The Swedish Agency for Accessible Media (, MTM), formerly the Audiobook and Braille Library (, TPB), is a Swedish governmental administrative agency under the Ministry of Culture.
The agency's task is to work in collaboration with other libraries in the country to ensure that everyone has access to literature and social information based on their own abilities, regardless of reading ability or disability, and to make easy-read literature available. For example, the agency must ensure that people with reading and writing difficulties/dyslexia and visual impairments have access to literature in media adapted for them: audiobooks, Braille books, tactile picture books and e-books. All audiobooks are made in DAISY format. DAISY stands for Digital Accessible Information System and is an open, internationally established standard. In addition to cooperation with other area libraries on lending accessible media, the agency also has its own program to lend Braille books. It is also working on developing technology for media for people with reading disabilities.
The available books and newspapers are downloaded from the agency's digital library Legimus. In March 2016, there were over 100,000 audiobooks, more than 18,000 Braille titles, around 3,000 e-books and 150 books in sign language.
The (), and as of 1 August 2010, the (), are part of MTM.
The agency is located in Bylgiahuset in Malmö and has operated there since 1 January 2020.
History A Braille library was established in Stockholm in 1892 by Amy Segerstedt, director of Tysta skolan (lit. 'the Silent School'), a private school for the deaf. It moved into the same building as the Swedish Association of the Blind () in 1895 and was taken over by the association in 1912.
The Swedish Association of the Blind began lending audiobooks in 1955. Library activities continued when the association changed its name to the in 1977.
The Audiobook and Braille Library became an authority in 1980. When the agency was established, all books were transferred from the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired to the agency, which thus became the lending center for audiobooks and braille books.
On 1 January 2013, the Audiobook and Braille Library changed its name to ('the Agency for Accessible Media'). One of the reasons for the name change was that its assignment has been broadened from audiobooks and Braille books to include other accessible media.
Publications Since 2015, MTM has taken over the state's responsibility for publishing and distributing easy-to-read literature and making easy-to-read news information available through the publication of the easy-to-read news magazine .
The agency publishes three free publications, , , and .
Nordic cooperation MTM cooperates with similar agencies in the Nordic countries: the Norwegian Library of Talking Books and Braille, Nota in Denmark, in Finland; and the Icelandic . An agreement was signed in 2009 which allows accessible literature to be shared between these countries. The agreement increases user access and also eliminates unnecessary duplication of work in creating accessible versions.
MTM's awards MTM has two awards: ('Reading Ambassador of the Year') and ('Reading Gold'). The award is presented to a reading ambassador or narrator (for recordings) who has made outstanding efforts to promote reading in the care sector. recognizes organizations or institutions that do an excellent job of enabling people with reading difficulties or disabilities to read on their own terms. Previously, the Amy Award () and the Best Easy-Reading Library Award () were awarded, now combined and known as .
Current awards
('Reading Gold') is MTM's accessibility award, presented to an individual or organization that has made an exciting or progressive contribution to accessible media during the year. Formerly known as the Amy Award, it is named after Amy Segerstedt, who founded the Association for Braille in 1892, a direct predecessor of MTM.
Recipients 2018 – The ('youth reading for the elderly') project by Helena Pennlöv Smedberg and Laven Fathi at Gottsunda Library in Uppsala 2019 – The Sustainable Poetry project in Trelleborg, project leader Maria Glawe 2020 – Eva Fridh and Martin von Knorring for a cookbook for the visually-impaired
The award ('Reading Ambassador of the Year Award') is presented to a reading ambassador or narrator for efforts to promote reading in care for disabled or elderly people. Recipients 2012 – Marie Schelander, Härryda 2013 – Barbro Granberg and Helena Oskarsson, Piteå 2014 – Ann Erixson, Halmstad 2015 – Susanne Sandberg, Skövde 2016 – Ingrid Jonsson, Lidköping 2017 – Ingeborg Albrecht, Ystad 2018 – Bitte Sahlström, Östhammar 2019 – Agneta Json Granemalm, Ljungby 2020 – Sebastian Åkesson
Previous awards Amy Award The Amy Award was MTM's accessibility award, presented to an individual or organization that made an exciting or progressive contribution to accessible media during the year. In 2018, the Amy Award and the Best Easy-Reading Library Award were merged to form .
Recipients 2010 – Minabibliotek.se, six libraries in the Umeå region 2011 – Komvux Kärnan in Helsingborg 2012 – Heidi Carlsson Asplund, librarian and project manager 2013 – Anna Fahlbeck, librarian, Linköping library 2014 – Anne Ljungdahl, school library developer, Västerås 2015 – Jenny Edvardsson, teacher at Wendesgymnasiet, Kristianstad 2016 – Göteborg University Library's reading service 2017 – no award
Best Easy-Reading Library The prize was awarded to a library that recognized the need for easy reading among several target groups and actively worked with marketing and well-planned information about easy reading.
Recipients 2009 – Norrköping Library 2010 – Sundbyberg Library 2011 – Strängnäs Library 2012 – Mjölby Library 2013 – Värnamo Library and Gävle Library 2014 – Halmstads Library 2015 – Linköpings Library 2016 – Tumba Library 2017 – no award
See also Scandinavian Braille
References
External links The Swedish Agency for Accessible Media