The Remediation Roadmap: Moving Digital Collections Toward Accessibility

Scheduled at 10:45 in Penrose II on Friday, November 20.

Speaker(s)

• Laura Riley, Metadata Librarian, University of Colorado Anschutz
• Lori Micho, Special Collections Librarian, University of Colorado Anschutz

Session Details

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

Summary

In response to Colorado’s 2024 accessibility law, the Strauss Library at the University of Colorado Anschutz launched a step-by-step plan to bring its institutional repository into compliance. This session shares how staff assessed collections, prioritized work, revised policies, and built sustainable workflows despite limited time and expertise. Attendees will gain practical, adaptable strategies, lessons learned, and approaches for advancing accessibility across digital repositories.

Abstract

In July 2024, Colorado enacted a digital accessibility law requiring public agencies, including libraries, to ensure online content is accessible to users with disabilities. In response, the Strauss Health Sciences Library at the University of Colorado Anschutz launched a phased initiative to bring its institutional repository into compliance, framing accessibility as both a legal obligation and an ethical commitment to equitable access.

This presentation outlines the library’s practical, step-by-step approach. The team began by updating policies and establishing accessibility requirements for new submissions, then assessed repository content and prioritized materials based on responsibility and ease of remediation. With limited staff time and expertise, they developed streamlined workflows, relied on free training and tools, and built internal capacity. The team also evaluated remediation strategies, balancing in-house and outsourced options, and implemented solutions such as specialized software and embedding accessibility into routine processes.

Presenters will address key challenges, including the scale of legacy content, resource constraints, and the need to build staff and stakeholder buy-in. They will also highlight successes, such as creating a clear compliance roadmap, integrating accessibility statements and accommodation mechanisms into repository platforms, and fostering a growing culture of accessibility.

Attendees will leave with actionable strategies for prioritizing remediation, selecting tools, and advancing compliance. Emphasizing “progress over perfection,” this session demonstrates how incremental, sustainable efforts can significantly improve access to digital collections and support more inclusive repository environments.

Keypoints

1. Compliance can be achieved by creating a roadmap, updating policies, and setting clear remediation priorities.
2. Remediation projects become sustainable with a focus on progress over perfection.
3. Education can go far in developing a strong accessibility culture despite limited staffing and expertise.

Disability Areas

Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Vision

Topic Areas

Accessibility and Accommodation in the Current Political/Legal Environment, Uncategorized

Speaker Bio(s)

Laura Riley

Laura Riley is the Metadata Librarian at the Strauss Health Sciences Library at the University of Colorado Anschutz, where she manages the Digital Collections institutional repository and focuses on cataloging, metadata, and discovery. Prior to joining CU Anschutz, she spent many years working as a public librarian, bringing a broad perspective on information access.

Lori Micho

? Riley, Laura? Lori Micho is a Special Collections Librarian at the Strauss Health Sciences Library at the University of Colorado Anschutz, where she manages and leads outreach for the library’s special collections, including the Strauss-Wisneski Indigenous and Integrative Medicine Collection. Her work includes planning educational programming, such as the Strauss Lecture Series and related conferences, developing exhibits, and collaborating with campus and community partners to expand access to and engagement with special collections resources. Prior to joining Strauss Library, she held leadership roles at Cornell University’s Nestlé Library, Johnson & Wales University’s Denver Campus Library, and Denver Public Schools. With more than two decades of experience in libraries, she has led large-scale collection development initiatives, managed substantial materials budgets, and advanced inclusive, culturally responsive collections.