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How to access the library

We have several ways people can access our library content. One of our most popular methods is using Alexa, a smart speaker that people simply talk to to find and listen to books, magazines and newspapers.

Also, our content is available through the EasyReader app available on iOS and Android devices. With this app, you can download our library content to read content on the go. Below is more information about these services

Client Jenny sits on a comfortable looking sofa and reads using her tablet

Echo dotAlexa

Our Alexa skill includes information about the range of services available from Blind Low Vision NZ, including priority news and upcoming member events across the country. You can also find out about our office locations or request a call back for assistance.

The Library service in our skill lets you read audiobooks, magazines, and newspapers from Blind Low Vision NZ with your Alexa, using voice control. With more than 36,000 book titles in our collection, Blind Low Vision NZ’s Library features New Zealand and international audiobooks and selected magazines produced in a studio.

Just ask Alexa to find a book or magazine, and you can listen directly online. You can search by author, title, or ask for a random book to start reading. We also have daily newspaper articles available from more than 60 local newspapers, provided by the kind permission of their publishers.

Get started with Alexa
A male client makes a cup of tea while listening to his Alexa

EasyReader

EasyReader is a free, accessible reading app for people with print disabilities such as blindness, low vision, or dyslexia. It is currently used by Vision Australia, RNIB, CELA, and other international blindness support agencies for their members to access their library collections, as well as international providers of electronic texts, like BookShare.

The Blind Low Vision NZ Library in EasyReader gives you direct access to our collection of over 35,000 audiobooks, with all of the books recorded in our studios and received from our overseas partners.

You can also browse our whole audio magazine collection in the EasyReader app, including back issues and older magazines not currently in production.

The latest release also adds all of our newspaper content and some new features for books in our Blind Low Vision NZ Library. You can download daily newspaper issues in HTML format to read as accessible text, with Dolphin’s own automatic speech or VoiceOver and TalkBack.

EasyReader for Windows

The EasyReader for Windows version has the same features as the EasyReader App, but with all the convenience of being on you PC or laptop. It also has some additional features in that you can download content and export content to another device. For example, you can copy a book to an Envoy Connect. For more information go to our EasyReader for Windows page.

Get started with EasyReader
A closeup photo of an iphone with the EasyReader app open

Envoy Connect

We will soon be launching a new Blind Low Vision NZ Library Service with a device called Envoy Connect.

It is easy to use, compact and portable. The tactile keypad makes this audio player ideal for blind and low vision users. It is a great option for people that want to access books quickly and easily.

  • Easy to use. The player only has seven buttons. It is great option for someone that wants a straightforward device to read books. It’s even solar powered!
  • New Self Service Option. By using the Aurora Cloud Connect app, anyone can download books straight to the device without the need to return the device back. Books, based on your prefences will automatically load onto the device.
  • No Wi-Fi required. The Envoy Connect is a great option for someone who does not have internet access or a smartphone. However, you do require internet access to download new books, but that can done by support person (for example a volunteer, a family member or a friend.)
  • Tried and Tested. Vision Australia and the Centre of Equitable Library Access (Canada) and other organisations around the world have already been using this service.
  • Thank you, DAISY player. The beloved Plextor PTX1 DAISY player has been discontinued for a while now. Anyone who currently has a DAISY player will still be able to keep it as we gradually ‘pass the baton’ over to the Envoy Connect.
Find out more about the Envoy Connect
Envoy Connect in a hand

BookDrive USB

If you don’t have access to the Internet, you can still receive audiobooks and magazines from Blind Low Vision NZ. We have talking book machines available for long term loans to Library members called DAISY players. These DAISY players have large, tactile controls designed for blind and low vision readers.

How does it work?

Once registered, a USB stick containing audio books and/or magazines is produced by Blind Low Vision NZ and sent to you in the post. When you have finished reading one of your USBs, send it back to us by return post. The Library’s address is on the enclosed cardboard mailer, and there is no charge for the postage. You can call our national contact center on 0800 24 33 33 for more information