Talking books and braille in Sweden: a guide in English

In Sweden, people who find it hard to read printed text because of a disability can borrow talking books and braille books for free. The books are produced by the Swedish Agency for Accessible Media, MTM, and lent through the digital library Legimus. Until 2013 the agency was called the Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille, TPB, and used the address tpb.se. This page explains how the system works today in plain English.

• 1892The first library for the blind opens in Stockholm
• 1980TPB becomes a government agency
• 2013TPB is renamed the Swedish Agency for Accessible Media
• 168 394titles in the Legimus general collection at the start of 2026

What was TPB?

TPB was a government body under the Ministry of Culture from 1980. On its English pages in 2012 it described its mission as producing and lending talking books and braille books in collaboration with local libraries. It also gave advice on talking books and braille. A special service was aimed at students with print disabilities at university level.

The roots go back much further. The first library for the blind in Sweden opened in 1892, and talking books were first lent in 1955. According to the same archived page, the first Swedish open reel recording was made in 1952 and talking books moved to compact cassettes in the 1970s. TPB has produced in the DAISY format since 2001.

TPB also started the project that became DAISY, the international standard for digital talking books. The DAISY Consortium was founded in Stockholm in 1996 on TPB’s initiative, according to the consortium’s own history. On 1 January 2013 the agency was renamed the Swedish Agency for Accessible Media, known by its Swedish abbreviation MTM.

Who can borrow talking books in Sweden?

The right to borrow is based on the Swedish Copyright Act, which allows accessible copies to be made for people with a disability that prevents them from reading printed text in the same way as others. Examples include dyslexia and other reading and writing difficulties, visual impairment and physical disabilities that make it hard to hold a book. Neuropsychiatric conditions and intellectual disabilities can also qualify. So can cognitive impairments such as aphasia and dementia.

There must be a link between the disability and the difficulty in reading. Limited knowledge of Swedish is not enough on its own, and neither is ordinary short-sightedness corrected by glasses. No medical certificate is required at present.

1. Visit a library. University students apply at their university library. School pupils use the school library and everyone else the public library.
2. Talk to a librarian. The librarian explains the rules and helps you describe your reading needs.
3. Get your account. Once approved, you log in to Legimus on the web or in the app with your new account.
4. Start reading. Search for a book, add it to your bookshelf and play it straight away.

How the Swedish talking book model works

The state and the libraries share the work. MTM describes this as the Swedish talking book model, in which each level has its own role.

MTM also has a separate task to meet the needs of students in higher education. Course literature is part of a separate collection in Legimus, which is only available to accounts registered at a university library. Adapted textbooks for compulsory and upper secondary school are handled by the National Agency for Special Needs Education and Schools, SPSM, rather than by MTM.

How to read talking books from Legimus

There are four ways to read, all free for account holders. The Legimus app for iPhone and Android is the most common. A simpler app called Legimus Enkel has fewer buttons and a talking interface. The web player works directly in the browser without installing anything, but needs a constant internet connection.

• Legimus app

  Search, download and read on a phone or tablet. Books can be downloaded for offline listening.

• Web player

  Opens from the book page on legimus.se. Text size, fonts and playback speed can be adjusted.

• EasyReader and Thorium

  Free reading programs for PC and Mac. Encrypted course literature is read in Thorium.

• DAISY player

  A dedicated device with physical buttons, which regional low vision clinics can provide as an assistive device.

Most talking books in Legimus are recorded by human narrators and many also include the full text, so that readers can follow the words on screen while listening. Some course literature is read with synthetic voices.

Braille in Sweden

Braille is called punktskrift in Swedish. The Swedish rules are set by Punktskriftsnämnden, a state committee linked to MTM. Swedish braille uses the same basic cell as other languages, with separate signs for the letters å, ä and ö.

MTM has more than 19,500 braille books in Legimus. Most are printed on demand and sent as one-way loans that readers can keep. Since 2025 most of them can also be read on a refreshable braille display through a service called Digipunkt. Readers can also have their own material transcribed into braille free of charge through MTM’s braille transcription service.

Books in other languages and borrowing across borders

Legimus is not only Swedish. The library has talking books in many languages, from English to Arabic and Somali. There are also dedicated lists for adults who want to read in their own language. People who are entitled to an account can borrow in any of these languages.

Sweden has joined the Marrakesh Treaty, which makes it easier to share accessible books between countries. Through the treaty and the Accessible Books Consortium’s Global Books Catalogue, libraries can borrow and acquire accessible titles from other member countries, according to MTM’s page on international collaboration. Swedish citizens who live temporarily in the EEA can stream talking books in Legimus, and a Legimus account also gives access to the Norwegian library Tibi and the Danish library Nota.

Talking newspapers

MTM also runs a talking newspaper service for people with visual impairments or reading disabilities. Text from newspapers is converted to speech with synthetic voices and made available in the DAISY 3 format. Subscribers can listen in the Legimus app, in EasyReader or on a talking newspaper player that they borrow from MTM.

Timeline

1. 1892The first library for the blind in Sweden opens in Stockholm.
2. 1955Lending of talking books begins.
3. 1980The Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille becomes a government agency.
4. 1988TPB starts the project that becomes the DAISY format.
5. 1996The DAISY Consortium is founded in Stockholm.
6. 2013TPB is renamed the Swedish Agency for Accessible Media.
7. 2025Legimus is split into a general collection and a course literature collection.

Frequently asked questions

What does TPB stand for?

TPB stood for Talboks- och punktskriftsbiblioteket, in English the Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille. The agency was renamed the Swedish Agency for Accessible Media in 2013.

Is tpb.se the official website of the Swedish agency?

No. The agency uses mtm.se and legimus.se. TPB.se is an independent guide written by the editorial team.

Can I borrow Swedish talking books if I am learning Swedish?

Not for that reason alone. The right to borrow is based on a disability that makes reading printed text difficult, not on language skills.

Do I need a medical certificate to get a Legimus account?

No certificate is required at present. The account is arranged through a library, which assesses your needs together with you.

Are talking books free in Sweden?

Yes. Borrowing talking books through Legimus is free for those who are entitled to an account.

Can I read Legimus books in English?

Legimus has talking books in several languages, including English. The library itself is in Swedish.