Services of the Maribor Public Library for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

The paper deals with the approaches and programmes of the Maribor Public Library to make its activities more accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing in the local community. It shows the organization of certain services that support the deaf and hard of hearing at the local and national levels. The author examines various forms and possibilities of cooperation between libraries and institutions, whose mission is to serve the deaf and hard of hearing people. The paper also describes initial organizational difficulties, gained experiences, achievements and failures on the way to integration and socialization of this special needs group. It presents the process and procedures to gain qualification and additional professional knowledge and their use by training the library staff to work with the deaf and hard of hearing at the Maribor Public Library. The highlights of the paper include the model of training the library staff, and the ways of communication with the hearing impaired. At an early stage of cooperation between the library and other organizations, this has proven to be of vital importance for diminishing the obstacles and unease in contact with the deaf and hard of hearing in human and professional aspect. Based on practical cases, the paper demonstrates a range of programmes and different ways of working with the hearing impaired in order to encourage this special needs group to use library services and to engage actively in developing and implementing public library services in the local community. The author attempts to evaluate objectively the results of a year’s work and the collaboration between the Library and the hearing impaired in the local community. The benefits of this cooperation and the Library’s plans and strategic guidelines for the social inclusion of persons with this type of disability are presented.