Adina Mulliken, Librarian, Assistant Professor, Hunter College, CUNY
Disability Area: Topic Area:
Length of Session (in hours): 1-hr
Format: Lecture
Expertise Level: Beginner
Type of session: Not provided
Summary of Session
Two qualitative studies about library science and web accessibility will be presented. The first, in process, discusses some blind screen reader users’ experiences using academic libraries. The second study examined a sample of faculty and student ideas about including web accessibility within Library and Information Science curricula.
Abstract
Seventeen blind screen reader users were interviewed about their experiences using academic libraries and library websites in the United States. The participants included undergraduates, graduates, and professionals who had used the library and its website within 3 years. One issue explored was participants’ preferences and experiences using reference assistance from librarians versus using the library website independently. Other issues included using “all in one” discovery tools versus library databases; improvements participants thought would be helpful for navigating results pages; experiences with learning citation style; and issues with obtaining accessible full text. The second study interviewed eight professors who teach Library and Information Science and two students or recent graduates from the field. Interviews suggested a few faculty are teaching it in depth. Misunderstanding may be a reason web accessibility was occasionally considered dispensable in LIS curricula.
Keypoints
Learn about common web accessibility issues confronted by screen reader users in academic libraries.
Consider accessibility of in-person library reference services for screen reader users.
Gain insight about some LIS professors’ perspectives and understanding regarding web accessibility.
Speaker Bio(s)
Adina Mulliken
Adina Mulliken is an Assistant Professor and Social Work Librarian at Hunter College, CUNY in New York City. Previously, she was a Social Work Librarian at Syracuse University for 12 years. She has been researching and advocating for web accessibility in libraries for at least 9 years. She holds an MS Cultural Foundations of Education and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Disability Studies from Syracuse University and a Masters in Library Service (MLS) from Rutgers University.
Handout(s)
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