Abstract:
The library, University of Kelaniya, has given special attention to ensuring the equal
provision of facilities for differently abled undergraduates. Accordingly, a service
enhancement project was initiated to encourage them to visit the library, access
the physical collection and gain a first-hand experience. Accordingly, audio-visual
cubicles were established to encourage the library usage of differently abled under graduates. The users were facilitated with a braille book collection, together with a
management system, CD and cassette collection, and on-demand reading service,
which consisted of 568 items, both lending and reference materials. The collections
were searched from the access points of author, title, ISBN, and subject headings.
Further, a bilingual searching facility was enabled. CD and cassettes can be played at
the given cubicles during library opening hours. A trained library staff member was
available for on-demand reading service. The printed books were issued from the
lending or reference section. Further, e-resources were read for the users’ requests.
In the project’s next phase, the selected recommended readings authored by the
University Academics will be converted into a braille document. The project enabled
the library to play the role of facilitator to provide equal provision for all users.
