ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5742-0936

Abstract

The decisions that we make when reviewing our collections and negotiating licenses have enormous effects on our users. They also have the potential to, in turn, shape the priorities and decisions of publishers and platform creators. The questions we ask and standards we set now set the stage for the chapters our users inherit. And while users with special access needs might not form a large percentage of our current user population, they will always be part of that population. For e-book accessibility, it can be difficult to draw the line between what is essential, what is aspirational, and what isn’t (yet) applicable. There are numerous standards, some that are fundamental to providing access to users, some that you might be told don’t apply, and some that will matter more and more as the e-book changes and becomes a fuller, richer text.

Our goal in this session is to share what we’ve learned about what accessibility assessment resources publishers are likely to provide you with, what the different sections of those documents mean, how to look at the information you have and make a judgment on how accessible an e-book on a platform would be, and how to incorporate accessibility in collection selection and licensing negotiations so that ultimately the de facto design of e-books is one that supports access by all library users.

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Is It Really “Not Applicable?” Zoom In to Understand E-Book Accessibility

The decisions that we make when reviewing our collections and negotiating licenses have enormous effects on our users. They also have the potential to, in turn, shape the priorities and decisions of publishers and platform creators. The questions we ask and standards we set now set the stage for the chapters our users inherit. And while users with special access needs might not form a large percentage of our current user population, they will always be part of that population. For e-book accessibility, it can be difficult to draw the line between what is essential, what is aspirational, and what isn’t (yet) applicable. There are numerous standards, some that are fundamental to providing access to users, some that you might be told don’t apply, and some that will matter more and more as the e-book changes and becomes a fuller, richer text.

Our goal in this session is to share what we’ve learned about what accessibility assessment resources publishers are likely to provide you with, what the different sections of those documents mean, how to look at the information you have and make a judgment on how accessible an e-book on a platform would be, and how to incorporate accessibility in collection selection and licensing negotiations so that ultimately the de facto design of e-books is one that supports access by all library users.