Community Library Services
Last updated: 03 July 2012 15:51 UKCentral Library, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2DX
Telephone 023 9268 8998
Email: community.library@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
The Community Library Services unit is run by a team of specialist staff who believe that the Library Service should be accessible to everyone. In addition, we visit about 200 housebound readers with our team of staff and volunteers who help with our Home Library Service.
We provide the following specialist services:
- The Home Library Service
- Services for visually impaired users
- Services to residential homes and sheltered housing
- Home Library volunteers
Can't get to the library? The Home Library Service can come to you
This service will visit people in their own homes if they or the person they care for is unable to visit the library because of disability, illness, frailty or mental health problems. There are 3 part-time library assistants and trained volunteers who will deliver printed and talking books to your door.
If you would like to know more about this service please contact us - all the details are given at the top of this page.
If you are visually impaired, we can also help
A wide range of services is available to anyone who is visually impaired. There are no charges to reserve items and we can also borrow books in alternative formats such as spoken word, Braille or Moon for you from other libraries in the UK.
Our specialist services include:
- Large print books
- Talking books
- Braille transcription service and Braille tuition
- Kurzweil text to Braille translator and Braille printer
- Talking Newspaper Service (TNAUK) available on mp3 download
- Reading groups for visually impaired and disabled readers
- Vision Impaired telephone Advice Line which will help and advice on any aspect of vision impairment. This service is part funded by Social Services
- IT training for the visually impaired
- An Internet cafe for vision impaired and other disabled people where not only can people get help with their IT needs but can also meet others for help, friendship and support
If you would like to know more about this service please contact us - all the details are given at the top of this page.
Reading Groups for the visually impaired
Our reading group for visually impaired readers meets once a month at Central Library on a Thursday at 2pm. The entire group listens to the same book using mp3 technology then meet to discuss the book.
Calibre, the National charity providing audio books to print disabled readers are helping by allowing us to borrow their recorded books on mp3. We can show people how easy it is to use mp3 and even help by loaning the equipment needed. Our partner is the Portsmouth branch of the Macular Disease Society. People can use their own mp3 device or we can loan them one of ours for a 3 month period and then offer help and advice if they wish to purchase an mp3 player of their own.
We can also offer access to national newspapers and magazines in mp3 format. We have a subscription to Talking Newspapers for the Blind (TNAUK) which allows vision impaired people to download a very wide range of daily, weekly or monthly newspapers and magazines to listen at home.
For further information, please use the contact details at the top of the page.
Computer training for the visually impaired
If you are vision impaired and want to learn how to use computers, we can help. We run a free drop-in every Thursday at Southsea Library from 10am to 12 noon and every Wednesday at Central Library from 2pm to 3.30pm. We use Zoom text, Jaws and Guide which are different types of speech and magnification software which allow people with varying degrees of sight impairment to use computers.
