Readers with hearing aids can use hearing loops at Tallinn Central Library

From this summer, all service libraries and larger halls and training classes in Tallinn Central Library will be equipped with hearing loops to help people with hearing aids understand the speech of staff or speakers. Individual neck loops can also be borrowed from the service desks to listen to sound at the library’s computer workstations.

The library is a busy place, with many visitors and a wide range of activities, which means that the premises are often noisy. This can make it difficult for deaf people to communicate with the staff and to take part in cultural events and learning opportunities.

With an hearing loop, the hearing impaired person can hear the speech of the attendant, presenter or trainer through their hearing aids, without ambient noise and echo. Individual neck loops, which can be borrowed from the library’s service desks, help hearing-impaired people with hearing aids to use computers and better listen to audio books and other materials.

Chairwoman of the Estonian Association of the Hard of Hearing Külliki Bode: “The Estonian Association of the Hard of Hearing is very pleased that the Tallinn Central Library is now more convenient for people with hearing loss. We recommend that people who are hard of hearing and have a hearing aids with hearing loop software should definitely go to the library to test the hearing loop. For those hearing impaired people who do not yet have this technology, we recommend a visit to a hearing centre, as more and more places offer this possibility.”

The installation of hearing loops is part of the work to make the services of Tallinn Central Library more accessible. The purchase of the hearing loops was supported by the Ministry of Culture through the Public Libraries Accelerator Call for Proposals.