Overcoming the information gap
Measuring the accessibility of library
databases to adaptive technology users
This study evaluates the accessibility to adaptive technology users of subscription library databases commonly purchased by libraries. The study operationalizes current federal web accessibility legislation and international web accessibility standards by developing a checklist of accessible features and tests the extent to which features have been incorporated into the major databases and importantly, the effect of a feature’s presence or absence. Because online and digital environments possess the greatest potential to provide individuals using adaptive technologies access to information, this study of subscription library databases provides concrete and conclusive evidence regarding the current state of accessibility common digital resources purchased by libraries.
Information access represents a fundamental need of citizens within any society. From understanding legal rights and obtaining medical information, to attending school and earning a college diploma, all individuals in theory should possess unhindered access to a wide variety of options and tools capable of completely fulfilling informational needs. However, a growing gap exists between individuals with unrestricted access to information and information resources and those persons with limited or no access to the same information, in spite of the increased proliferation of information sources, such as the worldwide web.
The purpose of this study is to address problems associated with the accessibility of academic library databases. This study evaluates 32 databases and measures their accessibility to users of adaptive technology. Based on the results of this study, 72 percent of the evaluated databases were rated as marginally accessible or inaccessible, reflecting a low level of compliance to federal web accessibility legislation and international web accessibility standards. To measure database accessibility to adaptive technology users, this study operationalized accessibility into ten component parts as the Tatomir Accessibility Checklist (TAC) and tested each database on each component. Findings of this study can be used both by those who purchase and manage databases in libraries to identify the most accessible databases and by designers of the databases to improve specific features.
Electronic journals and the digitization of library collections and projects such as the Google Books Projects offer unprecedented access to books and other written and visual materials to people with the technological and economic means to obtain these resources. In the digital era, access to web sites and digital resources for mainstream technology users occurs almost instantaneously. However, the load times for users of adaptive technologies remains unacceptably slow, often taking several minutes, rather than several seconds, for the resources to fully load. In spite of the fact that federal web accessibility legislation and international web accessibility initiatives have been enacted for over a decade and a half, a majority of library databases are largely inaccessible to adaptive technology users and fail to meet basic accessibility requirements established under federal law and international standards. While the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped network of regional and sub-regional libraries provides adequate access to popular fiction and non-fiction materials, individuals interested in pursuing scholarly topics who have a visual disability find that approximately 50 to 80 percent of print and visual materials remain inaccessible (Lee, 2005).
Few professionals and thus few institutions realize that incorporating accessibility features into web sites, interfaces and digital materials can be accomplished in a cost effective manner, with negligible expenditure of monetary and human resources. Likewise, few are aware that making digital resources accessible actually increases the usability of digital resources to the benefit of multiple user groups, not simply adaptive technology users. This article examines digital database load time in relation to the presence or absence of TAC (Tatomir Accessibility Checklist) features and argues that accessibility should be defined by a clearly delineated list of specific and tangible features and characteristics to make it easier for information professionals to make informed decisions about the purchase of digital resources with the assurance that they will be accessible to all users.
