Bloomington Public Library is ADA compliant and strives to serve all patrons of varying abilities and needs. Patrons in need of special accommodations should call 309.828.6091.
(The full accessibility/ADA policy is available here: https://www.bloomingtonlibrary.org/policies/american-disabilities-act-ada)
Home Delivery
Patrons who are physically unable to visit the library, either temporarily or permanently, may be eligible for Home Delivery of library materials. Those receiving Home Delivery must reside in the City of Bloomington or in one of the five townships which make up the Golden Prairie Public Library District — Arrowsmith, Bloomington, Dale, Dawson, or Old Town Township. For more information visit Home Delivery.
Accessibility Tools for Assistance
Walkers & Wheelchairs are available for patron use while the patron is visiting the Library. These walkers can be found near the Library’s entrance.
Lockers are available in the Library’s foyer at the Olive Street entrance and allow patrons to store their belongings while they’re using the Library.
The Assistive Listening Devices can transmit directly to compatible hearing aids (a t-coil compatible device is needed), or headphones/earbuds can be directly plugged into the devices' headphone jack.
This allows patrons with hearing impairments to better hear content presented in Bloomington Library's Community Rooms or Children's Program Rooms.
High-visibility keyboards are available at the Help Desk for use while a patron is visiting the Library. These keyboards include:
- keys which are yellow with black letters.
- letters which are larger than the letters found on a standard keyboard.
Audio and visual tools are available when using any of the Library's public computers.
- A screen-reading program can be used to audibly narrate the information shown on a computer's screen.
- A screen magnification tool can be used to increase the size of words and images on a computer's screen.
Sensory Bags provided by Autism McLean are available for use while patrons are visiting the Library. These bags can be obtained at the Children’s Services Desk, at the teenZone Service Desk, and at the Circulation Desk. Bags include:
- Noise-cancelling headphones
- Sunglasses
- Visual communication cards
- Fidget devices
The Children’s Department’s Social Story is available online and includes visual images which expose children to the Library and let them know what to expect in advance of their Library visit.
Library Materials
The Library offers many titles in the Large Print format, Playaway Devices*, and audiobooks in both CD and digital formats.
Several books written in Braille can be checked out from the Children's Department.
Talking Books and Braille Service is a program provided by the Illinois State Library which allows eligible patrons to register and receive reading materials from the Illinois State Library via mail or digital download. Visit Talking Book and Braille Service for more information or to register.
(*Playaways are small, user-friendly devices which are pre-loaded with a single audiobook and are perfect for on-the-go listening without worrying about having an internet connection, a CD player, or downloading files.)