Digital Library Accessibility Policy and Practice Guidelines

A practical guide to adopting accessibility best practices in digital libraries by implementing an accessibility policies.

Get started now View it on GitHub

Introduction

The Digital Library Federation developed this document to help Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) institutions work to adopt accessibility best practices in their digital libraries by implementing an accessibility policy.

It will support you in overcoming challenges, advocating and gaining buy-in and support, and will provide resources for developing an accessibility policy with strategies to achieve assigned responsibilities.

The Introduction outlines who this document is intended for, and how it can be used.

Audience

This document is intended to support people in GLAM institutions directly, or tangentially involved with digital libraries, or otherwise managing digital materials.

Digital Library definition

Digital Libraries consist of the digital materials, both digital-born and digitized, that are owned by GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) institutions, as well as the tools and platforms used to produce, take in, aggregate, create, and display them.

Getting Started (How to use this Document)

Use this document to address challenges that come up along the way, to advocate for accessibility, and to be a foundation for developing institutional accessibility policies and procedures with operation strategies to achieve the outlined responsibilities. Use suggestions for ensuring enforcement and accountability of those responsibilities and relevant standards.

Thank you to the contributors of this project!

This document was written and maintained by the Digital Library Federation Accessibility Policy and Workflows group. Specific contributors are:

  • Calida Barboza, Millersville University
  • Rebecca Bayeck, Pennsylvania State University
  • Amy Drayer, University of Minnesota
  • Jacqueline Frank, Montana State University
  • Gabe Galson, Temple University
  • Mary Hricko, Kent State University
  • Rachael Hu, California Digital Library, University of California
  • Bonnie Russell, Michigan State University
  • Lydia Tang, Lyrasis
  • Wendy Guerra, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Code of Conduct

DLF is committed to fostering a welcoming community.

View our Code of Conduct on our GitHub repository.