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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU>Hi All,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU>I just wanted to start a new thread with some info on joining the Accessible Books Consortium after a few questions recently. This is such an amazing resource but I think many are going to have to push their local blind foundation libraries to open access for them to the members catalogue in order to effectively find music. I’ll include a few points you can use as to why this is so necessary to help you advocate for this.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU>Firstly, you can see if your country and library is part of ABC by going to:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><a href="http://www.accessiblebooksconsortium.org">www.accessiblebooksconsortium.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU>There is a full list of member countries there that have put in place the Marrakesh treaty and the library that has joined.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU>If your library is a member this means you can order through them any titles held by ABC that have been shared by all the other member libraries. This does include NLS and CNIB as two of the biggest. Unfortunately RNIB is not a member, so I would encourage anyone in the UK to write to RNIB library and management and push for this.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU>Some libraries have also joined the members supplementary catalogue which allows individuals to directly download from ABC after being approved by your library via a very simple registration form on the ABC website. To see if you can join this go to:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><a href="http://www.abcglobalbooks.org">www.abcglobalbooks.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU>Part way down the page you will find a blurb about joining and a link that says click here to login or register. Click that and then on the log-in page scroll down to the create account button. The simple registration form includes a drop down box for country and then library. If your country and library are there to select you can join, if not it means they are not members of this supplementary catalogue yet. Unfortunately NLS & CNIB are not members of this catalogue. However, even if you aren’t able to log-in you may be able to search the catalogue so that you can find titles you want to request via your library. Some people have had issues with the link not allowing them on to this site at all, so it is possible there is some geoblocking of countries who don’t have a library currently signed up. Let me know if you find the link above doesn’t work or if you are able to use the catalogue even if your library is not a member as I would be interested to know who can and can’t access this catalogue.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span lang=EN-AU>I think the self access to the catalogue is especially essential for music files. So if your library isn’t currently signed up to the members supplementary catalogue I would first suggest writing to the library in question and then following up through the management and CEO or board of directors as needed to get this considered. The specific arguments I would make as to why this is so necessary is that music files can be hard for a non musician library staff to locate as they often have differing titles in the way they have been catalogued, may have the title in a different language, May be part of a larger work with a different title, or use various music specific catalogue things such as Op etc that a non musician may struggle to find the correct file even if it is there. The searching can be complex and time consuming as the usual identifiers of Title and author will not apply and so it requires multiple searches with different key words and an ability to sift through and interpret large amounts of unrefined searches to find the hidden work, this isn’t something library staff will have the time or often ability to do and so simply won’t find what may well be there. You could site how Apple have just launched Apple Classical specifically for music because they have come to understand how the traditional search parameters differ for Classical music. Secondly, there are many repertoire books that will simply be labelled things like “Piano Literature Vol.1” or “Studies & Etudes” and it is going to require downloading and reading the contents to see if the work being looked for might be included. Again this is not practical for library staff and so the best solution is direct access for individual members.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU>To that end I have decided to widen the personal catalogue I had started and make a project of over time going through as many of these books and cataloguing their contents by composer alphabetically and will start today adding ABC and other catalogue numbers so the books can be easily ordered. It isn’t going to be a fast process, but once I have a reasonable amount started I will post it to the list and others can suggest further titles to catalogue. Ella has offered to help me with some of this as time permits. I should say that at this stage I am just doing piano works of Grade level repertoire from English language volumes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU>Can I also suggest that you ask your local libraries and blind foundations to promote ABC and what it has available as this is an amazing resource if everyone is using it. This is the file sharing of days gone past only structured and legal for us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU>Jeanie<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-AU><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>