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.
users through different reading systems/apps. These YouTube videos are an excellent resource for library staff who want to know how the reading systems/apps are accessible with screen readers.
The National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) provides an online repository for library patrons with print disabilities. NNELS works with organizations, libraries, and publishers to create accessible books. NNELS has tested and compiled a list of reading systems so that you can choose the reading system that works best for your reading style.
The National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) provides an online repository for library patrons with print disabilities. NNELS works with organizations, libraries, and publishers to create accessible books. The accessible book formats available in NNELS are listed in this accessibility resource.
To get you started on your accessibility journey, we’ve summarized information from the Accessibility 101 webinar. The fact and links in this training resource will help you establish foundational knowledge that you can build on.
The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) provides informational YouTube videos about the accessible content they provide their patrons. This video describes the different accessible book formats CELA offers.