Monthly Support Tip: How to Get NIMAC Textbooks for Students with IEPs

As one of your trusty support specialists, I often receive calls from teachers asking how students with Individual Memberships and IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) can access textbooks, particularly those from the NIMAC repository.

I tell them that this can easily be done with Reading Lists!

Reading Lists are virtual bookshelves that let teachers and members save books for future reading. Teachers can create Reading Lists with assigned reading, including NIMAC-sourced textbooks for students with IEPs, and share them with students linked with their organization. (Note: Students must have an Individual Membership to access shared Reading Lists.)

To read the books, students simply log into their own account and access books shared on the Reading List.

Here’s how it works:

• Teachers, log into www.bookshare.org and go to My Bookshare
• Select the “My Reading Lists” button and create a new Reading List.
• Name it something meaningful and select “visible to all Reading List members.”
• Share the Reading List with students by selecting the title of the Reading List. (Note: Make sure your student has an Individual Membership to guarantee access.)
• Select the “Members” link and select the “Add Members” button.
• Place a check mark next to the member’s name, then select “Add Selected Members.”
• Find the textbook you wish to share with a student, select the “Add to Reading List” link, and select the Reading List you just created.

The student can now log into their account and access the book!

If a student has an Individual Membership that is not linked with your organization, see our article: How can I Link my Student’s Existing Individual Account to My Organizational Account?

For more information, visit our always helpful Support Center.

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About Angela…

Customer Support Specialist, Angela Griffith, has a strong background in Customer Service, Assistive Technology, and IT (Information Technology).  For more than two years, she has served many Bookshare members in her role as part of our Technical Support staff.  Angela enjoys reading, music, spending time with close friends, and various activities.

We appreciate her support tips and article contributions to benefit Bookshare members and sponsors.