The Ulverscroft Foundation and the IFLA Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities Section are pleased to announce that the Foundation has agreed to provide renewed sponsorship of 20,000 GP Pounds in 2009 to continue a best practice development programme which commenced in 2003.
Since then individuals have been sponsored to visit libraries in other countries as follows:
| From | To |
| Iran | Sweden |
| Norway | Bosnia |
| UK | Canada |
| France | Germany |
| Nigeria | UK |
| Belorussia | UK |
| South Africa | UK |
Additionally, the programme has funded the following projects within organisations:
SID Uncuyo, Argentina: Services for Visually Impaired Persons at the IDS: Creation of a Media Library, Technology Updating & Adaptation of Municipal Infrastructure to Access the Premises. £6,250 awarded.
Adaptive Technology Centre for the Blind, Ethiopia: Bridging the Gap: Access to Actual Information & Knowledge in Braille. £5,000 awarded.
Centro Para la Integracion y Desarrollo Invendente (CIDESI), Peru: Assistive Bibliography: Document Accessibility for Blind Students. £10,000 awarded.
Belgorod State Special Library for the Blind, Russia: Life-Creation, Creative-Life Project £10,000 awarded
Department of Library, Archival & Information Studies, University of Abadan, Nigeria: Setting up a Computerised Catalogue & Distribution Database of Alternative Materials for Blind & Visually Impaired Persons in Nigeria. £5,220 awarded.
This programme provides a wonderful opportunity for both personal and organisational development and both IFLA LPD and Ulverscroft wish to encourage worldwide applications from all persons and organisations interested in improving library services for visually impaired people.
Whilst this will be of particular interest to special library services for the blind, applications are also welcomed from public libraries, school libraries, university and college libraries, national libraries etc.
Background to the Ulverscroft/IFLA Awards
The Ulverscroft Foundation was established in 1973 by Dr Frederick Thorpe, OBE, the founder of Ulverscroft Large Print Books Limited, which he formed in 1964. ULPB is the major supplier of large print books to libraries in the UK and has expanded to become a major commercial supplier of a range of alternative format books in the UK and around the world. Having established a successful organisation for the supply of alternative format reading material Dr Thorpe was keen to address the other challenges faced by visually impaired people around the world by ploughing back the profits from his successful business enterprises. Consequently, the Ulverscroft Foundation has funded many hundreds of medical, social and library schemes/projects designed to serve the needs of visually impaired people world-wide.
The IFLA: Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities Section (LPD) is the international body which seeks to promote national and international co-operation to improve access to information and reading materials for blind and other print handicapped people. Established in 1983 it has 86 member organisations across the world. IFLA: LPD has published "Guidelines for Library Service to Braille Users", "The International Directory of Libraries for the Blind" and is currently finalising "Libraries for the Blind in the Information Age: Guidelines for Development". It holds a Conference every 2 years
For further details and Application Forms to apply for the Individual Awards please use the following links
English Instructions2009Englishrevised.htm
French Instructions2009French.htm
German Instructions2009German.htm
Spanish Instructions2009Spanish.htm
Russian Instructions2009Russian.htm
Or contact:
Joyce Sumner, Secretary, Ulverscroft Foundation j.sumner@ulverscroft.co.uk or
Jenny Craven, Information Officer IFLA: LPD Section j.craven@mmu.ac.uk
Use this link to view Reports from Award winners
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The Ulverscroft Foundation
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Tel: +44 (0) 116 236 1595 fax +44 (0) 116 236 1594