The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has released the report of its Joint Task Force on Services to Patrons with Print Disabilities, scheduled for final publication later this month in Research Libraries Issues (RLI). ARL formed the task force in May 2012 to expand upon the ongoing work of the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA), of which ARL is a member, in support of an international instrument for the print disabled that is under active consideration by the World International Copyright Organization (WIPO).
Print disabilities prevent some users from effectively reading print information resources because of visual, physical, perceptual, developmental, cognitive, or learning disabilities. The ARL report contains nine recommendations for research libraries to better align their services with the mission to make information accessible to their full range of diverse users equitably. In particular, the report focuses on critical partnerships necessary to fully exploit the opportunities of digital information resources to open a significant quantity of information to print-disabled patrons.
The report observes that the growing demand for instructional e-content and burgeoning digital library collections requires greater collaboration amongst all institutional partners, including academic leadership, research libraries, disability services and information technology services. These partners should share knowledge, define roles, and become knowledgeable about print disabilities, in order to effectively serve users, to meet the requirements of federal and provincial law, to fulfill institutional mission, and to move the market.
There are also specific, practical recommendations for individual institutions to improve responsiveness and organisational capacity to address the needs of the print-disabled community more effectively. By combining the principles of universal design with research libraries' support for open content, it is expected that libraries could achieve accessibility and improve services for all patrons.
Research libraries license, acquire and produce vast digital information resources from many publishers, vendors and discovery and delivery platforms. Unlike commercial enterprises, libraries have a legal requirement to provide information in accessible formats. ARL believes that research libraries are poised to provide critical direction along with academic leadership, IT, and disability services on the service and technology planning, procurement and licensing necessary to create a fully accessible information environment.
