Abstract
Public libraries offer a large selection of books. For many library users, one of the highlights of the library visit is to explore this collection in search of interesting books that will provide enriching literary experiences. For some people, however, mainstream books might not be motivating to read, for instance, due to reading impairments, language challenges or inaccessible content. Consequently, most libraries also hold a collection of ‘special books’. In Norway, one example of such a collection is the books developed by the association Books for Everyone. This article explores the organization and promotion of adapted books in Norwegian libraries and is based on two datasets. The first dataset comprises the complete production by Books for Everyone, consisting of 232 titles. These books were examined to get an overview of the material commonly found in Norwegian public libraries, with a focus on the allocation of adaptation types and target groups. This dataset showed a diverse collection of books in six different categories. The majority was in the category ‘Easy to Read’, targeted at a broad variety of user groups. The second dataset consisted of survey data from 178 libraries regarding their organization and promotion of the Books for Everyone collection. The data revealed differences in how public libraries utilize these books, due to, for instance, a lack of knowledge about adapted books and potential target groups. Moreover, for many libraries, these books were regarded as ‘special books’ and were consequently not included in exhibitions or book talks. It may be necessary to pay more attention towards adapted literature in the library community and provide more knowledge about this literature among librarians. The overall purpose of this article is to provide some advice to librarians and other practitioners on how to deal with adapted books in a public library context.
Keywords
Introduction
Reading fiction is commonly reported to have a positive impact on people’s lives. In addition to leisure, reading can support the development of language and reading skills (Becker et al., 2010; Gambrell, 2011), social skills and empathy (Bal and Veltkamp, 2013). An overwhelming number of books are produced every year, and for many people reading is a natural part of their everyday lives. Although numerous patrons take for granted the opportunity to visit a public library and choose freely from the bookshelves, not all readers have this opportunity. For various reasons, mainstream books are not accessible for all types of users for example, due to impairments, illness or lack of language or reading skills.
For other users, it might be particularly challenging to find age-appropriate books. An example is people with cognitive impairments with a mental age that is significantly lower than their actual, chronological age. For this cohort, the only books that might be accessible in terms of content, language and presentation are illustrated children’s books. For adults, however, it may not be especially relevant or interesting to read about topics that are typically found in such books, such as children in kindergarten or starting school.
According to The Public Libraries Act in Norway, the tasks of public libraries are ‘to promote the spread of information, education and other cultural activities through active dissemination and by making books and other media available for the free use of all the inhabitants of Norway’ (Folkebibliotekloven, 2014). It is also emphasized that ‘the public libraries comprise library services to users who have difficulties using the library’ (Folkebibliotekloven, 2014) . Consequently, the libraries have a responsibility to offer collections of a wide variety of books and other relevant materials. Moreover, the collection must be relevant for all types of users and should therefore be accessible to patrons with disabilities, for example, reduced vision or hearing, people with learning or reading challenges, or various types of cognitive impairments. Finally, there is a demand for active dissemination of the library services and materials.
To meet these expectations, public libraries should offer a broad selection of books while at the same time ensure that the librarians have knowledge and understanding of challenges different users may face when reading books. Furthermore, librarians should know which type of books is suitable for different target groups, for example, not recommend children’s books to adults with severe cognitive impairments, but rather promote age-appropriate books, unless otherwise asked for.
This study explored the production, use and promotion of books to people who have challenges reading ‘mainstream books’. The term ‘book’ is here applied in a broad sense, comprising various formats, communication forms and writing systems. The research questions are as follows:
RQ1. What material is available for Norwegian libraries in the context of adapted books?
RQ2. How are the collections of adapted books organized, used and promoted in Norwegian public libraries?
Adapted books might refer to several different concepts, such as making movies based on books or rewriting an adult book to a children’s book. However, in this context, the term ‘adapted book’ is used in an accessibility context. Here, the term refers to books developed for user groups with a need for adaptation such as easy language, revised content, enlarged font sizes or using various alphabets or communication forms (e.g. Braille, sign language, or Bliss). In this article, public libraries are defined according to the American Library Association (ALA, 2019).
Two types of data were collected to answer the research questions. First, the complete production of adapted books developed by the organization Books for Everyone was analysed according to categories and target groups. Books for Everyone is an organization funded through the central government budget in Norway, with the overall goal of making literature accessible for people who for various reasons may have challenges reading mainstream books. The purpose of this analysis was to answer RQ1 and get an overview over the collections typically found in Norwegian libraries. The material was limited to this collection, since this is the largest in Norway and is offered in most libraries. Second, a survey was sent to all the libraries in the Books for Everyone network Libraries for Everyone, to explore how they organized and promoted this book collection. The purpose of the study is to get a better overview of what materials are available in public libraries and to investigate whether this collection is sufficiently promoted and used. The overall aim is to provide researchers and practitioners with advice on how to tailor public library services for a diversity of readers.
The article is structured as follows: First, the background will address topics such as the importance of reading, challenges in making adapted books, literacy and age-appropriate literature. This chapter is followed by dataset 1, which is an overview of the complete production of adapted books in Norway developed by Books for Everyone. Then follows the results from the second dataset, the library survey. Finally, there is a discussion of the main findings, which provides some advice to public libraries regarding services for diverse users.
Background
The importance of reading
While reading fiction is typically regarded as a leisure activity, it has a significant impact on the development of various skills. For young teens, Howard (2011) found that pleasure reading enhanced personal growth, social engagement and academic performance, because fiction provides the reader with insight into various identities, personal values and mature relationships. Moreover, readers who become transported into fictional stories might increase empathy (Bal and Veltkamp, 2013). They may also get a better understanding of the subjective states of others, also referred to as Theory of Mind (Kidd and Castano, 2013). Furthermore, fictional narratives can change the reader’s attitudes towards certain topics addressed in a story, such as racism and homosexuality (Appel and Richter, 2007).
Reading has also been reported to be the most important component for developing skills such as reading speed, reading comprehension and summarisation skills (Becker et al., 2010; McGeown et al., 2015). Based on the importance of reading, it is vital to ensure that all citizens have access to fictional literature in an accessible format. To achieve this, there is a need to produce high-quality adapted books.
Only as special as necessary
It might be challenging to produce books that are motivating to read, but at the same time do not stand out as too different from other books. Well-intended measures might not always be successful because they may have a long-lasting and detrimental effect on the people one intended to help (Giangreco, 2000). In the context of disabilities, it is emphasized that professionals (e.g. medical staff and teachers) should view disability as a type of human diversity rather than a deficiency. This apprehension should be equally applicable to authors, illustrators and librarians regarding the production, use and promotion of adapted books.
The focus on diversity over deficiencies is closely linked to the social model of disability. According to this model from the 1970s, disability is not caused by impairments, but by societal barriers (Oliver, 2013). This view is also the foundation for the Nordic Relational model (also referred to as the Gap model), which might be regarded as another version of the social model (Shakespeare, 2004). According to the Gap model, disability occurs when there is a mismatch between the demands from society and a person’s abilities. Consequently, disability becomes both relative to the environment and situational (Tøssebro, 2004). This gap can be reduced by changing the society, strengthening the individual or both. The latter model has been the predominant view in Norway for many years (Tøssebro, 2004), with a focus on changing the society. Adapted books may be seen as one such measure.
According to Schoonover and Norton-Darr (2016), adapted books can make reading both more enjoyable and successful for all types of readers. To achieve this, however, the adapted books must hold a high quality. Otherwise, they will not be relevant or interesting for any type of reader. This is a strong argument for advocating universal design in the production of books and that is why adapting books is regarded as a method within the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. The universal design mind-set provides a fitting framework for how to deal with user diversity. The main purpose of universal design is to make products that are usable by as many people as possible, without special adaptations (Steinfeld and Maisel, 2012). The argument is that if most people can use the main solution, there is no noteworthy need for ‘special solutions’. Consequently, less people will feel stigmatized (Story, 1998). Nevertheless, in certain cases there might be a need for alternatives to the ‘mainstream books’. One example is people with visual impairments, who may rely on big letters, Braille-adapted books and/or tactile pictures.
For some readers, there might be a need for adapted books. According to Giangreco (2000), these books should be ‘only as special as necessary’ (p. 235). Moreover, the presentation and promotion of these books are important so that the users feel motivated to read them. It has been reported that people with disabilities might be sensitive to differential treatment from people without disabilities. For instance, students with dyslexia want to be perceived as reading books at the same level as others (Berget and Fagernes, 2018; Brante, 2013). Another issue relates to how to label and promote adapted books. According to Gambrell (2011), people with reading challenges typically choose books that are too advanced for their reading skills, because they do not want to be perceived as reading the ‘easy’ books. Therefore, it is suggested to avoid labels such as ‘easy’.
Although access to adapted literature is fundamental, the production of such books might sometimes be challenging. For instance, Claudet (2014) discussed the potential difficulties when sighted people make tactile image books that are far from how blind people experience the world. When reading a tactile picture, the blind person must build a mental image based on various factors, such as texture, position and shape. This process is time-consuming and is completely different from how sighted people see images. Another issue is how to represent people with disabilities in the literature. A mismatch has been reported between reality and fiction, for instance, when depicting people with visual impairments (Carroll and Rosenblum, 2000) or learning disabilities (Prater, 2003). According to Ross (2000), the way characters are depicted affects the choice of books. Consequently, this is an aspect of the adapted book production that must also be attended to. Such measures will ensure that the users are offered books they perceive as relevant and interesting to read.
High-quality age-appropriate literature
Researchers have addressed literacy and literacy programmes for children and adolescents in many contexts and settings. Adapted literature, however, is most frequently discussed in a pedagogical perspective, where the main focus is literacy. There is also a lack of focus on topics such as reading comprehension, which has not been widely addressed in the context of people with intellectual impairments (Browder et al., 2013). Special educators have only focused on teaching this user group how to read and introduced this cohort to age-appropriate literature over the last two decades (Smith et al., 2009).
High-quality age-appropriate literature contributes to the development of language skills (Becker et al., 2010; McGeown et al., 2015). Moreover, such literature provides the opportunity to learn that others might have similar experiences as oneself, such as facing problems or feeling lonely, angry or sad (Smith et al., 2009). Browder et al. (2007) explored how existing books could be adapted to provide age-appropriate books to children with moderate or severe cognitive impairments. Middle school literature tends to address topics such as independence, racism and war, which stands out from books targeted at younger children. By reading adapted versions of such literature, children with cognitive impairments are also given the opportunities to relate literature to relevant experiences in their lives. In the study by Browder et al. (2007), typical examples of adaptations were defining new and unfamiliar words, supporting the content with pictures and retelling the story in a lower reading comprehension level. Browder et al. (2007) found that the books increased the pupils’ responses. However, the books alone were not enough to support the readers. There was also a need for teacher prompting.
Approaches to adaptation
Different types of users may require dissimilar books and adaptations. For instance, people with impaired vision might rely on bigger fonts or Braille-adapted books. Such adaptations are simply modifications of the way the text or images are presented and does not necessarily affect language or content. In contrast, other users may require more extensive adaptations. Nomura et al. (2010) applied two different perspectives on easy-to-read books. The first type is a linguistic adaptation of a text which makes it easier to read than other texts but does not make it easier to comprehend. These books typically address topics suitable for the actual age of the reader. Such books are often referred to as high-content/low-skills books, high-interest/low-level books or HiLo books (Spadorcia, 2005). The second type of adaptation makes both comprehension and reading easier (Nomura et al., 2010).
The first category, the HiLo books, is rarely addressed in the research literature. However, the importance of reading books at the proper reading level has been discussed. For instance, Gambrell (2011) claims that the reader might give up reading if the text is either too easy or too difficult. Consequently, finding books at the proper reading level is important.
HiLo books have a variety of target groups, for instance, people with reading impairments, and also non-native speakers or people who are stressed or ill. Moreover, people who are deaf have been reported to have reading impairments due to the great differences between sign language and written language (Harris and Terlektsi, 2010). Consequently, HiLo books are good examples of universal design in practice, where several users may apply the same books, but for dissimilar reasons.
Adapted books in Norway
In a library context, there are a few important organizations in Norway which support the public libraries in fulfilling their legal and social responsibilities for minority groups. These actors comprise organizations and libraries, and include Books for Everyone, The Norwegian Library of Talking Books and Braille (NLB), and The Multilingual Library. All organizations contribute with material for various target groups. In addition, publishing houses develop certain books that might be categorized as adapted books. This production, however, is more widespread and random, and will not be included here.
The organization Books for Everyone supports and promotes the production of high-quality books tailored for users who have challenges reading ‘mainstream books’. Books for Everyone does not make adaptations of existing books but works closely with authors and illustrators throughout the whole process of making the book. The books are published at regular publishing houses. The overall aim is that these books should have a natural place in the ‘mainstream book market’, and not only be promoted as books limited to certain target groups with ‘special needs’. The thought behind this concept is that people might require easier books for many reasons, such as impairments, language instruction, during illness or stressful times.
Since the establishment in 2002 until the end of 2020, Books for Everyone has supported the production of 232 books in different genres with various adaptations or a combination of these in the following categories: Easy to Read, Easy to Understand, Big Letters, Sign Language/Norwegian with Sign Support, Bliss/Pictograms and Braille/Tactile Pictures (see Table 1). The first two categories comply with the adaptation types identified by Nomura et al. (2010). While Easy to Read is revised, among others, according to linguistics, Easy to Understand is also adapted in terms of content. In addition, there are other measures applied, such as the use of illustrations, font types and paper quality.
Categories of books produced by Books for Everyone.
The overall purpose of Books for Everyone is to provide all types of users with high-quality books they can manage to read and enjoy (Books for Everyone, n.d.). By incorporating such books in their collections, Norwegian public libraries are acting in accordance with the legal requirements in the Public Libraries Act, demanding library services for all inhabitants of Norway.
Books for Everyone collaborates with 359 libraries in Norway in a network called Libraries for Everyone (Books for Everyone, n.d.). The organization provides financial support and advice on how to make adapted books available in public libraries across the country. A set of colour codes is often applied to help the users navigate the collection and easily find the required category. The colour codes can be used to label both books and shelves (see Figure 1 for stickers intended for bookshelves). However, whether and in which way this labelling system is applied depends on the library.
Labels used for shelves; categories presented in the same order as in Table 1.
Books for Everyone also has its own search system called Boksøk (translates Book search), where the user can search for books in the six categories (Books for Everyone, 2020). This database includes its own complete collection with descriptions and relevant information about the books. Moreover, every year representatives at Books for Everyone go through a selection of books published in Norwegian at different publishing houses. Books that are in accordance with the categories applied by Books for Everyone are included in the database. Finally, networks of reading representatives are organized throughout the country. The representatives read aloud for people who cannot read on their own.
In addition to Books for Everyone, there are two centralized libraries in Norway working at a national level, which are relevant in this context. First, NLB offers services directly to people with print disabilities. The library produces and lends out Braille books and audio books (Norwegian Library of Talking Books and Braille, 2020). Second, The Multilingual Library supports libraries all over Norway by providing books to the multilingual or multicultural population (The Multilingual Library, n.d.). This library does not produce any material but administrates a purchasing system and lends these books to Norwegian public libraries. This article addresses the literature implemented in collections owned by the public libraries in Norway. Consequently, the services offered by these two national special libraries are therefore not included in this study.
Dataset 1: The adapted book collection
The first dataset comprising a complete overview of all the books produced by Books for Everyone from the organization was established until the end of 2020. This dataset includes a total of 232 books. The search system Boksøk (Books for Everyone, 2020) was applied to retrieve more detailed information about each publication. The overall purpose was to explore the production over time according to categories and target groups to get an overview of the material that is commonly available in Norwegian public libraries. These data would answer RQ1. The second dataset and RQ2 explore how this collection is organized, used and promoted by the libraries.
Of the 232 books produced by Books for Everyone (see Table 2), two categories stand out, namely, Easy to Read and Easy to Understand. A total of 75.9% of the books were labelled Easy to Read and 14.2% Easy to Understand. The remaining four categories represented only 9.9% of the total production. Consequently, the books with the most specialized adaptations directed at very specific target groups comprise only 23 titles. This is in accordance with the overall aim of Books for Everyone, to produce books that can be read by a variety of people, who for different reasons may benefit from reading adapted books.
The complete book production by Books for Everyone, 2002–2020 (N = 232 books).
Regarding the production over time (see Figure 2), Easy to Read was the only category produced annually, while Easy to Understand was absent for 4 years randomly spread throughout the period (2002, 2008, 2017, and 2019). The smaller categories were more scattered (see Figure 2), and there seemed to be no clear distribution pattern of these books.
Number of books published by Books for Everyone according to year and category (N = 232 books).
Dataset 2: Survey data from the public libraries
A survey was sent to all the 359 libraries in the Libraries for Everyone network, which consists of mostly public libraries, and also a few county libraries, hospital and prison libraries. In Norway, all these library types have their legal basis in the Public Libraries Act. The survey was created and sent out using the application Nettskjema (translates Webform). The survey consisted of up to 36 questions (not all follow-up questions were displayed for everyone, depending on the response on certain questions). A total of 178 libraries answered the survey, providing a response rate of 49.6%.
The survey started with general information about library type, number of employees and the allocation of responsibility for the Books for Everyone collection. This was followed by questions about general organization, labelling, use and promotion of the books. Moreover, some questions addressed use of the search system Boksøk and reading representatives. Some questions were closed-ended, while others were open-ended, allowing the participants to elaborate on their answer and provide general remarks on the topic.
The libraries
The 178 libraries represented five library types, all related to public libraries according to the definition applied by the ALA (2019). The majority were general public libraries (n = 170, 95.5%), while there were three prison libraries, two county libraries, two combination libraries (public and school library combined) and one hospital library. Regarding staff, seven small libraries had a part-time librarian, while the number of full-time positions varied from 1 to 300 (see Table 3).
Full-time library positions (N = 178 libraries).
Membership in the Libraries for Everyone network varied from less than 1 year to up to 18 years (see Table 4).
Membership duration in number of years (N = 178 libraries).
Organizing the collection
When asked whether they had a fixed allocation of responsibility of the collection, 69.7% answered yes (n = 124), 27.5% answered no (n = 49) and 2.8% did not know (n = 5). The number of people formally engaged with the collection also varied. The largest library had seven people responsible for the collection, 7.3% of the libraries (n = 13) had two people, while 55.6% (n = 99) had one person responsible. Moreover, 27.5% (n = 49) had no allocated staff for this collection, and 9% (n = 16) did not provide any answer.
The book collection was organized as a separate collection in 63.5% of the libraries (n = 113), 4.5% (n = 8) had incorporated the books in the remaining collection and 32% (n = 57) had organized some of the books in a separate collection. The libraries were also asked whether they included other types of material in the collection. The majority, 58.4%, did not (n = 104), 39.3% did (n = 70) and 2.3% did not know (n = 4).
Six questions addressed the presentation and organization of the collection, namely whether they applied the category posters and stickers provided by Books for Everyone (see Figure 2) on books and shelves. Most libraries did not present the collection using posters or stickers for the bookshelves (see Table 5). In contrast, a majority of the libraries (61.8%) applied the stickers to the back of the books. The main reason for not using the posters was incoherent design with the remaining signs in the library. Moreover, it was regarded as unpractical to attach stickers to shelves because the books were moved around when they got new titles or discarded old ones.
Frequency of using posters and stickers to categorize the books (N = 178 libraries).
Using and promoting the collection
The libraries were also asked about the general use and promotion of the book collection. One open-ended question explored which user groups the libraries perceived as the ‘typical users’ of the adapted books. In total, 154 libraries answered the question, providing either one or several target groups. The result was a list of 248 answers divided into 5 main categories (see Figure 3) and 19 subcategories of target groups (see Table 6).
Typical user groups of the collection, as perceived by the library (N = 248 answers).
Typical target groups of the adapted books as perceived by the libraries (N = 248 answers).
Another question addressed whether the libraries actively promoted the books. A majority, 75.8% of the libraries, answered yes (n = 135), 18% libraries said no (n = 32), while 6.2% did not know (n = 11). The libraries were also asked about the frequency of promoting the collection. In total, 134 libraries answered this question, and the answers varied from daily to a few times a year (see Table 7). Overall, the books were not typically promoted on a very frequent basis.
Frequency of promoting the collection (N = 134 libraries).
The libraries which answered that they did actively promote this book collection were asked to elaborate on which user groups they promoted the books to. The question was open-ended, to avoid putting constraints on the answers. This question was answered by 129 libraries. Each answer consisted of one to several user groups, resulting in 247 answers divided into 5 main categories (see Figure 4) and 18 subcategories (see Table 8).
User groups the collection is actively promoted to (N = 247 answers).
User groups libraries actively promote adapted books to (N = 247 answers).
Out of the 32 libraries that did not promote the books, 26 elaborated on the reason for this. The main reasons were that the collection was difficult to promote or rarely of interest (mentioned by 10 libraries), lack of resources (8 libraries) or lack of knowledge about the collection (3 libraries). Moreover, two libraries stated that there was no need to promote the collection because they were frequently on loan, one library had not thought about promoting this collection, and two libraries mentioned other reasons (the librarian was a children’s librarian and the library lacked a reading representative).
Searching for adapted books
The survey also comprised questions related to the book search service Boksøk developed and maintained by Books for everyone. When asked if they knew this search system, 82% of the libraries answered yes (n = 146), 15.7% said no (n = 28) and 2.3% were unsure (n = 4). They were also asked about the frequency of searching Boksøk. This question was answered by 143 libraries. Only 5.6% of the libraries applied Boksøk weekly (n = 8) and 23.8% used it monthly (n = 34). In contrast, 70.6% only used this system a few times each year (n = 101). The libraries were also asked whether they promoted and spread information about the Boksøk service. In all, 144 libraries answered this question. A total of 45.1% libraries answered yes (n = 65), 39.6% said no (n = 57) and 15.3% did not know (n = 22).
Reading representatives
Reading representatives are volunteers who read aloud for people who, for various reasons, cannot read themselves. Typical examples of user groups are people with severely impaired vision, elderly, and people with dementia or cognitive impairments. A total of 42.7% of the libraries did have reading representatives (n = 76), 55.6% did not (n = 99) and 1.7% did not know (n = 3). Another question asked who the reading representatives read for. In total, 183 answers were given because several libraries had more than one user group included in this service. Elderly and people with dementia constituted the largest user groups, followed by people with visual impairments; non-native speakers; people with intellectual impairments, hearing impairments and reading impairments; and a final category including ‘others’ (see Figure 5). Most of these target groups were people who typically have challenges reading. Although reading impairments have been reported for many deaf people who use sign language as their first language, it was surprising that this group was included in the reading sessions, due to potential practical challenges in the reading session. However, if the users applied hearing aids, this should not be a problem. None of the participants commented on the severity of the hearing impairments.
User groups read for in number of libraries (N = 183 answers).
Other comments
The final question was an open-ended field allowing for general comments. Some of the libraries used this field to express their positive or negative attitudes in general towards this collection. For example, one library mentioned that the collection was sometimes difficult to manage: ‘Books for Everyone is an important collection and commendable concept, but if often falls between two stools because they appear to be “strange” and inaccessible, especially the collections of poetry’.
Others commented on which books they wanted more of, namely books for adults/young adults, books with sign language, tactile books and books for elderly. One library commented that ‘the books are not usable for older users, they are typically either too long, or too childish’. Some stressed the importance of age-appropriate books: we want many more stories for adults with easy text and relevant content, where the reader is taken seriously. We would like to have more non-fictional books. We have some good novels for adults, but they are now becoming outdated, and not everyone likes crime fiction. Books for teenagers with easy text are not suitable to promote to our adult readers.
Finally, the placement of the collection was commented on. One library said, Earlier, the books from Books for Everyone were placed together in a separate shelf, but it was never used. Our experience is that the books are more used when they are integrated in the collection, especially the books for children / teenagers.
Another said, ‘The books are useful, but it is often more purposeful to arrange them in regular shelves, for instance a cookbook among the other cookbooks’.
Discussion
The concept of adapted books is not new. There seems, however, to be a shift of approach to this type of books, from an accessibility framework to a universal design mind-set. For instance, the books produced by Books for Everyone are not alterations of existing books, but rather new publications where the adaptation is thought of from the beginning of the writing process. Moreover, the ‘Easy to read’ category is targeted at not only people with reading impairments but also people who are non-native speakers learning a new language, people who are ill or simply want a book that is easy to read. This development is supported by dataset 1, where a majority of the books are in the Easy to Read category. Moreover, there is a decreasing number of other categories with narrower target groups, such as Braille/Tactile Pictures and Sign language/Sign support. The transition towards the universal design mode of thought is also in accordance with the survey data, where the libraries mentioned a variety of target groups in relation to the use and promotion of these books. Consequently, adapted books should not necessarily be categorized as ‘special books’, but be regarded as books that have a potential of reaching a broader variety of readers than other mainstream books.
The categories applied by Books for Everyone vary in terms of target groups. Easy to Read and Easy to Understand (and possibly Big Letters) might represent quite universal categories. These books target a variety of users, such as people with reading challenges, non-native speakers and people who are ill or tired. In contrast, books in Braille alphabet, sign language and various communication signs are produced for a smaller and more specific target group. The adaptations in these latter categories also correspond more closely with accessible design, where certain adjustments have been made for one target group, that is, presenting the book in Braille alphabet for people with visual impairments. One exception may be books with tactile pictures, which may be equally interesting for all children.
From an economic viewpoint, for small language groups it is purposeful to produce books with a broad impact area. Otherwise, it would not be profitable for publishing houses to produce adapted books. Schoonover and Norton-Darr (2016) emphasized that the UDL framework may result in books that are enjoyable for all types of people. According to this viewpoint, the production of universally designed books should be more profitable than ‘special books’. This may also be the reason why there are few books in the categories related more clearly to accessibility (e.g. Braille, sign language and Bliss) in the production by Books for Everyone found in dataset 1.
The production of adapted books can support the Norwegian public libraries in fulfilling their social responsibilities and run their services according to the law, namely to provide all inhabitants with relevant and accessible literature (Folkebibliotekloven, 2014). To achieve this, however, the books must hold a high quality and be actively used and promoted by the librarians so that they reach their potential readers. Based on the results from dataset 2, however, many libraries do not promote these books regularly, and there are many potential target groups that are not informed about this collection. Consequently, the potential for these books may not be fully utilized.
An important question regarding adapted books is how to deal with them in the library. This is, among others, a question of accessibility versus universal design (Story, 1998) and findability over stigmatization. The placement of the adapted books can be an expression of how these books are viewed by the librarians. Is this collection ‘something special’ or books that all types of readers might require? In the accessibility perspective, one might argue for a separate collection. By using the universal design mode of thought, one would recommend the opposite solution, namely treating them like the other ‘mainstream books’. People who require books that are easier to read, for instance, might feel less stigmatized if the books were incorporated with the general collection. The way of displaying this collection is probably related to well-meaning intentions. While many librarians may think the books are easier to find for the target groups, the display of these books in separate collections might have a detrimental effect (Giangreco, 2000) and reduce the motivation to read them (Gambrell, 2011).
Most of the libraries that participated in the survey either kept the books in a separate collection or had at least some of the content displayed in allocated shelves. For some libraries, this might be a result of the original agreement with Books for Everyone, where the libraries were expected to do so. This organization of the collection, however, is no longer requested by Books for Everyone. Consequently, the organization of the collection today may be related to their view on potential target groups, especially if they are placed separately from similar mainstream books.
By including these books with the remaining books in the same genres, it indicates that these books can be read by ‘all types of readers’, not only people who may find mainstream books challenging to read. Although most libraries did not use the stickers from Books for Everyone for the shelves, they applied them to the back of the books. It should therefore be potentially quite easy to incorporate the books with the remaining collection, but still help the readers to identify these books based on the labels. This measure would probably also increase the use of adapted books by certain target groups, such as young adults, which was also commented on in the survey.
From the universal design point of view, it seems most purposeful to incorporate the Books for Everyone collection with the remaining books. Nevertheless, there are a few categories from dataset 1 that comprise a potential exception, for instance, books written in Braille, sign language or Bliss. Such books are more clearly representatives of the accessibility approach. It is, however, important that the books in the more ‘accessible’ categories are not presented as ‘special solutions’, but rather as variations in format. The same needs are covered by all these books, namely, to read high-quality books to get a meaningful literary experience. This attitude should be reflected in the organization and presentation of the books.
By placing the adapted books in a separate shelf, one might argue that the collection is easier to find for certain user groups, because the books are not spread over many different shelves. At the same time, it contradicts, among others, the findings of Gambrell (2011), stating that people with reading challenges avoid the ‘easy books’, and will therefore probably not even look at the books in ‘the special collection’. This finding is also in accordance with the libraries that mentioned that the collection was rarely used when it was located in a separate part of the library.
If the library chooses to incorporate the collection with the main collection, it might be especially purposeful to use and promote Boksøk, the search system developed by Books for Everyone. This would help users in retrieving books they find motivating to read. Moreover, the users might select books that represent the proper reading level, which is important for the reader to complete a book (Gambrell, 2011). Another advantage with this solution is that Boksøk also contains books developed and produced by others, so the selection is broader than the Books for Everyone collection. In many libraries, these books are probably already placed in the general collection. This organization might also increase the chances of providing the users with age-appropriate books. It would, however, be advantageous if the library catalogues could be linked to Boksøk so that the users would get information about the availability (and placement, if applicable) in the local library without searching two different systems.
Motivation is an important element in choosing a book, and this has been broadly discussed in previous research (Becker et al., 2010; Gambrell, 2011). Consequently, librarians need to find inspiring ways to promote adapted books. For instance, they should be incorporated in book exhibitions and events such as storytelling and book talks. Some libraries in the survey had promoted these books to non-native speakers in language cafes. Moreover, the books were successfully applied by reading representatives. By placing the adapted books with the mainstream books, they would become a more integrated part of the remaining library collection, and all types of readers would become aware of them. This issue might be investigated further by comparing borrowing rates between integrated and separate collections before and after active promotion.
Several librarians mentioned that they did not often promote this book collection and did not know whom they should recommend these books to. Consequently, there might be a need for more knowledge about this type of literature among librarians. It is not always apparent which users might require an adapted book, among others, because you cannot see which users might struggle with reading. The librarians therefore need to be discrete when talking to patrons and recommending books, but at the same time try to understand the user needs. By incorporating the adapted books with remaining collection, the users probably feel less stigmatized if the librarians recommend one of these titles, because it is not from the ‘special shelf’. Surveying user groups would be useful to explore this topic further.
Based on this study, the following advice may seem purposeful regarding adapted books in public libraries:
Adapted books should not automatically be placed in ‘a separate shelf’.
Incorporate as many books with the remaining collection as possible.
Think about how the books are labelled and referred to.
Include adapted books in exhibitions, events and book talks.
Ensure that librarians have good knowledge of and are familiar with the collection.
Provide users with age-appropriate books.
Survey user groups.
Conclusion
Public libraries in Norway have access to both adapted books and a search system comprising books regarded as suitable for people who for different reasons do not want to read a ‘mainstream book’. Nevertheless, the survey revealed that many libraries did not use these books actively by including them in exhibitions, events and everyday recommendations. Consequently, many potential readers might not be aware of this collection. There may also be a need to rethink the placement and labelling of these books in the library. Some librarians expressed difficulties finding the ‘right reader’ for these books. This might be due to lack of knowledge, but also that it might be difficult to know whether a person may require an adapted book. By incorporating the adapted books with the mainstream books and the promotion of books in general, however, there will be less need to ‘spot the right reader’. There is a need to get a better understanding of the knowledge among librarians of users with reading challenges and adapted books. This could be a topic for future research. Moreover, it may be useful to survey various user groups to ensure that the library services are designed according to actual user needs.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
The author(s) is grateful to the participants who answered the survey and to Books for Everyone for data regarding their book collection.
Declaration of conflicting interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
