Catalyst Grant Final Report
“Large Print Accessibility through Kindles”
Please provide a brief narrative explaining your project and its outcomes.
CLD&J purchased 9 Kindles to supplement LP materials for our residents in our senior residences. Amazon made us jump through several hoops before we were able to purchase the Kindles. They only allow the purchase of 2 Paperwhites, no ads, unless there is a business account, so we had first register for an account. Actually, first we had to justify the need for the extra expenditure for the account. I think it has since paid for itself. We also thought we would need Amazon gift cards to load on each Paperwhite, but we didn’t, so we were able to purchase the final screen saver and cover instead.
It took a while for staff to have the time to learn how to use the Kindles, develop a quick training for the seniors, and create a small how-to brochure. During this time, we kept talking with the seniors about the Kindles we had ordered, trying to build a bit of curiosity and maybe even some excitement. We also needed to figure out how to break the system a little, to download multiple copies of the books off of Libby. We also needed to find a way to prevent seniors from accidentally erasing the books from their Kindles. The use of Airplane Mode took care of both issues.
In July, I loaded The Dictionary of Lost Words onto the Kindles, knowing there were very few copies in the system, and assuming this group of seniors would enjoy the book. We took an extra librarian on our mobile library visit for that month, to help the seniors access the book and review how to use the Kindles. We checked out 6 Kindles that day. Only one person called the library looking for help with the Kindle, and her problems were all related to accidentally brushing the airplane mode back on.
Last week, their book club met. 4 of the people attending had checked out the Kindles. When I asked how many liked the Kindles, 4 raised their hands. When I asked how many didn’t enjoy using the Kindles, 1 raised their hand. The math didn’t add up, but some residents said they had shared their Kindle with other people, so it must have been good.
A few weeks ago, a woman in a different nursing home was having real difficulty reading any book because the print was not large enough. We decided to loan her one of the extra Kindles, to see if she could use it. We do not return to this nursing home until 9/13, but the woman has called to say she’s loving the Paperwhite. This may be a way to expand the program to others, although we may need to purchase more Kindles.
What is the most remarkable accomplishment or finding of your project?
Honestly, I wasn’t sure this project would work at all. We were all pleasantly surprised to have most people be willing to try the Kindles. A few even talked about wanting to dig their old one (gifted from some well-meaning relative) out and try it again, or asking about prices to see if they could buy one for themself.
How did your project differ from what you originally proposed?
We didn’t not plan on checking the Kindles out for non-book club books, but our desire to get everyone access to books made it an easy decision.
Please provide a brief summary of your evaluation activities and/or results, if available.
Honestly, most of our evaluation was done in casual conversations with the residents – like I said in the application, they are very comfortable giving us their opinions. These conversations will be on-going for the next few uses. A few people did choose the regular print book copies instead of the Kindle. It will be interesting to see if they change their minds after talking with the other residents. We will continue asking how the Kindle worked for them when they return the device to us.
Sara Jo Brandt
Coordinator for Community Engagement & Outreach Services, Community Library of DeWitt & Jamesville
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