• International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.43-58
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• 2023

This article is a spinoff of a doctoral study that was completed at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) in 2018 on provision of information services to persons with visual and physical impairments in public university libraries in Kenya. The article examined how ICTs such as internet, e-resources and e-databases, word processing, websites and more were being used in public university libraries to provide access to information by visually and physically impaired persons. Data were collected from the visually and physically impaired students, University Librarians, Systems librarians, staff from disability departments and library staff who provided services to visually and physically impaired persons. The findings revealed that the visually and physically impaired persons in most of the libraries could not access information owing to lack of the necessary assistive and adaptive technologies and weak institutional support and framework. The study recommend that the libraries improve assistive technology infrastructure, embrace new assistive technologies such as telepresence robots, virtual realities and more, and put in place enabling policies and capacity building programmes for library staff to enable them to provide services to persons with impairments.

• International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.39-49
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• 2023

This research investigates the availability of information resources for visually impaired students in University libraries in Nigeria; a tool for inclusive University education. A Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study and a total number of 20 University libraries took parts in the study. A self-constructed online questionnaire was designed and distributed to collect the data from respondents (librarians) using a simple random sampling technique. A total of 45 respondents filled out the online questionnaire, but 40 were valid and useful for analysis. The use of frequency count and percentages method of data analysis was adopted for this research work. The study reveals that most of the University libraries lacked information resources for visually impaired students, it was found that the inclusion of information resources for visually impaired persons will promote inclusive education and librarians' skills. The challenges hindering the availability of information resources to the visually impaired students are insufficient funds for maintenance, erratic power supply and inadequate skills by users, among others. Recommendations were made for the campaign for inclusive education and the provision of information resources for visually impaired students.

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.48-58
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• 2014

Public libraries provide information to all persons and its users are the inhabitants of the community it serves. This may not be the reality in some cases as some category of persons may not be properly served by the public library. This study assesses the provision of information materials in alternative format, in terms of its availability, access and level of use by the visually impaired in public libraries in southwestern Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design. Four (4) public libraries in four states were purposively selected because they are the ones that provide alternative format for the use of a sizable number of the visually impaired. Complete enumeration was used to capture all the 166 registered users of the libraries through the use of observations checklist and interview schedule. Data from 69.2% of the 166 visually impaired persons that were interviewed, and the observations made were analyzed. The result reveals that alternative formats availability were inadequate and, e-resources were not available while access to formats and information desired by the users were limited. Braille is the most utilized format; audio materials and large prints were seldom used. The demand for alternative formats is high but it is not related to level of use of materials. Provision of information materials in alternative formats for the visually impaired in public libraries cannot support the needs of the visually impaired; it requires intervention from all stakeholders. The study recommends improved investment and funding for public libraries and services to persons with disabilities.

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.40-49
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• 2015

Nigeria's non-government organization (NGO) libraries for the visually impaired has over the years been at the forefront of information services provision to persons with visual impairment. This study adopted a survey research design to investigate use of alternative formats and perceptions of information services to the visually impaired, focusing on two purposively chosen NGO libraries for the visually impaired in Nigeria. Using a complete enumeration approach, data were gathered from 180 users of the libraries through the use of a structured questionnaire with a reliability score (${\alpha}=0.74$). Data from 112 (62.2%) of the 180 administered copies of a questionnaire that were retrieved were analysed. The study found that Braille materials had a high level of utilization ($\bar{x}=4.46$) and were the most frequently utilized (90.9%). Perception of information services by the visually impaired was positive while use of alternative formats was significantly and positively related to users' perception of information services (r = .041; p < 0.05). The study recommends improved transcription and investment in alternative formats and in e-resources. It also recommends collaborations to widen access as well as constant evaluation of services.

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.69-83
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• 2013

This paper aims to determine the preference and use of electronic information and resources by blind/visually impaired users in the leading National Capital Region (NCR) libraries of India. Survey methodology has been used as the basic research tool for data collection with the help of questionnaires. The 125 in total users surveyed in all the five libraries were selected randomly on the basis of willingness of the users with experience of working in digital environments to participate in the survey. The survey results were tabulated and analyzed with descriptive statistics methods using Excel software and 'Stata version 11'. The findings reveal that ICT have a positive impact in the lives of people with disabilities as it helps them to work independently and increases the level of confidence among them. The Internet is the most preferred medium of access to information among the majority of blind/visually impaired users. The 'Complexity of content available on the net' is found as the major challenge faced during Internet use by blind users of NCR libraries. 'Audio books on CDs/DVDs and DAISY books' are the most preferred electronic resources among the majority of blind/visually impaired users. This study will help the library professionals and organizations/institutions serving people with disabilities to develop effective library services for blind/visually impaired users in the digital environment on the basis of findings on information usage behavior in the study.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.335-354
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• 2009

In the knowledge and information society, there is an increasing importance of information, being unable to access this information becomes a huge disadvantage. Blind and visually impaired users who are using assistant equipment such as screen readers are the very class that is having trouble accessing the web content that public libraries provide. In this research 10% of each region's libraries were picked as a research sample. Most of the web content that the public libraries provided did not meet the Internet web content accessibility guidelines as a Korean standard. Also evaluation into web accessibility by the visually impaired was also low. This research suggests some solutions for libraries to reduce the disadvantages that are put upon visually impaired people from various views such as perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.

• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.285-304
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• 2021

The study has a purpose of understanding the factors that affect the oranizational commitment of the employees working in the libraries for visually impaired. To do this, the study chose personal background, emotional labor, role, job characteristics, organizational culture and organizational justice and attempted to find out how these factors affect the oranizational commitment. As a research method, mixed study method was used where quantitative analysis was complemented by qualitative analysis. For quantitative analysis, statistical analysis was conducted using the retrieved questionnaires. For qualitative analysis, the researcher had a one-on-one talk with the experts and employees who want to participate using an interview note was recomposed based on the survey responses. In the study results, emotional labor, job characteristics, organizational culture and organizational justice was proven to have influence on job engagement. To improve the job engagement, autonomy should be guaranteed by minimizing the organizational intervention to the assigned works and expanding the discretionary power. Furthermore, intensive management of the employees' emotional labor and fair process regarding the work performance is highly important.

• Journal of Information Management
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.97-126
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• 2010

Many visually handicapped people face difficulties with using libraries. Public libraries are thus required to meet the need of visually handicapped people. Public libraries should guarantee the visually handicapped the right to use appropriate services. If so, the visually handicapped can improve their life quality by decreasing information gap and increasing information comprehension or accessibility. This study is designed to analyze how visually handicapped people can use public libraries. Based on the analysis, this study can provide actual suggestions to improve opportunities for the visually handicapped to use libraries. Data are collected from visually handicapped people who are the members of Suseong Public Library, Daegu, Korea. In specific, this study can analyze various characteristics(i.e., information needs, selection and use behavior of information sources, difficulties and gaps to access information, use behavior and service satisfaction of public library) regarding their library use by telephone interviews.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.177-199
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• 2004

Information technology and internet became necessities of life facilitating communication and information access. Physically handicapped people, who cannot access to new Information easily due to economic, technical and physical handicaps, are likely to live with severe disadvantage in the high-speed information society in which information access right is considered as one of the basic human rights. Therefore, It is highly desirable to develop and improve library service programs for visually imparied at public libraries. In this study, the analyse of service activities for the visually unpaired at Hanbat Public Library and the investigation of user's needs and provider's points of view of staff members through individual Interviews were followed by the propositions gor the Improvement of services at local public libraries. And the consrtuction of cooperative networks with proper role-shares among service rooms for visually Imparired In public libraries, special libranes, social welfare organigations and government offices was confrimed to be the most urgent task.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.29-35
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• 2023

Braille can be said to be an essential means used for the visually impaired to communicate or acquire information on visual materials in their lives. However, the rate of interpretation of braille among the visually impaired is insignificant at 5%. As a result, libraries for the visually impaired produce various types of materials that can obtain various information for the visually impaired and also have assistive technology equipment to interpret them. However, the publication rate of Braille books is too low to purchase and interpret Braille books. In addition, the Braille interpretation rate is too low, and the purchase of assistive technology devices is too expensive and slow. Therefore, in this paper, we implemented a system that displays Braille using Arduino to help visually impaired people in addition to the existing methods they use to obtain information. For Braille display, Korean data is transmitted from Python through serial communication between Python and Arduino, and Arduino, which receives the data, compares the Korean data with the data in the array in the program and retrieves the Braille values of the Korean data. Here, the Braille value was expressed by controlling the servo motor perpendicular or horizontal to the body using white and black circles based on the Braille list.