Accessibility and Libraries in the Internet Era: Space, E- Resources, and the Web

Abstract

Libraries in all nations of the world have users who suffer from visual, hearing, speech, and cognitive impairments and many libraries already accommodate the needs of users who suffer from accessibility challenges. Spatial accessibility is the first basic accommodation that libraries can facilitate. A second kind of accommodation need is found in access to e-resources. The dramatically increasing volume of e-resources in the Internet era creates an enormous barrier for users with impairments. The third kind of accommodation need relates to web content and how libraries must ensure that all web content complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. This paper demonstrates how the University of Ottawa’s Brian Dickson Law Library has been addressing these accessibility challenges and providing accommodations for space, e-collections, and the Web for their users with impairments.