Bee Aware Scheme Frequently Asked Questions

We welcome enquiries from any sector regarding the Bee Aware scheme, if you have an additional query please contact the North West Libraries Interlending Partnership

What is the Bee Aware Scheme?

A national initiative to promote the inter library loan of alternative format material on behalf of visually impaired and print disabled people.

What is a VIP?

A visually impaired (or print disabled) person.

What is ‘alternative format material’?

Usually a book or print item which has been produced in a different format such as Braille, Moon, Large Print, Giant Print, DAISY or Tactile Diagrams, audio CD or cassettes etc.

I am a visually impaired person, how do I obtain alternative format material on inter library loan?

For more information please contact your local library, where talking books, large print or alternative format materials are available on loan to you from other libraries. This means you can borrow stock from all over the UK just by visiting your nearest branch.

When does a Bee Aware declaration form need to be completed?

If the borrower is not already a member of Calibre, RNIB National Library Service, or TNAUK, a declaration form should be completed. A copy of this signed form should be retained for your own library's records for subsequent loans.

Who can sign the Bee Aware Scheme declaration form?

Every effort has been made to keep paperwork for the Bee Aware scheme to a minimum, and as a result, the participating agencies have agreed to accept the signature of the librarian or member of staff registering a VIP borrower, or dealing with the request. Doctors, Health Visitors, Social Workers and Rehabilitation Officers may also sign the form.

When do I need to send a copy of the completed Bee Aware declaration form with an Inter Library Loan request for a visually impaired person?

If applications are made to Calibre or RNIB National Library Service, and the borrower is not already a member of these agencies, a signed declaration form should be faxed to the agency the first time a request is made. Subsequent requests do not require a declaration form, the wording ‘VIP’ is usually sufficient.

Applications made to other libraries do not usually require a completed declaration form.

What information should be included on an Inter Library Loan Request for a visually impaired person?

If the request is being made to another public library authority or to an academic library, the following additional information should be included on the request:

• ‘VIP’
• Format (Spoken Word, Braille, Moon etc.)
• Your institution's British Library Billing Account number
• Your institution's Cost Scheme/s (Conarls etc.)

If the request is being made to one of the participating agencies, the following additional information should be included on the request:

• The Borrower Name
• The agency name (if the borrower is already a member)
• ‘VIP’
• Format (Spoken Word, Braille, Moon etc.)
• Your institution's British Library Billing Account number
• Your institution's Cost Scheme/s (Regional Scheme/Conarls etc.)

Are there any additional costs involved in the Bee Aware Scheme?

The only cost involved in the scheme is the amount claimed by the responding (supplying) library to supply the loan. The responding library will claim the cost in line with their ILL policy, for example, the Regional rate, Conarls rate or current British Library rate, depending on the responding library's reciprocal agreement/s. Libraries make their own policy decisions regarding reservation costs to VIP borrowers.

Are there any concessions for the transportation of alternative format material? (Articles for the Blind)

Alternative format material may be sent via the Post Office Service free of charge to and from a VIP, even if obtained through a library. To comply with Post Office regulations the borrower name and ‘Articles For The Blind’ must be on the parcel if the item has not been obtained from one of the agencies. Contact the Post Office for details. Items received from the agencies will be in distinctive re-usable (freepost) packaging. This packaging can be used to return the item post free via the Post Office Service.

Further information regarding Articles for the Blind (AFB) can be found on the RNIB website at www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/publicwebsite/public_afbgl.hcsp

Who is involved in Bee Aware?

Calibre Cassette Library	(Participating Agency)
RNIB National Library Service	(Participating Agency)
Share The Vision (STV)	(Participating Agency)
Talking Newspapers Association UK (TNAUK)	(Participating Agency)
Public libraries throughout the UK
Many academic and specialist libraries throughout the UK
Any visually impaired or print disabled person who would like to borrow alternative format material through their local library

What can I do to promote the Bee Aware Scheme?

You can ensure that the scheme forms part of your institution's social inclusion policies. Anybody can help to make sure that visually impaired or print disabled people are aware that they may borrow alternative format material on inter library loan through their local library.