Information about Celia

Celia in a nutshell

Celia is a Finnish state-owned specialist library which produces and provides literature in accessible formats for people who are unable to read standard printed books, due to illness or disability – including visually impaired persons, persons suffering from dyslexia and learning disabilities, developmental disabilities and muscular diseases.

Celia produces and lends works of fiction and non-fiction in the form of talking books, Braille and/or e-books to users, free of charge. We produce around 25% of all the fiction and non-fiction in accessible formats published annually in Finland. In addition to fiction and non-fiction, Celia also produces and sells or lends textbooks in accessible formats to a range of educational establishments. Most primary and secondary-level textbooks can be found within our collection.

Celia’s aim is to work towards equality for the visually impaired and those with other print disabilities, in terms of access to literature and information. Celia is also a specialist institution within its field. In 2008, Celia had around 14,000 users who took out almost one million loans in total. Along with individual users with print disabilities, our users also include organisations such as retirement homes, daycare centers and libraries who have members with print disabilities.