Making the Library Accessible for All: A Practical Guide for Librarians - Paperback

by Jane Vincent (Author)

Libraries have an ethical, and usually a legal, obligation to make their services accessible to disabled patrons and employees. Making the Library Accessible for All is a single-source guide that librarians can refer to when planning, remediating, or evaluating accessibility. With a unique holistic approach, it emphasizes the perception of people with disabilities as partners in meeting a common goal rather than as a population to be "served." Topics addressed and updated in this second edition include:

• Multiple interviews with librarians and other experts in the field about proven accessibility strategies for libraries, personal experiences, and cutting-edge innovations;
• Innovations in providing assistive digital technology, many of which are free or built into common programs;
• An overview of changes coming to accessibility guidelines for digital content;
• Up-to-date information on legislation that may affect some or all libraries;
• An evaluation of how the COVID pandemic has changed both library services and patron needs

Author Biography

Jane Vincent is assistive technology manager for the University of Michigan, providing direct assistance to individuals, web accessibility evaluations, and other activities relevant to electronic accessibility and universal access. She has provided consultation to libraries on accessible technology acquisition and use, and has evaluated website accessibility for businesses and organizations. Jane has presented at conferences of the American Library Association, the Public Library Association, and the California Library Association, as well as at multiple conferences on assistive technology, aging, and usability. She is author of Implementing Cost-Effective Assistive Computer Technology and A Guide for Digital Assistive Technology Provision to Postsecondary Students, and her writings have been published in Library Hi-Tech News, JASIS, Communication Disorders Quarterly, MacWorld, and the blog "Access on Main Street."