Taylor & Francis launches “most advanced and accessible eReader”

Taylor & Francis has announced the introduction of an eReader for its eBooks platform, aiming to provide a seamless and enhanced experience for all readers. Accessibility was a key priority for the development, ensuring the eReader meets the reading requirements of all users.

The Taylor & Francis eBooks platform previously offered two eReader options, for basic or advanced features. Responding to feedback, the new eReader combines into one application the full range of features, including personalisation, powerful search and offline access, as well as enhancements to support students and researchers.

Developed in conjunction with Taylor & Francis’ accessibility team, the eReader is part of a series of updates following the requirements of the European Accessibility Act. This includes support for ePub3, the most accessible eBook format, which is now available for more than 175,000 Taylor & Francis books.

The eReader has ‘read aloud’ functionality, using text-to-speech technology, which enables users to have the content read to them in multiple languages. Readers can also adjust font sizes and styles according to their preferences.

Stacy Scott, Head of Accessibility at Taylor & Francis, said: “A key element of our industry-leading accessibility program is the creation of products and services that are ‘born accessible’. The development team have kept this as a priority throughout the process and we’re delighted that the result is an eReader which is as inclusive as possible.”

Arpit Goel, Senior Product Manager at Taylor & Francis, added: “The Taylor & Francis eBooks platform is used by many different groups of people, from general readers to students and researchers. We wanted to make sure that the new eReader enables everyone to get the most out of the books we publish. We also know that readers engage with eBooks across multiple devices and when they’re on the move, so the eReader has been designed to be incredibly flexible.”