Structured Abstract:Purpose: In an effort to ensure vendor compliance with Section 508, some libraries have begun requesting Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs) or other documentation of accessibility compliance. The purpose of this paper is to assess the accuracy of vendor-supplied compliance documentation, and to identify common accessibility issues highlighted by the VPATs. A detailed discussion of vendor responses to each Section 508 checkpoint is provided in the Appendix. Design/methodology/approach: Researchers compared 17 VPATs with the results of an automated accessibility scan to identify inconsistencies and common problems. Findings: Vendors reported being fully compliant with 64% of the applicable VPAT items, and partially compliant with a further 24%. However, in 16 of 17 cases, there were discrepancies between the information on the VPAT and the results of the scan. Of the total 189 VPAT checkpoints we scanned, 19.6% had errors (meaning the information on the VPAT was inaccurate 19.6% of the time). Research limitations: Several VPAT checkpoints could not be automatically verified by the scan. Instead they require manual/visual verification, which we did not do. Because we only scanned three pages of each resource, we were not able to check all content. Practical implications: Vendor-supplied accessibility documentation should not be taken at face value, but requires verification and follow up to ensure its accuracy. This study also identified some of the most common accessibility issues, which will help both librarians and vendors improve their products and services. Originality/value: Other studies have analyzed the accessibility of library resources and specifically vendor databases, but none have assessed the accuracy of vendor-supplied Section 508 compliance documentation.Keywords: VPAT, Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, Section 508, Accessibility, Libraries Introduction:
A survey of U.S. library managers explored the relationship between their social identities, experiences supervising others, support from others, and their overall satisfaction in their professional role. The literature provides evidence that demographic differences give rise to challenges in the workplace. Though no statistically significant differences were found between minority and nonminority managers related to supervisees' microaggressive behaviors, written commentary provided evidence of these and other supervision challenges. A regression analysis found that supervisees' behaviors along with a manager's age were significant predictors of their satisfaction as a supervisor. Recommendations for further research and implications for libraries emerge from these findings.
At many academic libraries, spiral notebooks and three ring binders have given way to blogs and wikis as a means of facilitating communication at the reference desk. Western Kentucky UniversityNo one is better trained to find and retrieve the appropriate information than a good reference librarian. It is strange then that, for all of our skill in guiding others to obscure facts and resources, one of the thorniest problems we deal with in reference is internal communication, learning to effectively document and distribute the many bits of information, news, and procedural changes we need for effective reference services. Even in small libraries, it is a challenge to ensure that all reference staff-often working evening or weekend hours when regular staff members are not present-stay fully informed of important changes. These difficulties only mount in larger libraries covering multiple floors, buildings, and campuses.Traditionally, the internal communications needs of library reference were fulfilled, if not by simple word of mouth, then by a wide variety of paper contraptions and contrivances (see Bejune and Morris for an excellent review).1 Most common, perhaps, was the ubiquitous reference notebook. Spiral-bound or loose-leaf, in greater or lesser detail, this fixture of the reference desk was the instant messaging system of its day. It allowed staff to write down events and updates relevant to the reference desk. It could also include notes and discussions passed to and fro among the staff. Many libraries provided sections within the notebook for necessary and hard-to-find information, such as specific policies, special holiday hours, phone numbers, and perhaps even some common reference items. As long as everyone wrote everything down in the notebook, and as long as everyone read it, the news moved on. Predictably, the results were spotty but adequate for the purpose and the times. In recent years, however, we
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