Incorporating Student Voices in Accessibility at the Penn State University Libraries

Media

Presented at 3:30pm in Waverly on Wednesday, November 20, 2019.

Speaker(s)

• Binky Lush, Manager, Discovery, Access and Web Services, Penn State University Libraries
• Dawn Amsberry, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Penn State University Libraries
• Emily Rimland, Information Literacy Librarian and Learning Technologies Coordinator, Penn State University Libraries

Session Details

• Length of Session: 1-hr
• Format: Lecture
• Expertise Level: Beginner
• Type of session: General Conference

Summary

The recent interest in student engagement in libraries has led us to expand our efforts to include accessibility and the lived experiences of students with disabilities at Penn State.  We'll talk about the efforts of our graduate assistant for accessibility and how we've included student voices into our Libraries' accessibility initiatives.

Abstract

The recent interest in student engagement in libraries has led us to expand our efforts to include accessibility and the lived experiences of students with disabilities at Penn State.  To address this goal, we recruited and hired a graduate student assistant within the field of Disability Studies to help us evaluate and report on the Libraries' accessibility initiatives. His work includes measuring the accessibility of e-resources, appraising the accessibility of learning spaces, and assessing overall the Libraries' accessibility programs. In this talk we will provide an overview of initiatives undertaken by our graduate assistant, including the creation and leadership of the Libraries' Accessibility Student Advisory Group. This organization consists of both graduate and undergraduate students with an academic interest in Disability Studies, including those students who themselves are stakeholders with regard to accessibility.  

Keypoints

1. Including student voices in our accessibility efforts
2. Working with a graduate assistant to implement accessibility initiatives
3. Libraries accessibility efforts

Disability Areas

All Areas

Topic Areas

Other, Uncategorized

Speaker Bio(s)

Binky Lush

Binky Lush is the Manager of Discovery Access and Web Services for the Penn State University Libraries in University Park, PA. She leads a number of teams in the Libraries focusing on enhancing the Libraries’ web site and discovery platforms to ensure an engaging, accessible, and user-centered search and discovery experience.

Dawn Amsberry

Dawn is a Reference and Instruction Librarian at Penn State University Libraries. She coordinates library instruction for English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and teaches library research workshops for foundational classes as well as offering individual consultations and customized workshops on library research and citation management tools. Dawn is a founding member of the Libraries Accessibility Committee.

Emily Rimland

Emily Provides instruction, reference, and outreach services to undergraduate students, while exploring and introducing instructional technologies. She serves in leadership roles for the Libraries' Open House, Accessibility Committee, and a strategic group exploring new delivery models for instruction.