We are currently experiencing an issue on our website that is causing links to specific pages on our site to not work. Please visit the CELA home page first, then navigate to your preferred page from there.
CELA will cease production and mailing CDs effective Thursday, July 31.
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For further help, contact us.
Visit Getting Started for information on using the CELA website for the first time. (If you already have a CELA account you do not need to Sign up.) For help with specific topics such as downloading books, visit Tutorials.
If you cannot find a title in our catalogue, you may Suggest a title our collection.
You can use the filters on any search to narrow down your search by criteria such as subject, author, publication date, and format.
For general tips on how to locate files, read our tutorials on how to download DAISY, MP3 and ebraille books.
After you have chosen a book in ZIP format and selected Get it, your book will be available within 5 minutes on the Available ZIP files for download page.
Whenever a patron requests a book on CELA's website, the system generates a unique file for the patron, which usually takes less than 5 minutes. Please keep in mind that two factors can make it take longer: longer book length and synthetic audio, as compared to books with human narration. Synthetic audio books may take several hours before they are available to download.
ZIP items you request are available on your Available ZIP files for download page for 3 days. Please note you can turn on notifications to receive emails when ZIP books you’ve requested become available. For more information about email notifications, see the Communication preferences section of the My Account page.
Whenever a patron requests a book on CELA's website, the system generates a unique file for the patron, which usually takes less than 5 minutes. Synthetic audio books and books that are longer in length can take several hours to be created and available to download. If a book doesn't appear on your bookshelf or on the Available ZIP files for download page after 24 hours, please let the Contact Centre know by calling 1-855-655-2273 or emailing help@celalibrary.ca.
Direct to Player is a quick and convenient way to receive DAISY audio books without waiting for the mail or using a computer to download and transfer files. If you or someone in your residence has an internet connection, we can send the books directly to your DAISY player or mobile device. Find out more on our Direct to Player page.
Yes. The Victor Stream (new generation, with wifi) works with Direct to Player service. Press the "0" key on your Stream to check that you have the latest firmware upgrade (4.8).
If you have version 4.8, contact our Contact Centre for help at 1-855-655-2273. You can start using the Direct to Player service right away. All you need to do is select a book in Direct to Player format on the website. The book will appear on your Stream’s bookshelf immediately. If you want to transfer your existing holds on DAISY CDs to Direct to Player service, please call the Contact Centre at 1-855-655-2273.
Learning just a handful of standard keystrokes can save you hours of time! Read accessibility tips to learn how to navigate by headings, forms, and landmarks and for specific tips on navigating through search results.
Question not answered? Try our Help page. We're also happy to help by phone or email - please contact us.
Synthetic audio refers to narration that has been generated by a computer, and synthetic braille refers to braille that has been transcribed by a computer.
The synthetic audio versions of books in the CELA collection are automatically generated from EPUB book files when we don’t have a human narrated audio version. This allows patrons access to more audio books than CELA could otherwise provide. In some cases this automated process is used to provide timely access, for example to award nominees, while a human narrated version is being produced.
The synthetic braille versions of books in the CELA collection are automatically generated from EPUB book files when we don’t have a human-transcribed braille version. This allows patrons access to more braille books than CELA could otherwise provide. In some cases this automated process is used to provide timely access, for example to award nominees, while a human-transcribed version is being produced.
EPUB, short for electronic publication, is an e-book file format. EPUB books can be read in any compatible app or DAISY player. For more information, visit the Accessible Formats page.
Yes. Chromebook supports the EPUB file format. EPUB books can be read on a Chromebook using Google’s Read & Write program. The CELA catalogue has some EPUB titles and the Bookshare catalogue has a wide variety of EPUB titles to choose from. Patrons can get access to Bookshare by submitting the Proof of Disability form and educators can get access to Bookshare for their students by completing the Terms of Use form. You can also download the Dolphin EasyReader app onto Chromebooks launched after 2019. The app provides an easy way to load books right onto your Chromebook.
You must play all the way to the end of CD 1 before you can play CD 2. Make sure you hear the announcement ‘end of book’ before you insert CD 2. If you don’t want to listen to the material at the end of CD 1, navigate or fast forward to the end of the CD.
In Kurzweil 1000, you can read DAISY audio and text books from CELA’s website in ZIP format. In Kurzweil 3000, you can read CELA’s DAISY text books in ZIP format. You can find information on how to read books in Kurzweil in the reference guide for your product version on Kurtzweil’s Product Guides page.
EPUB books from CELA’s website would have to be converted to MOBI format in order to be read on a Kindle. However, CELA books do not need to be converted in order to be read on newer models of Kobo, which support EPUB and EPUB3 formats. Please note that Kobo Original and Kobo Wi Fi do not support CELA’s EPUB3 format.
CELA audiobooks are available through the Accessible Reading Canada skill for Alexa. Visit our Accessible Reading Canada help page to learn more.
There is no limit on the amount of holds you can place. Holds will be served from oldest to newest.
You can receive or download 150 titles within a 30 day period.
There is no limit to the amount of books you can manually add to your Direct to Player bookshelf.
However, if you are using automatic selection service, the system will stop selecting books and adding them to your bookshelf if you have 12 or more books on your bookshelf. Automatic selection service will automatically restart once you have fewer than 12 books on your bookshelf. Magazines have no effect on the automatic selection service. For more information on automatic selection, see the Autoselection page.
Make sure to request each individual book in the series in sequence. This is the only way to make sure you receive them in the correct order.
Double-check if you still have the printbraille book. If you can't find it, please report it to us.
The Bookshare collection is a variety of accessible books made available by Bookshare, a US-based online library for people with print disabilities. Thanks to Bookshare’s agreements with publishers, CELA patrons can access the Bookshare collection on CELA's website after submitting a proof of disability. Bookshare offers more than 700,000 titles, including books for all ages, best sellers, and more. The books are available in e-text and e-braille. Most of the audio book versions are in synthetic speech (computer voice) and some are human-narrated.
Bookshare offers books in computer-generated or synthetic formats, which is why many of their books are in synthetic audio and braille. Bookshare creates books by automatically converting book files provided by publishers. This automatic process makes large numbers of books available quickly and in a wide variety of accessible formats. Bookshare has also started adding more human-narrated books to their collection.
No, you do not have to register for Bookshare nor provide proof of disability to access and borrow CELA materials through celalibrary.ca.
If you wish to access the Bookshare collection, you must provide a proof of disability, as required by Bookshare's agreements with publishers. CELA manages the proof of disability process and ensures the privacy of your personal information. The proof of disability form and instructions are available in the Proof of Disability section of the CELA website. Bookshare collection access is an option available to patrons who want a wider range of materials. If you have questions about providing a proof of disability, please contact us.
Yes, if you registered for a Bookshare account through CELA, you will also have access to the Bookshare collection on the CELA website.
Yes, you can keep your existing Bookshare account if you wish. Bookshare has agreed that CELA patrons with Bookshare accounts created before March 2019 can keep them indefinitely.
For now, Bookshare titles in electronic braille will be provided in UEB with 40 cells per line, which is the same format and line length as most books from CELA. We hope to add the ability to select your own braille format and line length options to the site in the future.
You can now browse for new titles added in the past 30, 60 or 90 days by audience or by popular category.
Read our FAQ on suggesting titles and fill in the Title suggestion form. You can also request books in other languages.