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ACCESS: Electronic Access for All: awareness in creating accessible websites for the university library

A DISinHE Funded Supporting Study

Final Report and Good Practice Guide is available from:
http://www.dmag.org.uk/resources/casestudies/cravenfull.asp#1

Electronic ACCESS for All builds on findings from the British Library and JISC funded REVIEL Project undertaken by CERLIM (the Centre for Research in Library and Information Management). The supporting study will focus on designers of university library websites. Analysis has been limited to the university library web pages to enable the study to be of a manageable size but it should be emphasised that the intention is for the findings to be widely applicable and it is hoped that they will be of relevance to anyone involved in the design and creation of websites, whether for imparting information or for delivering courses.

The main aims of the study are to establish:

  1. Levels of awareness regarding accessible web design
  2. Most effective use of methods available ie. which methods would designers be most likely to use, and why.
  3. Recommendations for further development in good practice and in raising awareness.

The supporting study firstly outlines the different methods available for checking the accessibility of websites, concentrating on the following:

  1. Web-based accessibility checkers
  2. Guidelines, audits and recommendations
  3. Validation Services

A sample of university library web sites were tested for accessibility and the results analysed and documented. For the purpose of this study, analysis has also been drawn from past experience in testing websites and from comments derived from the group of visually impaired volunteers who tested websites for the REVIEL project.

An email survey was conducted of a selection of the tested university library sites. The library web designers were asked a set of questions to identify the following:

  1. Whether university library web designers are aware of the accessibility issue.
  2. Whether their institution has a policy regarding accessibility.
  3. Levels of training received in web authoring, design and accessibility.
  4. Whether or not they use methods such as those described above to check their site for accessibility.
  5. How useful they feel these methods are - or are likely to be - when developing a library web site.
  6. What level of user input (if any) is used when developing the library web site.

The findings of the survey aim to:

  1. assess the accessibility of university library websites and to inform web designers and creators of the results.
  2. establish how aware university library webpage designers are of issues concerning accessibility of resources, for example whether they are aware of the advice and guidelines available and if so, whether they adopt such recommendations.
  3. set out recommendations for further action for raising awareness of the importance of providing electronic information that is accessible to all.

Recommendations from the supporting study are included in the Good Practice Guide for raising awareness in creating accessible information and providing pointers to guidelines and recommendations on creating accessible web pages. The Good Practice Guide includes the following sections:

  1. A review of existing methods for testing web sites for accessibility.
  2. General analysis of the sample of sites chosen for testing.
  3. Results of the subsequent questionnaires submitted to a sample of university library web designers.
  4. Recommendations for further development and pointers to relevant resources to aid this development.

Results of the study will be of use initially to the designers of university library web pages, but it is intended that the findings and recommendations in the Good Practice Guide could be transferred across all departments in higher education, to inform developers of institution wide policies on issues of web design and to enable access of electronic information to all.

For further details about this study please contact:

Jenny Craven, Research Associate
j.craven@mmu.ac.uk
Tel: 0161 247 6142

Centre for Research in Library and Information Management (CERLIM)
The Manchester Metropolitan University
Department of Information and Communications
Geoffrey Manton Building
Rosamond Street West
Off Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6LL

Tel: 0161 247 6142
Fax: 0161 247 6979

Final Report and Good Practice Guide is available from:
http://www.dmag.org.uk/resources/casestudies/cravenfull.asp#1