Testing for Accessibility: Free Tools to Assess the Accessibility of Online Resources
Available OnDemand in the SSP OnDemand Video Content Library
From the LYRASIS Learning Library, now available as part of SSP's OnDemand Video Content Library
Accessibility in online resources, a.k.a. the ability for users with disabilities and/or learning impairments to access content, is important to libraries, archives, museums, and other types of cultural heritage institutions, but how do you test an online resource to see if it is accessible? How do you ensure that the material you purchase and/or create conforms to accessibility standards and best practices? This class will review several freely available tools that can help you test a website’s adherence to accessibility standards. The tools can help you test content you are considering for your institution, or resources that you already provide but want to improve either internally or through advocating for improved accessibility. We will also review common standards and best practices that are used to evaluate online content.
About the Instructors:
Annie Peterson (she/her) is Program Leader at LYRASIS. She coordinates LYRASIS Learning and teaches classes on preservation, digitization, and other topics related to cultural heritage institutions. Before joining LYRASIS, Annie Peterson was the preservation librarian for the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library at Tulane University. Previously, she was an IMLS Preservation Administration Fellow at Yale University, where her primary focus was writing a disaster plan for the library’s high density storage facility. Her background in library and archives preservation provides a strong basis for assisting LYRASIS members with their preservation and digitization projects. She has an MLIS from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. In 2016 Annie was awarded the Esther J. Piercy Award from ALCTS, an award that is given to recognize the contribution to areas of librarianship included in library collections and technical service by a librarian who has shown outstanding promise for continuing contribution and leadership.
Hannah Rosen holds a bachelor’s degree in social and cultural history and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh, with a specialization in Archives, Preservation and Records Management. She comes to LYRASIS from The MediaPreserve, where she assisted clients with all aspects of their media digitization projects. She also created specialized preservation metadata using a variety of archival schemas. Before that, Hannah worked and volunteered at a variety of archival institutions including the Carnegie Mellon Institutional Archives, the Sewickley Academy Institutional Archives, and the National Museum of American History Archives Center.
The OnDemand Video Content Library is the “anywhere, anytime” source for scholarly communications professionals to learn about timely topics and recent developments in scholarly publishing. This asynchronous learning platform offers a variety of recorded video content that users can access when it’s convenient for them. Some content is free to view on the platform and is denoted by an open lock icon. Content access will be available for 6 months from time of registration.
Once you have completed your registration, log in at ondemand.sspnet.org with your SSP username (email) and password to access your purchased content items.
Registration Pricing:
Single user, access for 6 months from time of registration
SSP Member Registration - $50
Non-member Registration - $75
Training Package Discount:
Purchase 3 training sessions from the Lyrasis Learning Collection at the same time (on the same transaction) and receive 10% off your order. Use promotional code: PDS10
Discount cannot be applied retroactively if training sessions are purchased separately.
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