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2/24/2020 July Newsletter https://ola.informz.ca/informzdataservice/onlineversion/pub/bWFpbGluZ0luc3RhbmNlSWQ9NzAwMDY3 2/7 Farewell and Best Wishes to Beckie!  Beckie MacDonald, Manager, Member Services has accepted a position with the Cobourg Public Library. Beckie joined OLA in 2010 and during this time developed many programs and initiatives supporting membership development and services for the association. Beckie's last day with OLA will be July 29. We will very much miss Beckie and wish her all the best in her new position! Please contact Michael Rogowski, Member Relations Coordinator, should you have any membership questions. Announcement from the OLA Copyright Users Group: Access to information for people who have a perceptual disability On June 23, 2016, Canada became the 20th country to sign an international agreement known as the Marrakesh Treaty that will facilitate broader access to published materials in an alternative format. What is the Marrakesh Treaty? Administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) of the United Nations, the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled (Marrakesh Treaty) is an international copyright treaty that was adopted by WIPO on June 27, 2013 in Marrakesh. Although an important milestone, this adoption did not make the Marrakesh Treaty a part of international law. To come into force after its adoption, it required ratification or accession by 20 eligible member states. Canada became the requisite 20th nation, on June 30, 2016, and thus Canada enabled the coming into force internationally (effective September 30, 2016) of the Marrakesh Treaty! What is the significance of the Marrakesh Treaty? It is estimated that, worldwide, only 7% of published materials are accessible to people with print disabilities. Without access to publicly available material in accessible formats, people with perceptual disabilities are less likely to succeed in life. In order to meet their public international legal commitments (now that the Marrakesh Treaty will definitely be coming into force), countries who are parties to the Marrakesh Treaty (including, now, Canada) are required to create, in their laws, provisions to make works available in accessible formats (such as Braille) to those who are perceptually disabled. The Marrakesh Treaty, when implemented by its member countries, will permit organizations in those countries which serve people who are perceptually disabled to coordinate efforts and to avoid duplicating efforts. Visit OLA's Copyright Section of the Web page to read the complete announcement. Message from the CFLA-FCAB Interim Chair Donna Bourne- Tyson Join Us on Twitter and Facebook! mailto:mrogowski@accessola.com http://www.accessola.org/web/OLA/ADVOCACY/OLA/Issues_Advocacy/OLA_Copyright_User_Group.aspx http://www.accessola.org/web/OLA/Issues_Advocacy/Canadas_Copyright_Act.aspx https://twitter.com/ONLibraryAssoc https://www.facebook.com/accessola https://twitter.com/ONLibraryAssoc https://www.facebook.com/accessola