2. The Library Accessibility
Problem, 1 of 2
Library web sites are complex blends of
locally created content and online (often
hosted) tools
Those tools are created and managed by
different entities, internal and external to
the library
Library vendors are notoriously
unsupportive of/non-compliant with Section
508/WCAG
Tatomir and Durrance: 78% of databases
“marginally inaccessible” or “inaccessible”
3. The Library Accessibility
Problem, 2 of 2
Library web sites tend to be homegrown
Library web masters tend to be self-
taught
Few (if any?!) members of the library
staff have adequate web accessibility
knowledge
Inaccessible sites-not just library web
sites- can look and function fine to
sighted users
4. Our Agenda
(Free!) Accessibility Testing Tools
Putting Library Resources to the Test
Tips for Fixing Problems
7. Web Accessibility Toolbar
(Internet Explorer)
http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/ais/tool
bar/
Not so much an integrated a browser
tool as the others; more a suite of useful
tools collected into a bookmarks bar
8. Fangs (Firefox Plug-In)
http://sourceforge.net/projects/fangs/
Provides a transcript of a screen reader’s
output (examples to follow)
Future of development uncertain, but current
version works with Firefox 9.0.1
Install plug-in, then restart Firefox
To run in Firefox:
○ Browse to the page to evaluate;
○ Select “Tools,” then “Fangs”
9. WebAIM WAVE
(Site and Firefox Plug-In)
Site: http://wave.webaim.org/
Browse to site and:
○ Enter URL, OR
○ Upload code to analyze
Firefox Plug-In:
Install plug-in, then restart Firefox;
Select “Tools,” then “WAVE” for options
Benefit: not third-party server
Index to icons: http://wave.webaim.org/icons
10. Sample Tests
Library catalog (III Millennium)
LibGuides (SpringShare)
For each of these:
Screen capture
Fangs and WebAIM tests
Summary of issues revealed
11. Library Catalog
Arapahoe Library District:
http://aspen.ald.lib.co.us/
Innovative Interfaces, Inc., Millennium
A “hybrid” library resource: vendor-
created, but customized locally by library
systems staff
12.
13.
14.
15. Issues Revealed, III’s
Millennium
Order of content not logical or intuitively
structured as a screen reader would
render it (Fangs output)
Image file name renders as gibberish
(Fangs output)
Alt text for images missing for library
logo and sculpture pictures (WebAIM
output)
Search (HTML form) not coded properly
(WebAIM output)
16. LibGuides
Auraria Library English 090 Guide:
http://guides.auraria.edu/ccdenglish090
SpringShare
A specialized library CMS for creating
and organizing guide content
17.
18.
19.
20. Features Revealed,
SpiringShare’s LibGuides
Skip navigation links are present (Fangs
output)
“Alternate Page” for screen reader users
is present (Fangs output)
HTML headings (h1-h6) are used to
structure the page (Fangs output)
Alternative text is present for all but one
image (WebAIM output)
21. Caveat:
Even resources that pass the tests
these tools and conform Section 508
and/or WCAG 2.0 may still have
accessibility issues
Testing with screen reader software is
the best way to test thoroughly
22. Tips: What Can We Do?
Content Creators
Acquisitions
Web Services
23. For Library Content Creators,
1 of 2…
Alternative text
Section 508 §1194.22 paragraph a; WCAG
2.0 1.1.1
Provide text descriptions for non-text
elements, i.e., images
Enforce inclusion of alt text with software
features (Dreamweaver, Drupal)
Learn to write quality alternative text:
○ http://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/
24. For Library Content Creators,
2 of 2…
Captions
Section 508 §1194.22 paragraph b; WCAG
2.0 1.2
Provide transcripts for video-only and audio-
only content
Digital learning objects such as tutorials,
online orientations, videos, etc., should all
have equivalents for blind and deaf users
Enforce use of captions with software
features (Camtasia, Captivate)
25. For Acquisitions…
Make accessibility evaluation part of the
purchase evaluation process
Pay close attention to the accessibility of
discovery layer tools when making a
decision
Communicate to library vendors the
importance of accessibility to librarians
and library users
26. For Web Services, 1 of 2…
Make accessibility part of the design and
development process
It’s much more difficult to retrofit a site than develop an
accessible site to begin with
Educate yourself and colleagues about
web accessibility as it relates to their job
requirements
Use freely-available tools to assess
accessibility of locally-created and
purchased products
27. For Web Services, 2 of 2…
Conduct usability testing with users with
disabilities
Contact community disability resources
Become familiar with and test your sites
with screen reader software:
NVDA (open source, for Windows):
http://www.nvda-project.org/
VoiceOver: native to OS X (10.4+) for Mac
users
28. A Final Thought
“Sometimes I think sighted people
have handicaps of their own.
Vision can be very deceptive.”
-Pat Laing, blind computer programmer
29. Questions? Comments?
@ninermac
milehighbrarian.net
Column: “All Access,”
Journal of Web Librarianship
Notas do Editor
Tatomir, Jennifer, and Joan C. Durrance. 2010. Overcoming the Information Gap: Measuring the Accessibility of Library Databases to Adaptive Technology Users. Library Hi Tech 28(4): 577-94.