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Down Syndrome Society of South Australia
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Resource Centre

Looking for a specific resource? Chances are it will be amongst the thousands of items we have catalogued in our Resource Centre so why not pop in and see.

Susanne Sarre is our resource Centre Co-ordinator and she is only too happy to assist you with your borrowing needs. Susanne can be contacted on 8369 1122.

Opening hours are 9:30am – 4:30pm Monday to Friday although borrowing outside of these hours may be done by prior arrangement.

What’s New?

We are continually reviewing our stock to ensure our Family and professional members have access to the latest resources. Here’s a preview of some of our latest additions.

General Information

The Society’s Resource Centre was established thanks to generous donations from the Community Benefit SA, The Masonic Foundation Inc, The Advertiser/Sunday Mail Foundation and Levi Strauss & Co. Information and activities are available in a variety of formats including:

The Resource Library is also home to Journals and Newsletter from other disability organisations (Australian and International). Whilst these are not available for loan, people are more than welcome to pop in, make themselves a coffee and have a read.

If you find an Article you are interested in having for future reference, photocopying is available for a small fee: 10 cents per page (A4) for members and 15 cents for non-members. Some articles of interest may already be available on the website – go to the News, Articles and Research page to search the database.

The Society encourages members to actively utilise the Resource Centre facilities as an entitlement of their membership. We recommend you speak to your Early Intervention or Education consultant and get some tips on books and/or activities suitable for your child's current needs.

We welcome feedback about the Resource Centre and/or recommendations for purchases.

Access & Borrowing

Families.
When a family with a new baby first contacts the Society they will be offered the opportunity to receive a visit from a member of our support team who will provide, for loan,  resources from our centre (photo album, video and book) about what Down syndrome may mean for them.

New (and existing) families are able to borrow up to 6 items at a time over a three month period provided all previous items on loan have been returned. However, after accessing Society services for 3 months or borrowing from the Resource Centre 3 times (whichever comes first) it is necessary to become a financial member of the Society to continue to use the Centre.

Families participating in the Early Intervention Program need to be aware that their borrowing privileges will be suspended if they fall behind in their fees over three consecutive sessions. Privileges will only be reinstated once payment is up to date.

Schools/Agencies
Once a school and/or agency becomes a financial member of the Society they are entitled to borrow up to 8 items per student registered with the Society however no school/agency can have more than 16 items at any one time. New items can be borrowed provided previous loans have been returned.

In cases whereby items have been posted/freighted to a borrower, the associated costs are the responsibility of the borrower.

Loan Periods
For all borrowers, items have a loan period of 10 weeks unless a restriction has been placed on a certain item (this will be conveyed to you at the time of borrowing). Borrowers will receive a copy of their loan list which will indicate their ‘due date’. Provided none of the items you have borrowed have been reserved by another borrower, it is possible to extend your loan period.  Extensions can be arranged in person or over the telephone.

You can reserve an item that is on loan to someone else. Once the item has been returned you will be notified and asked to collect it as soon as possible.

Returns
If you are returning your resources in person we ask that you personally place them in the appropriate box in the Resource Centre. Goods that go missing will be the responsibility of the named borrower and they may be liable for the replacement cost. We also accept returns via courier or mail with costs being incurred by the borrower.

Many resources such as computer software and toys/games have a number of parts. These will be loaned in a bag and we ask that they be returned in the same bag. Borrowers returning resources with minor damage and/or parts missing will incur a $5.00 fine per item and borrowing privileges will be suspended until payment is received. Borrowers returning items with significant damage will be fined up to 50% of the replacement costs. We request you inform staff of damage when you are returning the resources so that it may be assessed immediately.

Overdue Items
Borrowers not returning resources by the ‘due date’ will receive an overdue notice and have their borrowing privileges suspended until the goods are returned. Resources still unreturned after a further four weeks will generate a second overdue notice and a $10 fine will be issued. If the item has been lost or remains unreturned for a further 4 weeks the borrower will be notified of their requirement to pay the replacement cost plus the $10 fine.

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