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Accessible Libraries

Considering Accessibility when Procuring Licensed Digital Resources

Procurement, at its most basic, is the process of purchasing goods and services, and all libraries have a part to play in this activity. The procurement process for licensed digital resources in public libraries is complex, and locally variable. This guide recommends accessibility considerations to include in the procurement process of accessible licensed digital resources in general, as well as some particular considerations for accessible digital books.

Collections of Representative Content

Library content should represent the community, which, of course, includes persons with disabilities. We have brought together lists of #OwnVoices (OV) content to help you create representative collections.

Legislation Summaries

Accessibility Legislation across Canada, provincially and federally, impacts libraries. To meet the legislative requirements, creating an accessible space and providing accessible services must be prioritized. In this resource, we summarize the existing and, when possible, upcoming accessibility legislation in Canada.

Assistive Technology Demonstrations

Assistive technology refers to products, equipment, and systems that enhance reading, learning, working, and daily living for people with disabilities. We have provided explanations and a few examples of demonstrations on how people use assistive technologies so you can understand their role in their lives.

Accessible Library Programming Examples

Libraries worldwide offer a wide variety of accessible programs. Learning about these programs is a great way to discover how libraries are attempting to meet specific accessibility needs. This resource contains examples of accessible programming found in libraries in North America.

Accessible Websites Webinar

Interested in ensuring that your website is accessible? Watch the Accessible Website webinar to learn about common accessibility barriers, including video demonstrations. The information covered in this webinar includes inaccessible forms, keyboard navigation, the readability of your site, and colour contrast.

Accessible Procurement Webinar

Join Kerry Anderson and Kim Johnson from the Public Library Services Branch (PLSB) of the Alberta Government and Laetitia Mfamobani from the National Network for Equitable Library Service testing team as they talk about accessible procurement. The topics include how to incorporate accessibility into the procurement process and contracts.

Checklist: Adding Alternative Text and Long Descriptions

If your documents, websites, or digital materials (emails, social media posts, programming materials, etc.) have images, gifs, graphics, charts, graphs, maps, and tables, you must add alternative text to describe them. Long descriptions are needed as well for more complex images.

Social Media Platforms Webinar

Watch the Social Media Platform webinar to learn about multiple platforms’ accessibility advantages and barriers, with recorded demonstrations of the barriers in select platforms.

Accessibility Etiquette in the Library Panel Discussion

The Accessibility Etiquette panel brings together a group of experts to talk about their positive and negative library experiences, how those experiences could have been improved, with suggestions on how to do so.

Accessible Spreadsheet Checklist

This outline discusses and provides guidelines for creating accessible spreadsheets – in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers. Accessible spreadsheets create an inclusive experience and ensure the information is understandable for all library staff and patrons.

Accessibility Overlays and Accessibility

This resource describes and demonstrates why accessibility overlays prevent your website from being accessible. Websites or digital content can be accessible to screen readers and other assistive technologies by following accessibility standards and guidelines.

Website Accessibility Checklist

Creating an accessible website is crucial to ensure all users can access your website effectively. To simplify the process of familiarizing with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, we compiled a checklist which provides recommendations for making web content accessible.

Accessible Procurement Webinar Slides

The Public Library Services Branch (PLSB) conducted a webinar describing their accessible procurement and Request for Proposals (RFP) processes. Learning more about accessibility in procurement will help library staff understand the accessibility of their e-resources and let them recommend the right resource for their patrons.

Checklist: Email Accessibility

This checklist contains best practices to ensure that people with multiple print disabilities can easily consume the content of an email. Follow this checklist to make your emails accessible!

Checklist: Creating Accessible Presentations

When creating presentations, ensuring the file and the content you present are accessible is essential so everyone can access and understand the information you are discussing. The webinar series focuses on three presentation programs – Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, and Google Slides.

Creating Accessible Presentations: Features and Tools Webinar Recording

The second webinar in our four-part Creating Accessible Presentations series talks about many of the features and tools available in PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote. This presentation discusses topics including tables, animations, annotations, comments, and more.