[Missouri-l] FW: [VICUG-L] Reading Rights Coallition: Los Angeles Public Library Suspends Purchasing New Adobe Editions

[Peter Altschul]

http://sev.prnewswire.com/books/20091006/DC8776106102009-1.html

Los Angeles Public Library Suspends Purchase of Adobe Digital Editions




Reading Rights Coalition Commends Decisive Action 



LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Reading Rights Coalition
(RRC), which consists of thirty-one organizations dedicated to equal access
to the printed word by people who are blind or who have other print
disabilities, announced today that the Los Angeles Public Library system has
agreed to suspend purchase of inaccessible e-books using the Adobe Digital
Editions (ADE) format. The library was informed by the RRC that ADE e-books
cannot be accessed by technologies used by the blind and others with print
disabilities, including devices that read text aloud or convert it into
Braille. 



Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
"The Reading Rights Coalition commends the Los Angeles Public Library for
its swift and decisive action upon learning of our concerns and for its
commitment to ensuring access to books by all of its patrons. Companies like
Adobe have adopted digital rights management schemes which do not allow the
blind and other Americans with print disabilities to access their books,
even though e-books are inherently accessible and should provide an
unprecedented opportunity for print-disabled Americans to access the wealth
of knowledge contained in books. We will continue to inform libraries,
universities, and other entities of the inaccessibility of these materials
and urge them to comply with accessibility standards and applicable laws by
requiring that any e-books they purchase be accessible to those with print
disabilities. We will no longer tolerate the gratuitous inaccessibility of
e-books; we demand that Americans who cannot read print be treated like
first-class citizens and be given access to all of the printed information
to which other Americans have access." 



Mitch Pomerantz, President of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and
former ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Compliance Officer for the city
of Los Angeles, said: "I am extremely pleased with the Los Angeles Public
Library's decision, both as ACB President, and as someone who worked closely
for fourteen years with library staff to ensure that its programs and
services were fully accessible to persons who were blind or had other
disabilities. The example set by officials of the library will certainly be
taken seriously and followed by major libraries throughout the nation."



In a letter to the Reading Rights Coalition, the Los Angeles Public Library
stated that the books were accessible when purchased from one of its e-book
providers, OverDrive, but that Adobe had altered its software to block
text-to-speech technology and then forced OverDrive to implement the new
software. While the 773 ADE titles in the library's collection will still be
available to patrons, City Librarian Martin J. Gomez stated that no
additional ADE books will be purchased until they are fully accessible to
the blind and others with print disabilities. The library also said that all
of its other digital offerings are currently accessible to such readers. The
library's action comports with a resolution passed in July by the American
Library Association, which strongly recommended that libraries purchasing
electronic resources should take steps to ensure that such resources comply
with accessibility standards. In the letter to the Reading Rights Coalition,
the Los Angeles Public Library stated that it "will make every effort to
apply pressure to our vendors by requiring verification of accessibility
standards and making it clear that we will not purchase electronic resources
that fail to meet accessibility standards." 






SOURCE Reading Rights Coalition


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