Borrowing Large Print Books from Canadian Libraries

How Library Large Print Collections Work

Most Canadian public libraries maintain a dedicated large print section — usually a clearly labelled set of shelves or a separate rack, often near the fiction area. These are full commercial large print editions: the same books you'd buy from a publisher like Thorndike Press or Ulverscroft, typically printed at 16–18 point type.

The practical reality varies a lot by library system. A large urban library like Toronto Public Library or Calgary Public Library may have thousands of large print titles, including recent releases within months of publication. A small rural branch may have a few hundred titles that are several years old.

For popular titles, you can place a hold through the library's online catalogue — the same process as reserving a regular book. You'll be notified by email or phone when it's ready. For large print specifically, holds can be longer because collections are smaller and the format is popular with older patrons.

CELA — Centre for Equitable Library Access

CELA (celalibrary.ca) is a national non-profit organization funded by Canadian public libraries and the Government of Canada. It provides accessible library services to Canadians with print disabilities — meaning people who cannot read standard print due to a visual, physical, or perceptual disability.

Who Qualifies

Eligibility covers many conditions: visual impairment or blindness, learning disabilities like dyslexia, and physical disabilities that prevent holding a book or turning pages.

You don't need to be completely blind — anyone for whom reading standard print is difficult or impossible may qualify.

How to Register

Registration is done through your public library, not directly with CELA. Visit your local library (in person or online) and ask to be registered for CELA.

Library staff will verify eligibility and register you. Some library systems have dedicated accessibility staff who handle CELA registrations — if your local branch is small, you can also contact your regional library system. Once registered, you access CELA directly through celalibrary.ca using your library card credentials.

What CELA Offers

CELA's catalogue contains over 900,000 titles in accessible formats:

• DAISY audio: Recorded audiobooks with navigation features — you can jump by chapter, paragraph, or section. These are not the same as commercial audiobooks; they're purpose-made for accessibility with complete text coverage.
• Braille: Physical braille books can be mailed to your home at no cost. CELA partners with CNIB and other organizations for braille production.
• E-text: Plain text or EPUB files that can be enlarged to any size in a reading app or screen reader — more flexible than a fixed large print edition.
• MP3 audio: Standard audio recordings for devices that don't support DAISY format.

Importantly, CELA can mail physical DAISY players and physical books to registered patrons — which matters for Canadians in rural areas without reliable internet access. The mail service is free.

CNIB Digital Library

The CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) Digital Library offers audiobooks, magazines, and accessible content primarily to CNIB clients and affiliated organizations. Access is through the CNIB Foundation directly, not through your public library. If you receive services from CNIB, ask about the Digital Library — it's a different catalogue from CELA with its own strengths, particularly in Canadian content and magazines in accessible format.

Provincial Library Systems and Searching for Large Print

Most provincial and major municipal library systems let you search specifically for large print in their catalogue. Here's how it works at some of the largest systems:

Toronto Public Library (TPL)

TPL has one of the largest large print collections in Canada. In the catalogue search, use the "Format" filter to select "Large Print" — this narrows results to large print editions only. You can also search by branch to see what's on shelves locally vs what needs to be transferred.

Ottawa Public Library (OPL)

OPL's catalogue includes a format filter for large print. OPL also has a dedicated Outreach Services program that can deliver materials to homebound cardholders — including large print books and talking books — through a volunteer service.

Calgary Public Library

Calgary's catalogue has a "Large Print" format option in search. Calgary Public Library also has a Well-being Collection and accessibility services — contact them directly about home delivery or extended loan periods if mobility is a barrier.

Vancouver Public Library / BC Libraries

VPL's search includes format filtering for large print. BC's Link+ interlibrary network also gives cardholders access to large print material from other BC libraries — useful if your local branch has a thin selection.

Quebec Libraries

The Réseau BIBLIO and Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) both maintain large print sections. BAnQ's catalogue is searchable online and open to all Quebec residents. CELA services are also available in French — the majority of CELA's registered users in Quebec access French-language content.

Smaller Municipal Libraries

If your library uses a shared catalogue platform (common in Ontario through the Ontario Library Service, or in Alberta through the Alberta Library), you may be able to see holdings from multiple library systems at once. Ask your librarian whether your card gives access to a regional consortium — this can dramatically expand your large print options without needing to drive to multiple branches.

Interlibrary Loan for Large Print

Interlibrary loan (ILL) allows your library to borrow a specific book from another library system on your behalf. For large print, this is an underused option. If your library doesn't have a title in large print and it exists as a large print edition (you can verify this through WorldCat or by Googling the title plus "large print"), ask your librarian to initiate an ILL request specifically for the large print format.

ILL delivery times vary — typically one to three weeks — and not all libraries lend large print through ILL (some restrict to their own cardholders). But for a title you're committed to reading, it's worth pursuing. There's usually no additional cost beyond your library card.

OverDrive/Libby — E-lending and Font Size Controls

Libby (powered by OverDrive) is the e-book and digital audiobook borrowing app used by most Canadian public libraries. Your library card gives you access to a digital catalogue of e-books and audiobooks at no extra cost.

A clarification that matters: Libby does not offer large print editions as a separate format. What it does offer is adjustable font size on e-books — you can increase the text size to whatever is comfortable on your phone, tablet, or e-reader screen. This is genuinely useful for many readers, but it's different from a dedicated large print edition (which uses large type throughout and often has wider margins and better leading).

If you use a tablet or a large phone and prefer to borrow digitally, Libby's adjustable text is often a practical workaround, especially for titles that don't exist in physical large print format. The experience is better on a larger screen — a 10-inch tablet at maximum font size is reasonably comfortable reading for many people with mild to moderate vision difficulty.

Tips for Rural Canadians

Rural residents often face the biggest barriers: smaller local collections, longer distances to branches, and limited home delivery. The options that work best in rural Canada:

• CELA mail delivery: If you qualify (print disability), CELA can mail physical DAISY players and books to any Canadian address. This is the single most important accessibility program for rural Canadians who can't easily visit a library.
• Libby/OverDrive: Requires internet but no library visit. If you have a decent connection, borrowing digital books is the most practical option for rural access. Most provincial systems have expanded their digital catalogues significantly.
• Ask about homebound delivery: Many library systems offer home delivery for residents who can't physically visit — not just for large cities. Even regional libraries often have this as a less-publicized service. Call your local branch and ask directly.
• Regional library consortia: In many provinces, a single library card gives access to materials from dozens of member libraries, with free interlibrary shipping between branches. This dramatically expands your effective collection size.

When Your Library Doesn't Have the Title

This happens. Here's the progression of options, roughly in order of effort:

1. Place a hold — it may be checked out, not missing from the collection
2. Request an ILL — ask your librarian to borrow it from another system in large print format
3. Request the library purchase it — most library systems have a "suggest a purchase" form; large print request submissions are taken seriously, especially if you're a regular patron
4. Try CELA's e-text format — if you qualify, CELA may have the title in an adjustable-text format even if it was never printed in large print
5. Libby in enlarged text — not the same, but often practical for popular titles
6. Check CNIB Digital Library — if you receive CNIB services

If none of these work, it may genuinely not exist in accessible format. That's a real gap in the Canadian publishing and library ecosystem, particularly for Canadian literary titles and smaller press books. Advocating to your library — through suggestion forms, through branch managers, or through library advisory boards — is genuinely how collections improve over time.