Large Type

Districts wishing to access the AIM Library must coordinate all paperwork and requests for materials through a Licensed Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI). The specialized instructional materials available can only be assessed, deemed essential, and administered by a TVI. Once the student has been properly registered, the TVI may submit a Materials Request Form with all the pertinent information. All material requests must be submitted in writing. E- mails requests will be excepted as long as all the pertinent information is included. Please do not forget ZIP CODE and ISBN Numbers! Phone call requests will not be accepted.

Please keep in mind that textbooks will not be considered with a copyright prior to 2014. We reserve the right to limit textbook requests and consider workbooks and recreational reading materials a low priority. The student’s school district is responsible for securing items that the Library is unable provide. Please feel free to call the AIM Library for additional sources. As always, we process on a first come first serve basis and therefore we will not accept phone inquiries for inventory. No exceptions. All requests must be submitted in writing. This will allow the AIM Library staff to continue processing with minimum interruptions.

We will check our inventory and provide what we can. We will also check the American Printing House inventory. Some new copyrights might be eligible for production. If that is the case, we will notify you asking for a clean print copy. Once we have the textbook, we will coordinate large print production. Please keep in mind that production can take up to 6 months. We will also search nationally for sources and may purchase the large print as funding permits. When there are titles that the AIM Library is unable to provide, you will receive an e-mail stating which books will need to be secured by the LEA.

LEA Textbook Enlargement policy~

IDEA 2004 added large print to the formats that no longer require permission from the publisher when an authorized entity produces a specialized format. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education considers LEA’s to fall under the Chafee Amendment definition of Authorized entity:

“a non-profit organization or a governmental agency that has a primary mission to provide specialized services relating to training, education, or adaptive reading or information access needs of blind or other persons with disabilities.”

It is therefore acceptable for LEA staff to enlarge textbooks for eligible students.

The AIM Library is a lending library. All textbooks must be returned at the end of the school year. As we intend to circulate and utilize our inventory to its fullest extent. If you wish to renew them for the next school year or transfer to another student please submit a Transfer/Holdover Form.

*New from American printing House For the Blind

The APH File Repository is beginning to add the APH Large Print files to its collection. The files, saved as PDF documents, can be used on iPads or iPods, laptops, and various accessible devices. The same great features are available: 18 point font, colors and images eliminated from behind text materials, clearer images, single column formatting, page or key word searching, and more. All of these features will provide your students access to the identical large print format, but in a much smaller carrying case.

One important caveat: These digital files are to be used electronically and printing is not allowed.

Please e-mail Carrie Brasier, cbrasier@aimlibrary.org, if you seek a digital file of an APH Large print book. As this is a new service, we are still working on exact policy and procedure.