Library Systems Accessibility: Home

Library Services is committed to providing systems that are accessible for all students, faculty, and staff to use. As part of our ongoing review of our systems, we have put together this guide to explain help users learn which systems are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

While we strive to acquire systems that are fully accessible, some vendors are in the middle of upgrading their platforms for full compliance. Others are fully compliant to the best of our knowledge in consultation with the vendor. Where possible, we have included each vendor's Voluntary Product Assessment Template (VPAT) for full review.

The information contained in this guide may not be as up-to-date as what is available on the vendors' websites directly. We recommend looking at the vendor's websites directly if you have any questions.

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a document provided by a vendor showing how their information technology product meets the accessibility requirements for electronic technologies detailed in Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Companies are typically required to provide a VPAT when seeking a U.S. government contract. However, many vendors provide these documents to their customers seeking to comply with ADA law and web accessibility principles. 

Since VPATs are voluntary, each document can vary widely in how much information it supplies. Some companies give an Accessibility statement as an alternative for or in supplement to a VPAT.

Periodically, Library Services will partner with the Academic Success Center to perform checks of our platforms to see where users' pain points are when using our systems. We hope that information from this collaboration will help us advocate with our vendors for universal accessibility for all users, not just those with disabilities.