In the case of Pearson (USA), the application form asks for the date and place of purchase, and the student's receipt must be submitted before an application will be accepted.
• Some Publishers may charge for this service.
• Publishers may not accept requests on behalf of a student who has not yet registered so it may be difficult to apply in advance in order to have the material ready for when they start their course.

In cases where an entire book cannot be provided by the Publisher, they will very often grant permission for an institution to scan it on behalf of the named visually impaired student.
Additionally, anyone with a visual impairment recognised under Section 31F (9) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 may make or receive accessible copies of the whole or part of a copyright work, subject to certain conditions.

The Act defines a visually impaired person as someone:

• who is blind or partially sighted or
• whose vision cannot be improved by corrective lenses to an acceptable level for reading or
• who cannot hold or manipulate a book because of a physical disability, or who cannot focus or move the eyes for reading.

Accessible copies may be made for visually impaired students under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and also the CLA (Copyright Licencing Agency) Licence. The main conditions are that:

• The visually impaired person must own or be in lawful possession of the original copyright work. Material which has been borrowed from the Library is considered lawful possession.
• A suitable accessible copy should not already be available commercially.
• Accessible copies are for personal use by the visually impaired person only.
• Accessible copies must acknowledge the author, title and publisher of the work.
• Copies must bear a statement indicating that the accessible copy has been made under either statutory exceptions to the law or under the terms of the CLA Licence and that further copying or distribution is prohibited.

If the student meets the criteria, the DDSS will endeavour to use the services of a Library Support Worker (LSW). Funding for the LSW may be provided by the visually impaired student´s Disabled Students´ Allowance.

• Journal articles/ book chapters

1. myResource lists

If the Library has a copy of the original print journal or book in stock, you may like to consider whether a digitised version of the article/ book chapter required would be essential for all students enrolled on that particular module. If so, please contact the Learning Resources Section to enquire about having it produced as an eoffprint on a myResource list. See Quick links for further information.

Please note: Some Publishers´ material is not covered by the CLA Licence which allows us to scan in this way and direct requests to Publishers may be refused by them.

If the original is not owned by the Library, but required for a myResource list, the Learning Resources Section will, where possible, obtain a Copyright fee paid copy from the British Library.

2. If material is required by a visually impaired student that is not on a myResource or Reading list, please contact the DDSS about the possibility of a Library Support Worker scanning it for the student.

Please note: The Copyright conditions outlined above also apply in these cases.