The Iowa Department for the Blind (IDB) is committed to ensuring students have the materials they need to succeed. The Iowa Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (Library) and its Instructional Materials Center (IMC) have worked tirelessly on funding solutions in response to the changes made by the Iowa Department of Education regarding the procurement of accessible educational materials for students.

The IMC will continue, as it has for over 30 years, to serve Iowa’s schools and students in providing accessible materials in alternative formats.

• The Library provides a large library collection with over 200,000 titles. It also includes over 5,000 educational materials (textbooks and workbooks) available and ready for use at no cost.
• As an Authorized Media Producer (AMP) in Iowa for braille, large print, audio and electronic text formats, the Library and IMC have resources to provide timely, quality, and cost-effective materials to schools for their students.

We are pleased to announce that IDB will be able to help fund some material costs as outlined in the following procedures.

For Braille Materials

• Non-consumable materials (materials that have an ISBN – textbooks and workbooks):
  • The Iowa Department for the Blind will be responsible for the full cost of each project/order if they are returned to the library in good condition including all volumes.
• Consumable materials (worksheets or teacher created materials):
  • The School District will be charged $4.00 per print page. If the cost per print page is higher than $4.00 the Iowa Department for the Blind will cover those costs.

For Large Print Materials

• Non-consumable materials (textbooks, literary works):
  • The Iowa Department for the Blind will be responsible for the full cost of each project/order if they are returned to the library in good condition including all volumes.
• Consumable materials (workbooks, activity books, worksheets or teacher created materials):
  • The School District will be charged the cost of the project.

Information for your review about the IMC, request process, procedures, costs and the new Memorandum of Understanding for school districts is available on the Forms & Procedures Tab.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. We want to assist in ensuring students receive the accessible educational materials they need to succeed.

When preparing to submit an order in Athena, please be sure you have the following information available. These details can be found on the title and copyright pages of the book.

• Title
• Subtitle
• Author
• Grade Level
• Publisher
• Copyright year
• ISBN (International Standard Book Number)
• Detailed Pacing Guide Information from the teacher including print page ranges, chapters/units, dates needed for class

If you are ordering worksheets, we still require the title, author, and publisher information along with a detailed pacing guide which includes the number of print pages and when each file/folder is needed for class.

Use the Athena Checklist to help you gather the information you need for placing an order.

Questions? Contact IMC Staff at imclibrary@blind.state.ia.us or 515-281-1323.

The most efficient and accurate way of searching for material in Athena is by ISBN. Before entering the ISBN or title, please select the correct format you are needing. Clicking the drop-down menu for “Book Format” will allow you to see the different formats available. Book records matching the search criteria will be returned to view and select, alongside the book record are details of the quantity available.

Total Quantity

This represents the total number of copies that IDB has produced or bought.

Quantity Available

This represents the total number of copies minus copies which are already checked out on open orders. Therefore, this represents the number of copies available.

In Inventory

If the book is currently in IDB’s collection and available, there will be a plus sign on the left in the row with the book title, select the plus sign to add the book to the order. You will be asked to select a date that the item is required. Please allow time for processing and mailing.

You will be brought to a page with the item you just added. If there are more items you need to order, select “Add Book” and repeat the search inventory process.

If no book records match your search criteria, select the ‘Make New Book’ button to navigate to the page allowing you to request new material creation matching your requirements. When your order is complete, select “Submit Order.”

Questions? Contact IMC Staff at imclibrary@blind.state.ia.us or 515-281-1323.

Tips for Ordering student materials in Athena

Not in Inventory (Make New Book)

If you search for a book that is not in IDB’s collection, you will receive a message saying “No matching book found. Please try alternative search criteria or make the book.” Select “OK” and select “Make Book.” You will have two options:

• I have an ISBN – Select “I have an ISBN” if you have the 10- or 13-digit ISBN often found on the back cover or the title verso page.
  • Enter the ISBN, select “ISBN Look-up.”
    • If you have an ISBN, enter the ISBN and Book Details – please enter all mandatory information marked with an asterisk and select “Next.”
• No ISBN – Select “No ISBN” if you do not have the 10- or 13-digit ISBN.
  • Enter the Book Details – please enter all mandatory information marked with an asterisk and select “Next.”
• Review Properties and Prerequisites – if applicable, check the necessary boxes and select “Add Book/Copy to Order.”
• Please confirm your Material Preferences.
  • Only using Quick Braille when it meets the requirements displayed. Select “Confirm Braille Formatting Requirements.”
  • For large print, check if color printing is needed or the item is consumable – meaning it will be written in or pages torn out.
  • Select “Next.”
• Please confirm that you will or will not be sending a hard copy of the standard print book to aid in transcription.
  • If yes, please download the hard copy tag and send it with the item by selecting “Print Hardcopy Tag.” After the hardcopy tag is downloaded, select “Next.”
• Please enter the dates you require your material in the online Pacing Guide.
  • For Braille transcriptions, you can add more rows to the Pacing Guide by clicking the plus sign. Remember to save each row by selecting the “Save Row” icon. Select “Next” when Pacing Guide is complete.
  • For Large Print transcriptions, enter final date needed and “Confirm Date.”
  • Select “Next.”
• Do you have any files to upload to aid the production of this material?
  • If yes, choose the “Upload” button, select files to upload and upload as necessary.
  • If there are no files to upload, select “Add Book to Order.”
• On the next screen, review your order item(s) and select “Submit Order.”
• By taking note of the Order ID, you are able to track your order’s progress.

Questions? Contact IMC Staff at imclibrary@blind.state.ia.us or 515-281-1323.

When ordering worksheets in Athena, select “Make Book.”Then select “No ISBN,” enter the worksheet details including title, author, and publisher and select “Next.”

Enter the dates you require your material in the online Pacing Guide.
The print page range should be the number of print pages for each section. Don’t forget to count the front & back of worksheets and don’t include blank pages.
For Braille transcriptions, you can add more rows to the Pacing Guide by clicking the plus sign. Remember to save each row by selecting the “Save Row” icon. Select “Next” when Pacing Guide is complete.
For Large Print transcriptions, enter final date needed and “Confirm Date.”
Select “Next.”
Do you have any files to upload to aid the production of this material?
If yes, choose “Upload” button, select files to upload and upload as necessary. Please note: we now require all worksheets to be uploaded electronically instead of sending in hard copy print.
Select “Add Book to Order.”
On the next screen, review your order item(s) and select “Submit Order.”

Questions? Contact IMC Staff at imclibrary@blind.state.ia.us or 515-281-1323.