NASIG 2017

While the growth and adoption of electronic resources has been exponential, there has been a concurrent lag in ensuring that e-resources are accessible by users with disabilities. Vendors have become increasingly aware of this issue and are taking steps to address it; however, given the sheer size of the library marketplace, there is a noticeable lack of consistency across vendor platforms. In the Summer of 2016, American University Library began evaluating the accessibility of its web content as part of a university-wide initiative focusing on Section 508 compliance. This review entailed not only library hosted websites, but also third party platforms for databases, e-journals, and e-books. In order to assess the accessibility of the library’s subscribed e-resources, the Electronic Resources Management Unit created an accessibility inventory. All subscribed e-resources were evaluated to gauge the efforts being made by vendors to make their products accessible. The methodology for this inventory involved seeking out voluntary product accessibility templates (VPATs), identifying clearly marked accessibility statements on the vendor site or platform, and reviewing current license agreements for verbiage that ensures a commitment to accessibility regulations and allows for remediation of accessibility issues that may be identified. This inventory represented an initial but crucial step towards e-resource accessibility. AU Library was able to identify the vendors who have already taken measures, and for those who had not, we identified the opportunity to create a dialogue. In this presentation, I’ll detail methods and resources that can be used in order to assess the status of a collection’s accessibility. Additionally, I’ll describe how AU Library was able to collaborate on this shared goal by identifying allies across the university in the offices of assistive technology and procurement. Finally, I’ll discuss our strategies for further educating and engaging with vendors.