Staff, your questions answered on managing organisation accounts

 I am trying to add a sponsor but the site tells me that their email is already in use.

The person you want to add has either an account on another organisational membership or has registered with Bookshare.org. You can either add them to your account using a different email (an organisational email), or contact us and request they be removed from the account they are currently on. Once removed you will be able to add them to your account with the email that is currently in use.

See adding staff.

Why can't I download?

While you're able to log in, search the collection and set up other members off staff with their Sponsor accounts, you will not be able to download resources until your Primary Contact membership application has been approved by the RNIB Bookshare team – this can take up to three working days. See Why can't I download?

Do organisational accounts expire?

No, Organisational accounts will never expire.

How do we change the Primary Contact?

If your Primary Contact is no longer at your organisation please see How do I change the Primary Contact?

As an educator that moves between schools, how can I manage these separate locations?

Unfortunately, currently RNIB Bookshare requires a unique email address per account. If the schools you work with are all within the same school district it may be best to create a single district wide account, for instance as a sensory support service.
We would always encourage you to get the school to set up their own account as there will be many more learners with a print disability than those that you support that could benefit from using the resources on the site. Please check out our qualifying disabilities pages.

Can a Primary Contact view downloads made by others on the organisation's account?

While the staff who have Sponsor accounts can view their personal download history under "My History", the Primary Contact can view all of the downloads made by your organisation. You can create a report that will tell you which Sponsor downloaded the resource and which Member it was downloaded for. See How can a Primary Contact view downloads on the organisation's account?

How do I view my organisation's download history?

All Sponsors of your Organisation can access the entire account's download history online. To save a report of your Organisation's download history:

  • Log in to the Sponsor's RNIB Bookshare account.
  • Select the My Homepage link on the top right corner of the page.
  • Select the Organisation Information link at the left of the page.
  • Select the Organisation Downloads link at the top of the page.
  • Modify your download history by:
    • Changing the time frame (From and To edit boxes)
    • Choosing a particular school (School drop-down menu)
    • Selecting a particular teacher or student (Downloaded By and Recipient drop-down menus
When you're ready to save the report, select the Export List as .CSV link towards the top of the page. Depending on how many books you've downloaded, your report should prepare within a few minutes. Once the report is complete, it will automatically download to your computer.

How do I access my download history?

To view your download history select the My Homepage link from your task bar. Then select the My History link in the left hand navigation.

Additionally, you may access recently downloaded titles from the Recent books section at the end of your 'My Homepage'.

See downloading as staff.

How do I change the personal information on my staff (Sponsor) account?

To view your personal information:
• Go to "My homepage"
• Select "My account"
• Select "My information"

With an organisational or group account, can all staff Sponsors download books for any of the qualified students at that school?

Any staff member named as a "Sponsor" by an organisation can download books for any learner (member) registered under the organisational account. To download a book, a staff member selects the learner from the member list that the download is intended for.

All RNIB Bookshare UK education collection content must be downloaded for a qualified member.

See adding learners.

How do Sponsors update or edit Member information?

Sponsors can update their Members' information, including login information, through their RNIB Bookshare account. To update Member information:

  • Select the Members link on the left side of the My Homepage link.
  • Select the Edit button (the "pencil" icon) to the left of the Member's name.
  • Update the information as necessary, then select the Save button.

If a Member is no longer at your Organisation:

  • Log in to the Primary Contact's UK education collection account
  • Select the Members link on the left side of the My Homepage.
  • Check the box to the left of the Member's name.
  • Select the Remove Member button on the bottom right corner of the page. It may take a few minutes for Members to be removed.

If you are unable to update a Member's information, please contact the Primary Contact on your account for more information. If you need additional help, please contact us at RNIB Bookshare.

We recommend reviewing your members at the beginning of each academic year to make sure it is up-to-date.

See Add learners.

What is a 'quicklist' and how can it help me?

Quicklists make it easier for Sponsors to manage the members they support. Quicklist members will also appear at the top of the list of Members from whom to choose during the download process, making it easier for Sponsors to find the right member(s). Each Sponsor can set up and manage his/her own Quicklist. Note: When a Sponsor adds new members, they will automatically be added to his/her Quicklist. Additionally, at any time, a Sponsor can add students to, or remove students from, his/her Quicklist.

To add existing students onto your Quicklist:
• Navigate to "Members," which is your Member roster.
• Place check marks next to the students you wish to add.
• Select the "Add to Quicklist" from the More Actions drop down menu
• To remove students from your Quicklist:
• Navigate to "Members," which is your Member roster.
• Select "My Quicklist" from the drop down menu filter by option
• Place check marks next to the students you wish to remove.
• Select the "Remove from Quicklist" button from the More Actions combo box at the bottom. (Note: this removes them from your Quicklist but not from the RNIB Bookshare account.)

What happens when students move to another school?

As long as your learner is at the same school and has a qualifying print disability, they may continue to access RNIB Bookshare. When they move onto another educational establishment, we would suggest that you contact them in advance to check whether they have an account with us, letting them know that the learner is currently using the service to access their books independently.
Once the learner leaves school, college or university they are no longer eligible to use RNIB Bookshare. Membership is accessed via an educational establishment only. We recommend RNIB Library for a wonderful range of reading to suit anyone with sight loss.

Want to contact us? Request help or Call us: 0300 303 8313 Hours: M-F 9 am to 5 pm

RNIB Bookshare, Royal National Institute of Blind People
Midgate House - Floor 1, Midgate, Peterborough, PE1 1TN