Article2005

Accessibility and usability of online library databases

77 citations0/0 files storedLibrary Hi Tech

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Digital Accessibility for Disabilities Usability and User Interface Design Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility

Abstract

Purpose The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that all library services, programs and activities be accessible to people with disabilities. Web‐based indexes and databases have become a major staple in today's academic libraries. This study aims to investigate the accessibility and usability of these online resources for people using adaptive software to interface with computers. Design/methodology/approach Database interfaces were evaluated with two different methods: Selected screens of the interfaces were checked for compliance with major Section 508 and web Content Accessibility Guidelines components; and involving minimally trained subjects to carry out routine search‐related tasks, the interfaces were tested for functionality when used along with adaptive software commonly employed by people with print disabilities. Content accessibility within documents was judged based on document format. Findings The results indicate that, while most indexes and databases are now largely compliant with common accessibility standards and permit the performance of common search tasks, their actual user‐friendliness for people with disabilities tends to be low. Research limitations/implementations Future research could benefit from closer attention to the degree of difficulty involved in performing search tasks and to the accessibility of document content. Practical implications Usability information, provided for each of the 37 evaluated databases, helps librarians make better informed procurement decisions, offers guidance to those vendors willing to design more inclusive products, and alerts those who assist users of screen readers or audio browsers to the potential difficulties involved in searching specific library databases. Originality/value This is the first published study that systematically explores the accessibility of the major library databases for people with disabilities.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 77 citations exist upstream.

References

2000Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities 2002Constructing Accessible Web Sites 2002Maximum accessibility : making your Web site more usable for everyone 2001Web accessibility at university libraries and library schools

Cited by

2017Moving toward a universally accessible web: Web accessibility and education 2008User-Centered Policy Evaluations of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act 2011Online databases and the research experience for university students with print disabilities 2016Accessibility of Turkish university Web sites 2012Accessibility of digital special collections using screen readers 2009How Well Do Academic Library Web Sites Address the Needs of Database Users with Visual Disabilities?2017A comprehensive digital environment for visually impaired students: user’s perspectives 2007Accessibility of web‐based library databases: the vendors' perspectives in 2007

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.