The Winnipeg Public Library offers a variety of collections and equipment and programs for users who have special needs.

Programs for users with special needs

Outreach Services' Homebound Program
This service is for homebound citizens who are unable to visit the library due to illness, infirmity or disability and have no family, friends or supports to access the library on their behalf. This service depends on volunteers to deliver books and library staff to select the materials. To volunteer with the Homebound Program, please contact Volunteer Services at 311. For more information about the program, call 986-6475 or visit the Outreach Services page.

Outreach Van and Deposit Service to Institutions and Centres
These services provide institutions and centres with books and audiobooks for their residents. For more information about Van and Deposit Services, call 204-986-6475 or visit the Outreach Services page.

Story Time for Deaf Children
For information about story times for deaf children, call 204-986-6488.


Collections for users with special needs

Collections for users with special needs include Talking Books, Large Print materials, descriptive and close-captioned videos, and books in Braille.

Talking Books
Talking Books are sets of two-track cassette tapes and daisy discs containing unabridged recordings of books. They are supplied to libraries by major Canadian producers like the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the British Columbia Library Services Branch, and the Crane Library at the University of British Columbia.

The Millennium Library's Special Services department houses approximately 5000 Talking Book titles which can be borrowed at no charge by any patron who is unable to read regular print due to a visual, physical, or learning disability.

To comply with Section 32 (1) of the Canadian Copyright Act, eligible patrons, in addition to having a valid library membership card, must register directly with the Millennium Library's Special Services department in order to borrow Talking Books. This requires a CNIB registration number or certification by a qualified health care professional that the patron is unable to read conventional print due to a visual, physical, or learning disability. Contact the Special Services department at 986-6489 for applications and further information.

Download Talking Book Service registration form

Special Services staff will provide assistance in selecting materials as required. Also, Special Services staff can select books for patrons based on a list of reading preferences and have them sent to a local Library branch where they can be picked up and checked out. Contact Special Services at 986-6489 for further information.

A small collection of Talking Books in the French language is available at the St. Boniface branch of the Library. They are listed under the subject heading Livres Parlants in the on-line catalogue.

Large Print Materials
There is a substantial collection of Large Print books and Reader's Digest magazines available on the second floor of the Millennium Library and at other branches in the Library system. Large Print materials are available to any Library member.

Descriptive DVDs / Videos for Users Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
The Millennium Library's Special Services department has a small collection of descriptive DVDs / VHS videos for patrons who are blind or visually impaired. Descriptive DVDs / videos provides added narration that describes the movie’s key visual elements, actions, settings, costumes, and facial expressions. No special equipment is required to view descriptive videos – just a TV and DVD/VCR player. They are listed in the computer catalogue under the subject heading Video Recordings for the Visually Handicapped.

Closed-Captioned Videos for the Hearing-Impaired
The Winnipeg Public Library has over 2500 titles that are close captioned for the hearing impaired. These videos are listed in the computer catalogue as Video Recordings for the Hearing Impaired.

Click here for information on Reading Material for Young People with Special Needs (The Kinsmen Collection).

Braille Books
The Millennium Library has a collection of Braille books for children and young adults. The Braille books are "touch-See", level 1 and level 2.

Adapted Books for Children and Teens
The Millennium Library has a collection of adapted books for children and teens who have no speech or whose speech is not readily understood by others.

Equipment for users with special needs

The Winnipeg Public Library has some equipment available for users with special needs, including the Talking Terminal, two Optelec CCTVs, Magnifiers, a TTY (Teletypewriter) service and Zoom Text terminals located throughout the building.

Talking Terminal
The Millennium Library Special Services department (second floor) has a Talking Terminal available to patrons who are blind or visually impaired which allows access to our computer catalogue through the use of JAWS. The Talking Terminal also has the ability to enlarge the text on the catalogue screen with Zoom Text for patrons with low vision.

Magnifiers
The Millennium Library Special Services department (second floor) has both a conventional magnifying glass and two closed-circuit television magnifiers available to enlarge printed materials for patrons with low vision.

TTY (Telephone Device for the Deaf) System
Users who are deaf or hearing impaired can contact the Millennium Library through the TTY device. The telephone number is 986-3485. Patrons will be asked to leave a message indicating their requests or questions, and a Special Services staff person will call back as soon as possible with a response. Questions that we can help with include requests to have certain titles set aside, searches for titles on certain subjects, queries about the status of a patron’s card (if the barcode number can be provided), or other informational, directional, or referral inquiries.

Users can request information be faxed to them, so long as it is easily obtainable from a single source. There is normally a charge for this service, but there is no charge for faxing information to patrons with special needs.