Transcription Services at
• Required Readings
• In House, AERO, Publishers, Ares
• Supplementary Readings
• ACE, JMC
Make the CUT
April 30, 2014
Required Readings

What is a required reading?

Each institution is different. Carleton University Library defines
this as anything found in the syllabus under the required reading
list. This can include course textbooks as well as items on
reserve.

How do we procure items in alternative
format?

At Carleton University we have a variety of ways to obtain
alternative formats including: In House (KIRTAS and Flatbed
Scanners), AERO, Publishers, and Ares.
In House
We have two methods of producing
alternative formats in house.
 KIRTAS Scanner or click here.

Scans an entire book in approximately 1 hour.
 Automated page turning.
 High quality cameras capture each page.
 Software allows for batch processing and OCR conversion.


Flatbed Scanner
Student assistants help scan small books and chapters that
are unable to be scanned on the KIRTAS machine.
 Student assistants run the OCR conversion and send the
texts to the student requesting the material in alternative
format.

AERO (Alternative Education Resources for Ontario)

Uses a Purchase Model for access to material on
their repository.
◦ This service is free for credited institutions but require students to
purchase the text in order for us to request material from the database.

AERO offers PDF, Word, Audio, Braille, and Large Print
to students.

Transcription Service Coordinators (and other equivalents)
must be registered as advisors with e-mails from credible
institutions.
◦ No Gmail, Hotmail, or Facebook e-mail addresses will be accepted

Currently AERO works with select publishers to get content
for students living with disabilities.
Publishers

Some publishers are becoming a reliable
source of alternative formats for students.

Most publishers have an accessibility site
where Transcription Service providers can
make requests for alternative formats.

Some publishers have DRMs on their
material.
Ares (Course Reserve Software)
Ares is the electronic course reserves software adopted
by Carleton University Library.
 The Ares team strictly follows rules set out by the new
Fair Dealing and Copyright law.

◦ When readings cannot be made electronic and fall outside of the
scope of fair dealing the textbook is put on reserve for students to
take on short term loan in order to read the required chapters

Transcription Services use the electronic files in Ares to
provide accessible copies of the text in the format
required by the student.
Supplementary Readings

What is a supplementary Reading?
◦ At Carleton University we define supplementary readings as any
additional readings the student require to do course work. E.g.
texts for essays, projects, etc.

How does Carleton comply with AODA?
◦ As per AODA Carleton University Library is required to
produce anything the library owns into an alternative format for
students registered with the Paul Menton Centre and who have
been referred to Transcription Services.

How does Carleton procure supplementary readings?
◦ At Carleton University we have a variety of ways to obtain
alternative formats for supplementary readings including:
In House (KIRTAS and Flatbed Scanners), and ACE.
ACE (Accessible Contents E-Portal)

The Accessible Content E-Portal (ACE) supports Ontario University
Library users with print disabilities by making library collections
accessible. The repository contains a variety of library holdings which
have been digitized and made available in accessible formats. This
service was made possible by the Government of Ontario EnAbling
Change Program and is supported by Scholars Portal.
“libraries of educational and training institutions … shall provide,
procure or acquire by other means an accessible or conversion
ready format of print, digital or multimedia resources or materials
for a person with a disability, upon request.”

How does ACE differ from AERO?
◦ Library-based model not a purchase model
◦ Designed to make library collections accessible
◦ Focus on scholarly research & discovery
Benefits to using ACE?

Quick access (typically 5 business days)

Every request helps build the repository for all
institutions (using Z39.50 it searches all library catalogues).

Token system allows registered students to access ALL
items the library has in the repository, for one academic
term (perfect for research and browsing).

Institutions aren’t duplicating the workload.
(Currently there are approximately 1400 items in the
repository).
New Sun Joy Maclaren Adaptive
Technology Centre (JMC)
Students requesting alternate formats of journal articles and
book chapters to complete assignments can visit the JMC.
 The JMC Student Attendants are available to scan these
items using Kurzweil and give the students the electronic
copies to use with screen readers.

For additional information about the
New Sun Joy Maclaren Adaptive Technology Centre please click here.
Questions?
Last Updated: April 15, 2014