Accessibility and Librarianship
The American Library Association’s Core Values of Librarianship, reaffirmed in January 2024, are Access, Equity, Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Public Good, and Sustainability. The Core Values are just one of a few foundational documents of the profession and they are taken very seriously.
The ALA (American Library Association) writes:
“Access provides opportunities for everyone in the community to obtain library resources and services with minimal disruption. Library workers create systems that ensure members of their community can freely access the information they need for learning, growth, and empowerment regardless of technology, format, or delivery methods.”
In my day-to-day work in the two libraries I work at, accessibility comes up very often. There is not much point in a library providing materials if the patrons and public cannot access them so behind the scenes a lot of the work is making sure that resources are accessible and searchable. This is especially true of my work in technical services where catalogers ensure that patrons can search the catalog and find the things they are looking for. This is accomplished by using controlled vocabularies and authority records such as those provided by the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) website. A controlled vocabulary basically standardizes the language used to describe items so that it is the same across catalogs in different libraries. If a patron were to use a close cognate in their search query, the catalog will turn up items that fall under the controlled subject heading.
These vocabularies also come into play when it comes to adding metadata to an item’s description. The metadata about an item also ensures that that item can be found by people who are looking for it. Metadata is coded through machine readable language that further ensures that the item is searchable and accessible by the information contained in the item. If the catalog is accessible, then the patron will not see the work that goes into making the catalog accessible.
This is just one aspect of how libraries and librarians think about access. I participated in meetings at one of my libraries about reworking the strategic plan for the next five years. The strategic plan sets the goals for the library and helps guide projects that will accomplish those goals. One of the things that was removed from the old strategic plan were some of the accessibility goals, not because that is not a concern for the library anymore but because they had accomplished those specific accessibility goals about making, for instance, the space more accessible. I am fortunate to be an able-bodied person and do not have to worry about whether a space will accessible. Something I have tried to become more aware of is how accessible places are and this is something I continue to work on. I am much more aware of online accessibility and am passionate about making things accessible to anyone who may want to access them.
Text to Speech Software
As an individual with ADHD, I struggle with focus when reading on a screen. Since getting accommodations through the Dominican Office of Accommodations and Disability Access I have had the opportunity to use the tool Kurzweil 3000 which I use primarily for its text to speech application. This helps me keep up with homework when I might otherwise fall behind. Looking through some accessibility applications I found Bookshare which is a similar platform but is offered free to those who can provide proof of disability. I will take you through their website in the video below.
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Thanks for sharing this resource Emma! It was really nice to hear that they have actual narrators reading the texts. My students use some literacy apps where the read-aloud options are very obviously computer generated and while it makes the texts available to them before they can independently read them, it also sets a terrible example for verbal fluency when reading aloud.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what you think of the proof of disability requirement? Especially looking at expense, sometimes getting the correct diagnostic paperwork can be several extra layers of work. It's probably related to the way they function as a non-profit and the relaxation of certain copyright principles, but it still adds an extra barrier.
Thank you for the walkthrough. This is a resource I wasn't aware of.
ReplyDeleteThe following sentence really resonated with me. "If the catalog is accessible, then the patron will not see the work that goes into making the catalog accessible." It is very similar to what we tell theatre technicians (e.g. those changing the set, or running lights and sound), people may not realize all the work you are doing and that is a good thing, it means everything is running smoothly. It is when issues arise that people start to notice. Similarly, while I am fortunate and do not need to use any online accessibility features I can still recognize when website are not built with accessibility in mind and that can make things harder for everyone.
ReplyDeleteBookshare sounds like a great resource! I am going to share this with our learning resource team in case they are unaware of it.
Hello! This post was very well written and i really enjoyed reading it! I loved learning about your experience in using an accessible software of text to speech. It is amazing that you also brought up the issue of finance, many of the patrons choose to access the library's resource because there is little to no fee of anything. I think providing a resource with that in mind was considerate of patrons!
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