Purchasing Accessible E-Resources: Tips for Licensing and Procurement

Abstract

Presented at the ALAO Annual Conference 2018. Academic libraries are proponents of access for all. Student success is dependent on the ability of academic libraries to provide equitable access to its resources for all patrons. In the years before e-resources were commonly purchased by libraries for their patrons, providing access to students with disabilities meant enabling access to the physical: library facilities and tangible materials and collections. As technology has evolved and libraries have embraced e-resource collections, the challenges of providing inclusive access have increased exponentially. While online formats for textual information, data, audio, and video provide greater potential opportunities for increasing accessibility, they also create new challenges for librarians and students. Libraries no longer handle accessibility requirements solely at a patron’s point of need, but proactively from the very beginning of the processes of selecting, licensing, and procuring e-resources. This session will provide information for librarians involved with these e-resource processes, allowing them to better serve the accessibility needs of their students. Discussion will focus on how to communicate and interact with vendors in regard to accessibility standards, how to amend license terms to reflect accessibility needs, and how to collaborate with institutional partners to provide more efficient processes.