What is the NIMAC?
The NIMAC (National Instructional Materials Access Center) is a U.S. national repository of files for K-12 textbooks and related printed core instructional materials, established under IDEA 2004.
NIMAS (the NIMAC file format) source files are used by states, and the organizations they designate—such as Bookshare—in the production of accessible formats for students with print disabilities. NIMAS files are not distributed directly to students, but are used to create accessible files in other formats that are distributed to students by authorized users.
How to access NIMAC books from Bookshare:
Bookshare is an Authorized User in the following States: AK, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, KS, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VT, WA, WV, Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
If Bookshare is an Authorized User in your state, please log into your Bookshare account and submit a book request with the ISBN, title, and author, and we will be able to obtain this book for you, typically within one to two weeks.
If Bookshare is not an Authorized User for your state, you can search the NIMAC to find the book you need. If you find it, you can ask your state’s NIMAC Coordinator to assign the book to Bookshare.
Which students can access NIMAC-sourced books?
K-12 students in the U.S. with an active IEP (Individual Education Plan) and a qualifying reading barrier are eligible for a Bookshare account that provides access to NIMAC-sourced titles.
Students with a print disability who are attending private institutions or are being home schooled may be able to work with local public schools to create an IEP that will enable them to obtain a NIMAS-eligible Bookshare account. These students will also need to have a sponsor with an organizational membership, who will manage downloading of these titles.
Students served under 504 are not eligible under the current IDEA 2004 legislation.
What if a student doesn’t qualify to access books from the NIMAC?
You can still request that a book be added to Bookshare. We will make every effort to obtain it and convert it to digital accessible form, even if we already have a NIMAC version in the collection. Place a book request as soon as possible, since the conversion process is complex, and we can’t guarantee a specific turnaround time.
What books must be submitted to the NIMAC?
After July 16, 2006, publishers are required to submit files to the NIMAC for books adopted by the public K-12 education system when the request is made in writing at the point of print book purchase. If you believe that files should have been submitted to the NIMAC but you aren’t finding them there, you may want to verify with your school’s purchasing department whether the purchasing contract included a requirement for NIMAS files.
If your purchasing department did not include language about placing files in the NIMAC, you should check the NIMAC anyway. The NIMAC is also happy to help you follow up with publishers regarding required files that are not yet in the system. NIMAC books are added to Bookshare at the request of educators at K-12 organizations.
If you think a title that you need should have been supplied to the NIMAC, but you don’t find a file there, please feel free to contact the NIMAC (nimac@aph.org) for assistance. NIMAC staff are happy to follow up with the publisher to see if a NIMAS file can be obtained and/or expedited, if it is currently in production with the publisher.
For additional questions, please visit the NIMAC website.