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.
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.
The Public Library Services Department (PLSD) 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.
Metadata is structured data about data that helps to organize, track, and retrieve data. MARC 21 is the metadata standard for library cataloguing. Accessibility metadata helps patrons find resources that meet their specific accessibility needs.
The slides for third webinar in the Creating Accessible Presentations series are now available! Learn more about how to make your images, graphics, and videos accessible in your slides.
The procurement process is complex, and accessibility should be one of the significant components of this process. The Public Library Accessibility Resource Center (PLARC) has developed the procurement guidelines for purchasing and licensing online digital resources and content.
Asking vendors about the accessibility of their products ensures that you provide the most inclusive content and reading systems available for your patrons. This is important because not all content, online services, and reading systems have accessibility built into them by design.
Asking vendors about the accessibility of their e-resource platforms (websites, apps, and reading platforms) ensures that you provide the most inclusive reading experience for library patrons. This is important because not all online services and reading systems have accessibility built into them by design.
Use this checklist when procuring e-resource platforms (websites, apps, or reading platforms) to help you determine if the platforms are accessible. Investing in accessible e-resources at the procurement stage will ensure that they are easier to maintain and upgrade and are more likely to be compatible with assistive technologies.
Evaluating the vendors and companies that libraries purchase from will provide a better idea of how accessible their products will be. If the companies have accessibility policies, employ persons with lived experiences, and have accessibility documentation, it is much likelier that the products they supply libraries are accessible.
Displaying accessibility metadata is becoming increasingly important as more digital content is born accessible. The User Experience Guide for Displaying Accessibility Metadata 1.0 discusses the importance of accessibility metadata for persons with print disabilities and how to display this information for readers.
The Audiobook Recommendation for Publishers provides guidelines for creating accessible audiobooks. Audiobooks are considered to be accessible, but they are not inherently so. Library staff can use sections of this resource to evaluate the accessibility of audiobooks during procurement.
The Accessibility Features Checklist, created by Accessible Publishing, compiled the features needed to make accessible ebooks. The resource separates the accessibility features into four types of ebooks – general, non-fiction, children’s ebooks, and poetry.
Documents can be both accessible and inaccessible. It all depends on how it is formatted. This checklist will help you make an accessible and readable document for everyone. The information in this resource is summarized from previous webinars.
The Accessible Book Consortium (ABC), led by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), is dedicated to increasing the availability of accessible book formats (braille, eBooks, audiobooks, etc.) worldwide for people with print disabilities.
The Book Riot article, Best Dyslexia-Friendly Books for Kids by Rachel Rosenburg, lists 12 awesome books for people with dyslexia. The books, written and formatted for children with dyslexia, are organized into categories like picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels.
Created by the Daniel Boone Regional Library (DBRL) for the Read Harder event, the library compiled a list of recommended books by authors with disabilities. Representation matters, and highlighting books by persons with lived experiences can help provide that representation for persons with disabilities in the library.
A Novel Mind is an excellent resource for children’s literature. The books recommended on this site cover topics such as Mental Health, Autism, Self-Esteem, Bullying and much more.
Are you interested in learning more about the AccessibleLibraries.ca website? This video tour guides you through the site and points out useful features for public library staff.
AccessiblePublishing.ca, a website developed by the National Network of Equitable Library Service (NNELS), presents information and resources to help publishers, libraries, and other organizations create and provide access to accessible eBooks.