Disability access and facilities available
All Lambeth libraries are wheelchair-accessible and disabled toilet facilities are available in all except for Waterloo Library.
Induction loops are available at the following libraries:
Books in other formats
As well as regular paperback and hardback books, Lambeth libraries have stories and information in multiple formats. Whether you want your books with large and giant print, or in audio, as e-books or in languages other than English, we will do our best to find exactly what you want.
Nursery rhymes and story audio books are particularly beneficial to children with special educational needs allowing less able readers to listen to stories.
Braille
Tate South Lambeth Library holds Lambeth Libraries' collection of braille books for children. This is a small collection with a mixture of very simple grade 1 braille books and more complicated grade 2 braille books. There is also a Perkins Brailler Machine at Tate South Lambeth which can be used for practice.
Reading and computer help for those with low vision and/or dyslexia.
Lambeth Libraries offer an extensive range of equipment and programmes to help all library users, including children and young adults, to use library resources. This includes help with reading books and other printed documents, using computers and the internet. All this equipment is on public display and can be used in the library at any time. All machines are extremely easy to use and library staff will be happy to assist.
Eye Pal Solo
The Eye Pal Solo reads text aloud and can be used to read any book or printed text. You can use it for any book or printed material in the library and you can also bring in your own books, letters or other documents and the machine will read them aloud to you. Available at Tate South Lambeth, Brixton and Streatham Library. Tate South Lambeth also has a machine which reads Portuguese.
Prodigi
This machine is available at both Tate South Lambeth and West Norwood Libraries. Similar to the Eye Pal Solo machines, Prodigi both magnifies and reads text aloud.
Cobolt TV Mouse Magnifier
The TV mouse magnifier is an easy-to-use device like a computer mouse, which connects directly to any TV screen. You roll the mouse over any text or image and it will be magnified onto the screen. You can alter the level of magnification to suit your requirements. Available at Tate South Lambeth and Streatham Tate Libraries
Computers and internet access
Lambeth Libraries provide free computer and internet access as well as free wifi. The following are available in all Lambeth Libraries and support a wide range of needs:
- Keyboards - all Lambeth library public computers have large print keyboards which are easy for everyone to see and use. The keyboards which are specially designed to give one touch quick key access to the magnification, speech and colour controls in Supernova.
- Special magnification and speech programmes (Dolphin Supernova, Thunder and Webbie) which magnify the computer screen and read text aloud from documents or websites. Supernova also offers a wide range of colours and contrasts to make the screen easier to see.
- Supernova - a commercial programme which offers magnification and speech
- Thunder - a free-to-download programme which offers speech only
- Webbie - a free-to-download text-only web browser/search engine which works with Thunder. Webbie displays websites as text-only so that Thunder can read them aloud. Webbie also has built-in magnification so you can toggle between text-only and normal web page views.