Free exchange of talking books across borders, all the world literature available to people who have difficulty assimilating printed books due to dyslexia, impaired vision or other reading difficulties.
That is the purpose of the Marrakech Treaty, which was concluded in 2013 in Morocco and became EU law in 2018, signed by Sweden and others.
But in practice it is complicated to borrow the books and many who are eligible do not know the possibility at all.
- It must be easier to borrow foreign books.
The borrower should preferably be able to search and borrow himself in the global catalog, which is not possible today, says Joakim Uppsäll-Sjögren, who is a member of the user council at the Swedish Agency for Accessible Media, MTM.
- If it is the case that talking book borrowers do not know that there is an opportunity to read in other languages, it is our task to communicate it more clearly, both in our own channels and via libraries, answers Eva-Lena Silwerfeldt, communication strategist at MTM.
Book loans can take months
Everyone who has some form of reading impairment must have access to talking books in Sweden, including people with a mother tongue other than Swedish.
In Denmark, the borrower can call Nota (the equivalent of MTM) directly, which can lend within a couple of days.
In Sweden, you must first consult a librarian to place an order for foreign titles.
The order is sent to MTM, which forwards a request to the global catalog.
A procedure that can take months.
Connect to existing systems
When the app for talking books in Swedish, Legimus, was marketed on social media in 2019, the use of the app increased dramatically.
The global talking book offer should also be made available in the app, Joakim Uppsäll-Sjögren believes:
- Legally, there are no obstacles, but implementation has stuck to technical and practical details.
MTM answers that they of course want everyone to have quick and easy access to the reading they want in the formats they need, but that they can not download the entire range of foreign talking books and make it available via Legimus, among other things for copyright reasons.
Long lead times are mainly due to the UN agency WIPO, which is responsible for the international catalog:
- If WIPO makes the content of the global catalog directly available to Swedish talking book borrowers, we look at it very positively, as it gives readers access to a larger selection, says Eva-Lena Silwerfeldt at MTM.