Reading is one of life’s simple pleasures, but in an our ever evolving technological world it can be difficult to find the time to read physical books! To celebrate The MS Readathon this month, let us take a look at the fantastic resource that is Borrow Box.
Borrow Box is a digital library that allows you to access countless numbers of ebooks and audiobooks on your device, meaning now you can read on the go! To join, all you need is a library membership to your local public library, and a device. The app will ask you to input information such as your library number and library location, and then you’re ready to go! I have found this to be an excellent way of getting my students back in to reading, as for some of them, picking up a physical book has not been an appealing experience. To use the app, all you need is a membership to your local public library, a device to use the app on, and some time to set it up!
As part of the MS Readathon, we have been encouraging students to read as many books at they can for the month of November to raise funds for MS Ireland. This app has been great for our students as not only can they read ebooks on the app, but they can also access audiobooks too! This has been fantastic for some of my students who find reading physical books a very daunting and labour some task, but still would like to experience the stories hidden between the pages of popular books!
Another reason as to why I have enjoyed using Borrow Box so much with my students is because of its accessibility functions. The most popular in my experience has been its ebook accessibility functions, which allows any user to change the font design, size, and background colour to best suit their reading style. This has been a huge hit with my students who have a dyslexia diagnosis, and has empowered them to enjoy reading independently. There are other accessibility functions too, such as playback speed on audiobook, and device voiceover technology, meaning readers of all abilities can use and enjoy the app.
Overall, I have really enjoyed using Borrow Box with my students, and would encourage others to try the app either in class or in your own time!