Library staff can assist with transferring audiobooks to the device. Borrowers must register for CELA and NNELs to get access to books from those services.

• Reserve through the online catalogue or by phoning 902-562-3161.
  • Introduction to Victor Reader Stream (handout included when borrowing device)
  • Quick Tips for the Victor Reader Stream (handout included when borrowing device)
  • Transferring Books to the Victor Reader Stream
  • Audio/Video Lessons on using the Victor Stream Reader

The Optelec Traveller HD is a unique reading magnifier designed for an ideal reading experience.

• Easy to use and easy to carry
• Great image quality
• Magnification up to 30x

The Pocketalker Ultra Personal Amplifier amplifies sounds closest to the listener while reducing background noise. It is ideal for one-on-one conversation, small-group and television listening, or conversing in the car. It can be used with or without hearing aids.

The Pocketalker is a versatile assistive listening device designed to amplify the sounds and voices most important to the user. It delivers clear, distinct sound, and its large, manageable controls allow for easy operation.

Simply plug in your earpiece, position the microphone near the preferred sound, adjust the volume to your comfort, and start listening.

Kits can be borrowed for three weeks.

• Each kit includes:
• 1 personal amplifier
• 1 set of headphones
• 2 AAA batteries
• 2 disposable sanitary earpiece covers
• 1 lanyard
• 1 instruction manual and user guide.

Introducing new mini fidget kits from the library! Now you can fidget on the go, wherever you go, thanks to our portable fidget kits that provide a variety of sensory and tactile experiences in a convenient zippered pouch.

Fidgeting with toys can help us sharpen our focus, reduce stress and anxiety, increase muscle development and enhance fine motor skills. Fidget toys can be especially helpful for people who have sensory processing differences, autism, or developmental disabilities.

Pop a sensory fidget kit in your bag or car and take it along any time you or your family could benefit from increased concentration, relaxation, stimulation, or just plain fun!

Each kit includes a variety of 10 assorted sensory items in a clear zippered bag.

The Envoy Connect is an easy to use audiobook player, compatible with books from CELA and NNELS libraries.

How does it work?

This video guide demonstrates how to use the Envoy Connect:

The player also has a audio user guide on the device and further instructions can be found on the CELA website.

Requirement

Adults or children who have a disability preventing them from reading regular print books can borrow the Envoy Connect Player. Please see our Accessibility page to learn more about qualifying print disabilities.

What books are available for this player?

Any audio format book in the CELA or NNELs libraries can be loaded onto this player. Registered CELA or NNELS patrons can choose to browse the CELA and NNELS websites themselves or ask library staff to help them find books. Staff will also load the books onto the player.

Request a player

If you would like to try using an Envoy Connect player please phone your local library and speak with staff. Staff can also be reached via email.

Loan period

The envoy connect player will be loaned for 3 weeks. It can be renewed 3 times if no one else is waiting for it.

How to borrow

The Hippocampe is available from the McConnell Library in Sydney. To reserve, phone 902-562-3161 during library open hours. First time Hippocampe borrowers must review Hippocampe set-up and use instructions with staff at the McConnell Library in Sydney, this could take 15-20 minutes.

Equipment available

Hippocampe with all-terrain wheels.

Optional Accessories:

• Balloon tires (for beach or snow).
• Snow skis
• umbrella
• blanket

Requirement

The Hippocampe can only be borrowed by Adults (18 years old and older.) The borrower must read the Hippocampe Loan Procedures and must sign the CBRL Equipment Loan Form each time they borrow the Hippocampe.

Loan period

 The equipment can be borrowed for 1 week.

Size

Currently the library has Hippocampes in three sizes:

• Large Hippocampe for anyone between 5’5″ and 6′. Maximum weight 286 lbs.
• Medium Hippocampe for youth and adults 4’7″ to 5’5″.
• Small Hippocampe for youth or adults under 4’7″

You will need a vehicle that can accommodate a large hockey-style bag, approximately 2 x 6 feet. If you borrow the balloon tires you will need space for another 2×3 feet bag. The Hippocampe weighs approximately 50 lbs.

Instructions

This video demonstrates how to unpack and set-up the Hippocampe. Library staff will also demonstrate when you reserve the Hippocampe for the first time. Written instructions for set-up are also included in the Hippocampe Loan Procedures document.

What can the Hippocampe be used for?

This video demonstrates using the Hippocampe at the beach with both the regular wheels and the balloon wheels.

Funding Partners

The Hippocampe loan program has been made made possible with funding support from:

Nova Scotia department of Communities Culture Tourism and Heritage,

Cape Breton Regional Municipality Community Development.

United Way Cape Breton and the Government of Canada through the Enabling Accessibility Fund – Youth Innovation Component

• People with a learning disability such as dyslexia,
• People with low vision,
• Language learners. 

Key features of the C-Pen ReaderPen:

• Recognizes English, French, and Spanish
• Reads out loud in a human-like speaking voice
• Looks up and reads out definitions of words
• Stores scanned text and records voice memos up to 3GB
• Can use built-in speakers or headphones for private listening
• Everything is built-in and there is no need or requirement for an internet connection

How to Use the ReaderPen

A quick start user guide is included when you borrow a ReaderPen.

This YouTube video also demonstrates how to use the ReaderPen.

Where to Find the ReaderPen

A C-Pen is currently available for a one-hour loan period for in-library use at the McConnell Library in Sydney and the Glace Bay Library.

Please ask at the desk to access a scanning pen.

https://samepagecbrl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S195C525115

CBRL has partnered with Victoria County Home Support Services to create age-friendly reading kits to introduce readers to new ways to keeping reading books. This product was funded through Nova Scotia’s Age-Friendly Communities Grant.

Some people find that reading full length regular print books is too challenging as they age. Perhaps the print is too small or the story is too complex to follow. Physical or mental impairments can make it hard to enjoy what once might have been a beloved past time.

In each of our Your Way to Keep Reading Bags you will find:

• Audiobooks with Headphones. Each bag contains a Playaway Audiobook and over the ear headphones. Playaways are small handheld devices that operate with batteries. Each Playaway contains a professional recording of a book, so the reader can use their ears rather than their eyes to read.
• A variety of Large Print Books and Quick Reads books.
  • Large Print books are great for readers who want to keep reading their favourite authors and genres but need larger text sizes to read with ease.
  • Quick Reads books are short novels and short stories, many of them also have large text sizes. These books are great for people who struggle to read and enjoy longer novels.

There are 20 different Your Way to Keep Reading Kits

List of Kits:

Kit 1: Domestic Fiction

• Playway: Identity by Nora Roberts.
• Large Print: Earth’s the Right Place by Elizabeth Berg
• Quick Reads: Cape Breton’s Christmas Book 5 edited by Ronald Caplan, The Sandy Shoreline by Emma Rose Sparrow

Kit 2: British Mysteries

• Playaway: Death in Focus by Anne Perry
• Large Print: A Killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie and Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood
• Quick Read: The Double Clue and other Hercule Poirot Stories by Agatha Christie

Kit 3: Small Town Mysteries

• Playaway: The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
• Large Print: Death of a Traitor by M.C. Beaton
• Quick Reads: Murder among the Pines by John Lawrence Reynolds, Wish you were Dead by Peter James.

Kit 4: Heartwarming Reads

• Playaway: Dewey the Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron (nonfiction)
• Large Print: The Best is Yet to Come by Debbie Macomber
• Quick Reads: A Summer Walk by Jamie Stonebridge, Saving the Day by Katie Fforde

Kit #5: Village and Farm Life

• Playaway: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (nonfiction)
• Large Print: The Little Village of Book Lovers by Nina George
• Quick Reads: A Visit to the Farm by Jamie Stonebridge, From Scratch by Gail Anderson-Dargatz

Kit #6: Love Stories

• Playaway: The Wish by Nicholas Sparks
• Large Print: The Wedding Planner by Danielle Steel
• Quick Reads: The Italian Cure by Melodie Campbell and A Day at the Park by Jamie Stonebridge

Kit # 7: Domestic Fiction

• Playaway: Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks
• Large Print: My Magnolia Summer by Victoria Benton Frank
• Quick Reads: A Fresh Start edited by Fanny Blake, What the Wind Showed Me by Emma Rose Sparrow

Kit # 8: Love and Family

• Playaway: Homestead by Melinda Moustakis
• Large Print: Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks
• Quick Reads: Blood Ties by Barbara Fradkin, Autumn’s Display by Emma Rose Sparrow

Kit # 9: Love Stories

• Playaway: The Orchard by Beverly Lewis
• Large Print: Happiness by Danielle Steel
• Quick Reads: No Return Address by Gail Anderson-Dargatz, A Dusting of Snow by Emma Rose Sparrow

Kit # 10: Mysteries & Thrillers

• Playaway: Old Bones by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• Large Print: Obsessed by James Patterson
• Quick Reads: Darkness Rising by A.A. Dhand, Blood and Belonging by Vicki Delaney

Kit #11: Mysteries & Thrillers

• Playaway: The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry
• Large Print: 23rd Midnight by James Patterson and The Last Ranger by Peter Heller
• Quick Reads: Blue Water Hues by Vicki Delaney

Kit # 12: Historical Fiction

• Playaway: The Watchman’s Daughter by Larry Loftis
• Large Print: The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear
• Quick Reads: Three Things by Emma Rose Sparrow, Cape Breton’s Christmas Edited by Ronald Caplan

Kit # 13: Historical Fiction

• Playaway: The House of Eve by Saseqa Johnson
• Large Print: Starring Adele Astaire by Eliza Knight
• Quick Reads: A Day at the Beach by Jamie Stonebridge, Cape Breton’s Chistmas Book 5 Edited by Ronald Caplan

Kit #14: Mystery and Intrigue

• Playaway: The House of Unexpected Sisters by Alexander McCall Smith
• Large Print: The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams, Sinner of Starlight City by Anika Scott
• Quick Reads: A Murder for Max by John Lawrence Reynolds

Kit # 15: Historical Fiction

• Playaway: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
• Large Print: Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes, The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
• Quick Reads: The Black Mountain by Kate Mosse

Kit # 16: Thrillers

• Playaway: Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield
• Large Print: Lion & Lamb by James Patterson
• Quick Reads: Coral Reef Views by Vicki Delaney, Dead Man Talking by Roddy Doyle

Kit # 17: Forensic/Archaeological Thrillers

• Playaway: Tides of Fire by James Rollins
• Large Print: The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths
• Quick Reads: Beethoven’s Tenth by Brian Harvey, Cape Bretoners in the First World War edited by Ronald Caplan (nonfiction)

Kit # 18: Biography & Memoirs

All books in this kit are nonfiction

• Playaway: One Native Life by Richard Wagamese
• Large Print: The Wager: a tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann, Road to Surrender by Evan Thomas
• Quick Read: Views from the Steel Plant edited by Ronald Caplan

Kit # 19: History

• Playaway: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
• Large Print: Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson
• Quick Reads: Magnificent Obesessions: They Wrote About Cape Breton edited by Ronald Caplan (nonfiction), The Best Christmas by Jamie Stonebridge

Kit #20 Miscellaneous

• Playaway: The Unexpected Mrs Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
• Large Print: The Midnight News by Jo Baker
• Quick Reads: The Middle Ground by Zoe Whittall, White Sand Blues by Vicky Delaney

To borrow a Kit, place a hold in our online catalogue or phone your local library branch.

These webinars are free and open to anyone.

More information on sessions and links for registration can be found here: https://nnels.ca/world-braille-days-wbd-2023

Braille books are available to borrow from CBRL. View available books in our SamePage Catalogue.

Print Braille is also available from CELA

Electronic Braille is available through both CELA and NNELS.

Learn more about CELA & NNELS

NNELS

NNELS (National Network for Equitable Library Service) is a growing collection of downloadable audiobooks and other accessible formats available for people with print disabilities.

NNELS titles can be used on a wide variety of devices, including handheld envoy connect audiobook players, Daisy players, computers, phones and tablets.

Cape Breton Regional Library already has made many NNELS titles available on DAISY-CDs, find out what is currently available on DAISY-CDs.

For more titles registered users can log into the NNELS website to see all NNELS titles.

Required Forms

One of the following forms must be printed, completed, and returned to a library branch to be able to borrow NNELS material:

• Competent Authority Form ; or
• Self-declaration Eligibility Form

Help and Troubleshooting Guides

View Tutorials on the NNELS website  for instructions on how to download books and transfer them to compatible devices such as DAISY CD players or digital players like the Victor Stream.

For more information see our Accessibility Page

Listening without limits.

Everyone can listen to audiobooks on Playaway.

Playaway is the pre-loaded audiobook that gives you the portability and freedom to take audiobooks everywhere. No connectivity or downloads needed — ever.

Simply turn on the device, press play, and listen.

Some of newest Playaways include:

• Antihero
• When I Kill You
• The Storm
• Stolen in Death
• I Don't Want to Read This Book

• When I Kill You
• Meet the Newmans
• The Storm
• Stolen in Death
• My Husband's Wife

You can view our entire Playaway Collection on the SamePage catalogue:

You are borrowing a Victor Reader Stream from Cape Breton Regional Library.

The Victor Reader Stream is a handheld media player for the blind or visually impaired.

It plays DAISY books, MP3, MP4, EPUB, text files and many other media formats.

The Stream can be preloaded with compatible books from CELA or NNELS, or library members can download titles themselves from the CELA and NNELS websites and transfer the titles from a computer to the player using the included USB cable.

Getting Started with CELA and NNELS.

If this device was not preloaded with books by library staff, books will have to be downloaded from either the CELA or NNELS websites.  You can visit the websites https://celalibrary.ca/ and https://nnels.ca/ to get started.

We recommend registering for both CELA and NNELS to have access to a greater variety of books and magazines. 

Both websites have excellent tutorials for learning how to download books and transfer them to devices.

If you need further assistance please email info@cbrl.ca or phone 902-562-3161.

Device help

The document Quick Tips for Victor Reader Stream has been pre-loaded onto this device.  Listening to the Quick Tips will help visually impaired users familiarize themselves with the device.