Getting Started – Opening and Reading our EPUB “Accessibility Training Module for Librarians”
Introduction
Welcome to this Getting Started Guide on how to get, open, and interact with our EPUB entitled “Accessibility Training Module for Librarians.” This guide will walk you through downloading and opening an EPUB on various devices you may want to use including smart phones, tablets, and Personal Computers.
First some background on what exactly an EPUB is and why we chose an EPUB as the format for our training module. From Wikipedia: “EPUB is an e-book file format that uses the “.epub” file extension. The term is short for electronic publication and is sometimes styled ePub. EPUB is supported by many e-readers, and compatible software is available for most smartphones, tablets, and computers. EPUB is a technical standard published by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF).” In 2017 this work moved from the IDPF to the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) where the current version 3.3 is actively being developed. The publishing industry has embraced the EPUB format, and most titles are being distributed using this format. We chose this EPUB format for two main reasons: first, if properly created can be the most accessible means to provide content in a self-contained way, and secondly, by providing this training module in EPUB format this will help librarians get familiar with EPUBs and reading systems. EPUB is the primary format and method for accessing digital books by your patrons.
Downloading the EPUB Training Module
The instructions for downloading and opening this training module differs slightly depending on which device you are using.
iPhone & iPad Instructions
iPhones and iPads come standard with “Books.app” as the default EPUB reader. Whilst this works fine, a more accessible Reading System is called Dolphin EasyReader and can be found here if you are interested in trying this App.
Use this link to our Training Module EPUB file which will open your safari browser and prompt you to download the EPUB file.
Once the file has been downloaded a new screen will appear and will prompt you to open this with Books or EasyReader and will have a “More…” option if you do not see your Reading application listed where you can search the various apps on your iPhone when looking for either of these Apps you wish to use.
Once you click on the app you wish to use, the EPUB will be imported into its library and will open our Training Module for you to read.
Android Phone Instructions
Since Android does not have a built in EPUB reader you will first need to download and set up an EPUB reader. Follow these instructions to download and set up a free mobile phone EPUB reader called Dolphin EasyReader.
Now that you have Dolphin EasyReader setup we can now download and start reading this Training module. Use this link to our Training Module EPUB file which will open your chrome browser and prompt you to download the EPUB file.
Once the file has been downloaded you can select the downloaded file and “open with” selecting Dolphin EasyReader.
Windows PC Instructions
Since Windows PC computers do not have a built in EPUB reader you will first need to download and set up an EPUB reader. Follow these instructions to download and set up a free EPUB reader called Thorium Reader.
Now that you have Thorium Reader setup we can now download and start reading this Training module. Use this link to our Training Module EPUB file which will open your default browser and prompt you to download the EPUB file.
Once you click on the Download button you will see a small window in the top right corner of your screen where you can open the downloaded EPUB with your new Thorium Reader application.
This will then Launch Thorium Reader and import this EPUB into its library where you can begin reading.
Use the right and left arrow keys to navigate the pages of the book.
Clicking on the Book Icon in the top right corner of the Thorium app will bring up options to view the Table of Contents, Landmarks, and various other options to interact with this book
Mac Instructions
Mac computers come standard with “Books” app that is their default EPUB reader. Whilst this works fine, a more accessible Reading System for Mac is called Thorium Reader. Here are instructions for installing Thorium on a Mac.
Use this link to our Training Module EPUB file which will open your default browser and prompt you to download the EPUB file.
- Click on the Download button.
- Open Finder and select your “Downloads” folder.
Right click on the file “Accessibility_Training_Module_for_Librarians.epub” bringing up the context menu and select “Open With” Select “Books.app” (Default) or “Thorium.app” if you prefer.
Use the right and left arrow keys to navigate the pages of the book.
You can also move your mouse cursor to the top left of the screen, and by clicking on the bulleted list icon, as shown in the figure, you can open the EPUB’s Table of Contents if you wish to jump to specific chapters within this book.
Dolphin EasyReader
There are many applications available from the ‘Play Store’ or ‘App Store’ which can be used for reading various file formats such as EPUB, MS Word, HTML ETC. some of these are paid and some are free. Described below is the process for using one such application called ‘Dolphin EasyReader,’ which is a free reader available for both Android and iOS platforms.
Key features of Dolphin EasyReader
EasyReader by Dolphin Inc. is an easy-to-use, free, accessible reading app for people with print disabilities including dyslexia, low vision, and blindness. EasyReader is available on iOS and Android.
With Dolphin EasyReader, you can do the following:
- Play EPUB, Word or audio books
Search for Direct to Player books and magazines in the app
Add a human sounding voice to text only titles with synchronized text and audio
- Easily navigate through the book
- Search within the text
- Add bookmarks
- Set a sleep timer
Adjust colors, text size, highlights, and speed to your preferences
Download the EasyReader app
You can get the free EasyReader app through the Apple App Store (iOS devices) or Google Play (Android devices). Visit the App store for an iPhone or Google Play for an Android phone, and download the EasyReader app on the device or devices you’ll be using.
Create a Dolphin account for EasyReader
EasyReader supports downloading content from various sources. To use EasyReader one is required to sign into it first before being able to access its full features. Any individual regardless of his or her disability status can use EasyReader by signing in to EasyReader.
To create a Dolphin account, follow the steps below:
- Open Dolphin Easy Reader.
- Select Sign up for a new Dolphin account.
- Enter your email address and select Next.
- Choose a secure password, at least 6 characters long.
Note the email address and password you use to create your Dolphin account for future reference.
Select I agree to the Terms & Conditions and then select Sign Up.
A pop-up will appear telling you that your account has been successfully created and that you have been sent an email to confirm your account.
- Select OK.
Open your E-mail and follow the steps mentioned in the mail sent to you from Dolphin.
After creating your Dolphin account, you can log in to EasyReader with your Dolphin account username and password.
Sign in with your Apple or Google account for EasyReader
If you have an Apple or Google account, you also have the option of logging in with your Apple or Google account. If you sign in with Apple or Google, you do not need to create a Dolphin account.
To log in using your Apple or Google account: follow the steps below
- Open Dolphin Easy Reader.
- Select Sign in with Apple or the Google option.
Depending on the option you select, you may be asked to continue with your Touch ID or select your Google account. Follow the prompts.
Select I agree to the Terms & Conditions and then select Sign Up.
A pop-up will appear telling you that you are now logged in to EasyReader.
- Select OK.
Read a book With EasyReader
After you have completed the previous step and downloaded a book in EasyReader, the book is available to read from the My Books page.
To read a book follow the steps below:
Select the book you would like to read from the My Books page.
- The book opens.
Select the Play arrow if you want the book read to you automatically using its internal TTS.
If you have not started the book yet, EasyReader will read from the beginning of the book. If you have already begun the book, EasyReader will take you to the last word/phrase/paragraph that was read. If you selected a chapter, EasyReader will begin reading that chapter.
If you are using the VoiceOver screen reader, it will follow the same pattern with VoiceOver reading the highlighted text. To continue to read, select the Play button.
For more information on using the skip forward and backward controls in the EasyReader, read the topic on Skip forward and backward.
Navigate through a book
You can navigate through books by heading or chapter, by page number, or by bookmark, depending on how the book is structured. The default navigation is by heading. The book navigation button is in the bottom left corner of the screen near the Play/Pause button.
To navigate through the book, follow the steps below:
Select the Book Navigation button to take you to a list of headings within the book.
From Book Navigation, select specific chapters or pages to which you wish to navigate.
- Tap Play to move to the selected position in the book.
Note: For more information on book navigation, read EasyReader’s navigation help.
Thorium Reader
Thorium Reader is a free EPUB reader for Windows 10 and MacOS.
Downloading Thorium Reader
Here are the links for the various options available depending on if you are on a PC or Mac
Installing Thorium Reader on Windows
Following the Windows 10 version in the Windows Store you will be brought to the following page where you will click on “Get in Store app”
Click on “Get in Store app”
A popup window will appear entitled “Thorium Reader,” click on the “Get” blue button
Once the file is downloaded (~100MB) you may click on the “Open” blue button, or close out as Thorium is now installed on your computer.
Installing Thorium Reader on Mac
By clicking on the following link for Thorium on MacOS, the latest version currently Thorium-2.0.0.dmg will automatically be downloaded to your downloads folder.
Select this file and open the installer which will bring up the Thorium installer dialog as shown in this figure.
- Drag the Thorium.app over to the Applications folder
You can either open your Applications folder or via the Launchpad open the Thorium application.
To get an EPUB into your Thorium’s Library you can either right click the EPUB file and “Open With Thorium.app” or you can search for the EPUB on your computer using the + icon as shown in this figure.
