A Practical Guide for Librarians
March 1, 2021
Librarians have a professional and legal obligation to ensure that library collections, buildings, programs, and services are accessible to patrons with disabilities. Many of these patrons require specific accommodations to use libraries effectively. The latest volume in the "Practical Guides for Librarians" series instructs librarians in planning, implementing, and assessing a customized accessibility plan. Marrall (director, technology and discovery svcs., Western Washington Univ. Libs.) provides an overview of disability legislation and introduces readers to the major categories of disability and the adaptive techniques and technologies used to improve accessibility. Readers will learn how to assess barriers related to entrances, floor plans, electronic resources, programming, outreach, and more, as well as how to devise an accessibility plan to prioritize and then eradicate barriers. Marrall offers tools to track and evaluate results efficiently and explains how to gain the support of community and institutional partners and staff to remove barriers. The guide concludes with case studies describing how other libraries have approached accessibility issues. VERDICT Libraries with limited staff and funds may have difficulty incorporating many of the suggestions without considerable assistance from community partners, but larger libraries will find a practical map for improving accessibility.--Lydia Olszak, Bosler Memorial Lib., Carlisle, PA
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 14, 2021
This newest addition to the Practical Guides for Librarians series (number 66, to be precise) follows the same premise as previous offerings: straightforward, practical advice presented in user-friendly style. There are three parts. The first reviews library-accessibility concerns, such as disability definitions, legislation, and demographics, plus types of accessibility: physical, electronic, programming, instruction, and outreach. Part II is a how-to manual on creating a library-accessibility plan, beginning with an accessibility inventory, following through with staff development to increase awareness, empathy, and buy-in, and advice on how to connect with community partners to support enhanced accessibility. The third part offers a series of case studies on implementing practical innovations: deploying a document conversion service, developing a library response plan for service animals, and so on. Chapters consider discrete topics, introduce and summarize key points, and list chapter-specific resources; pages are filled with charts, graphs, and tables. Author Marrall, who has had both personal and professional experience with accessibility issues, has created a timely and comprehensive guide that will enhance professional and library-school collections.
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