Istanbul’s Rami Library expands access for visually impaired readers

The Rami Library‘s Accessible Information Center is helping visually impaired individuals access information equally, independently and without barriers through audio books, Braille publications and assistive technologies.

At the center, volunteers who want to record books first read a sample passage in one of two soundproof booths designed to studio standards.

Volunteers are evaluated based on criteria including pronunciation, fluency, emphasis and suitability of tone before those deemed qualified begin the recording process.

Priority is given to works requested by visually impaired readers. When there are no specific requests, volunteers record books selected from reading lists prepared by the center.

Once recordings are completed, center staff subject them to editorial review and quality control before transferring them to the National Library’s Talking Books system operated by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, making them accessible to visually impaired users across Türkiye.

In addition to producing audio books, the Accessible Information Center provides users with Braille books through its lending service.

The center also offers electronic magnifiers, screen-reading software, Braille displays, OCR-enabled scanners and fully equipped workstations. These technologies allow printed materials to be converted into digital formats and used as audio or Braille text.

An audio navigation system installed throughout the library also enables visually impaired visitors to move independently around the building.

Müjgan Karamete, who has previous professional experience in the field and now volunteers to record books at the Rami Library, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that volunteering as a reader provides an indescribable sense of fulfillment.

Karamete said she began recording books soon after completing the audition process.

“I feel an incredible sense of inner peace and fulfillment,” she said. “Being able to make someone’s life easier and touch their life without expecting anything in return, simply to ease your own heart and soul, is an indescribably wonderful feeling.”

While visually impaired people have access to a range of technological tools, Karamete said listening to a human voice can offer a different experience.

“Listening to something aloud, feeling the spirit of the words, hearing them and imagining them in your mind is perhaps a more beautiful way,” she said. “It may differ from person to person. When we were children, there were radio dramas. When we listened to something, our imagination expanded incredibly. I think it creates a similar effect for these friends as well.”

Karamete said listening can also provide a more direct experience than reading.

“In a sense, I think we become their eyes that see,” she said. “There is a big difference between listening to something aloud and reading or watching it. You can think of it in terms of cinema or radio. Just as each has a different impact, I think the same is true here.”

Karamete advised prospective volunteers to make a sustained commitment to the work.

“They really need to be willing and motivated,” she said. “It is very important that they set aside time. First, they need to determine whether they have the time to devote to this work or whether they are willing to make that time.”

She noted that volunteers are not required to record for a specific number of days each week or month and can arrange their schedules themselves.

“The people here are very helpful. There is a tremendous amount of work behind this, both from us and from the technical team,” she said. “For that reason, there needs to be continuity so that their time is not wasted. At the very least, you should be able to complete one book.”

Nahide Mutlu, a library user who has regularly benefited from the Rami Library’s Accessible Information Center for about two years, also spoke about her experience.

Mutlu, a visually impaired graduate of a faculty of theology, discussed the channels available to her for accessing information, the atmosphere at the library, the Talking Books system accessible through mobile applications and the content she listens to there.

She also highlighted the difference between readings produced using artificial intelligence and those recorded by human volunteers.

“If you want to access information quickly, books read through screen readers using artificial intelligence can be much more efficient and useful,” Mutlu said. “But if the book I want to read is a novel or a literary work, then listening to that book from a volunteer is much more valuable. I would say both have different advantages.”

Mutlu said audio books allow readers to experience the emotions conveyed through the text.

“When a book is narrated, it becomes possible to absorb that emotion because every word has a different spirit,” she said. “Therefore, listening to those words with that emotion and in that voice feels very different and very valuable. I can actually visualize those characters much more strongly in my mind and imagination.”

Mutlu thanked the volunteers who record books for visually impaired readers.

“Every book is a different universe, a different world,” she said. “Thank you very much for guiding us with your voices through these different universes and different worlds. It is very valuable to us.”

Mutlu also said visiting the library and listening to books in its historic setting makes access to information more meaningful.

“We have the Talking Books mobile application on our phones,” she said. “The books have already been narrated and uploaded there. We can search for a book by its title or the author’s name and listen to it easily. But for me, it is much more enjoyable to come here and listen to a narrated book.”

DAILYSABAH