The Vision Australia Library Service provides a range of accessible books, magazines and other reading material to registered members of the service.
One of the ways that a member receives content is via Compact Disc (CD). However, CDs are becoming obsolete as more and more people access their information needs online.
The impact of this is that the large number of blank CDs that we need to maintain the library service will become increasingly hard to obtain. Additionally, the mechanical parts of CD playback devices, such as drives and trays, are becoming difficult to obtain to repair players.
While we have many members accessing the library online we need to transition our remaining CD users. This transition will be done in a staged way.
First, from 1 August 2017, all new members joining the Library service will only be offered the online service.
There is a range of options available to access library content online, such as our free VA Connect App for use on smart phones or tablets, the rental of a 3G DAISY Player, a WiFi Player, and several compact hand-held devices.
Second, some members are already accessing library content using one of the digital devices mentioned above but are also receiving CDs as well. Over the next few months we will be moving these people to the online library only.
Third, we will also cease the repair or service of CD DAISY players from 1 October 2017. With the mechanical parts to repair the machines becoming harder to obtain, we cannot continue to offer this service.
Once these three steps are completed, we will then move on to other areas of the service for transition. We’ll keep you informed as other transition activities are about to be rolled-out.
For further information on the Vision Australia Library Service and the ways in which the online service can be accessed, please contact the Vision Australia Library on 1300 654 656.