Implementing accessibility initiatives at the Michigan State University Libraries

Heidi M. Schroeder

19 citations0/0 files storedReference Services Review

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 Library Science and Administration Web and Library Services

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to describe a variety of accessibility initiatives implemented at the Michigan State University (MSU) Libraries to better support persons with disabilities who want to use and access library services and resources. Design/methodology/approach By using two campus accessibility policies to help expand and improve its accessibility efforts, the MSU Libraries implemented accessibility purchasing procedures for e-resources; drafted a five-year accessibility plan, which launched an extensive multi-year staff accessibility training plan and detailed plans for content accessibility and accessibility investment; dedicated additional library staff positions and time to accessibility; drafted an accessibility statement and website documentation; established an in-house remediation service; increased library web page and collection remediation; and began leading efforts related to vendor e-resource accessibility in the Big Ten Academic Alliance library consortium. Findings As a result of these many accessibility initiatives, the MSU Libraries has thought strategically about and taken action on constantly improving its accessibility in a variety of areas; provided or hosted 29 staff accessibility training sessions; implemented new accessibility positions, roles and services; and helped influence and improve library e-resource accessibility, especially through its leadership in the Big Ten library consortium. Originality/value Most libraries strive to provide welcoming access to information and library services for all users, including persons with disabilities, but resources and literature on comprehensive accessibility initiatives in academic libraries are somewhat limited. The library accessibility initiatives implemented by a large, academic research library shared in this paper will hopefully contribute to the much-needed library and information science literature on this topic.

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 — 19 citations exist upstream.

References

2015The Portable Document Format (PDF) accessibility practice of four journal publishers 2011Best practices for serving students with disabilities 2015Assessing the accuracy of vendor-supplied accessibility documentation 2015Accessibility from Scratch: One Library’s Journey to Prioritize the Accessibility of Electronic Information Resources

Cited by

2020Assessing the Accessibility of Library Tools & Services When You Aren’t an Accessibility Expert: Part 1 2021Accessibility is not a feature: an analysis of common accessibility errors on academic library websites 2021Accessibility of Tables in PDF Documents 2020Working Together to Improve Accessibility: Consortial E-Resource Accessibility and Advocacy 2025Accessibility in academic libraries: An evaluation of conditions and practices of twelve academic libraries in Türkiye 2025An investigation of access to library facilities and services for persons with disabilities in India 2019Building an Inclusive Library through Staff Accessibility Training 2023Improving the web accessibility of a university digital library: A design thinking approach

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.