The Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities creates an unprecedented opportunity for enabling access to printed works for people with print disabilities. Libraries play a key role in facilitating access.
‘Getting Started. Implementing the Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities. A practical guide for librarians - Kenyan edition’ is a new guide for librarians in Kenya on how to start using the Marrakesh Treaty. It covers the basics (such as what is the treaty and what it does), libraries and the Marrakesh Treaty, accessible book services and working with accessible formats.
This Kenyan edition of 'Getting Started' is based on the international version of the guide and has been adapted for local law. It was conceived to enable staff in libraries of all types to take practical steps on how to start using the Marrakesh Treaty, and to deliver materials into the hands of print-disabled readers.
The idea for this guide was the result of a webinar on the Marrakesh Treaty co-organized by EIFL with the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) and the Kenya Libraries and Information Services Consortium (KLISC), EIFL’s partner in Kenya. The guide was prepared by Jonathan Band, PLLC. The parts relating to Kenyan copyright law were kindly checked by KECOBO, and information on local services was provided by KLISC.
We hope the guide will encourage libraries in Kenya to make full use of their new rights, and that it will contribute to an increase in the availability of reading materials for people with print disabilities.
The guide is a joint publication of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the World Blind Union (WBU), EIFL, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), and the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Background
Kenya joined the Marrakesh Treaty in 2017, and in 2019 implemented the treaty’s requirements into domestic copyright law. The amendments are contained in the Copyright (Amendment) Act No. 20 of 2019. Now libraries in Kenya can start using the treaty, and can send and receive accessible format materials from other Marrakesh countries.
- More about EIFL’s work advocating for the Marrakesh Treaty.
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