Abstract
This paper examines to what extent the 129 members of the Urban Public Libraries Council meet the Section 508 standards for accessibility under the Rehabilitation Act, the minimum acceptable standard for accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Using an HTML evaluation tool, WAVE, the HTML coding of the libraries’ homepages was evaluated according to the Section 508 criteria for accessibility. After one-to-one deep examination to determine the accessibility of the library websites, the results tended to mirror other studies showing that most library websites have some coding deficiencies that limit the accessibility of the websites. Notably, only 7 of the 122 libraries that were surveyed had no Section 508 errors present with their homepages.
References
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Key terms and definitions
ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act—prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities by government agencies or those that receive funding |
508 | Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act—contains the requirements websites need to meet in order to be considered accessible. It is a federal standard |
WCAG | Web Content Accessibility Guidelines—guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium for accessibility |
WAI | Web Accessibility Initiative—World Wide Web Consortium’s initiative to improve web accessibility |
W3C | World Wide Web Consortium—international community where the members work to develop web standards |
EDGE | EDGE Initiative—a coalition working toward providing all people with open access to information |
WAVE | Web Accessibility Evaluator—a tool that evaluates the HTML coding of websites against accessibility criteria to identify errors |
HTML | Hyper Text Markup Language—language used to build and navigate websites |
ARIA | Accessibility attributes to be used in conjunction with HTML |
Appendix 2: List of libraries with compliance indicator
Library | ADA compliant | Number of 508 errors | Number of 508 alerts |
---|---|---|---|
Poudre River Public Library District | Y | 0 | 12 |
Jacksonville Public Library | Y | 0 | 4 |
West Bloomfield Township Public Library | Y | 0 | 11 |
Forsyth County Public Library | Y | 0 | 8 |
Metropolitan Library System | Y | 0 | 5 |
Multnomah County Library | Y | 0 | 1 |
Newport News Public Library System | Y | 0 | 3 |
Pima County Public Library | N | 4 | 66 |
Scottsdale Public Library | N | 2 | 8 |
Alameda County Library | N | 12 | 13 |
Berkeley Public Library | N | 11 | 0 |
Carlsbad City Library | N | 5 | 4 |
Contra Costa County Library | N | 67 | 81 |
County of Los Angeles Public Library | N | 4 | 3 |
Fresno County Public Library | N | 10 | 2 |
Hayward Public Library | N | 104 | 14 |
Los Angeles Public Library | N | 10 | 5 |
Marin County Free Library | N | 2 | 4 |
Oakland Public Library | N | 8 | 1 |
Palo Alto City Library | N | 18 | 10 |
Pasadena Public Library | N | 5 | 3 |
Sacramento Public Library | N | 3 | 10 |
San Diego County Library | N | 6 | 2 |
San Diego Public Library | N | 5 | 5 |
San Francisco Public Library | N | 2 | 3 |
San Jose Public Library | N | 1 | 2 |
Santa Clara County Library | N | 10 | 5 |
Santa Monica Public Library | N | 7 | 43 |
Anything Libraries | N | 15 | 5 |
Aurora Public Library | N | 4 | 7 |
Denver Public Library | N | 75 | 13 |
Jefferson County Public Library | N | 81 | 1 |
Pueblo City-County Library | N | 23 | 2 |
Bridgeport Public Library | N | 30 | 29 |
Hartford Public Library | N | 12 | 10 |
New Haven Free Public Library | N | 12 | 8 |
District of Columbia Public Library | N | 3 | 5 |
Miami Dade Public Library | N | 1 | 5 |
Palm Beach County Library System | N | 40 | 3 |
Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library | N | 9 | 4 |
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System | N | 39 | 6 |
Chattahoochee Valley Libraries | N | 13 | 0 |
DeKalb County Public Library | N | 4 | 1 |
Gwinnett County Public Library | N | 13 | 1 |
Live Oak Public Libraries | N | 3 | 13 |
Arlington Heights Memorial Library | N | 7 | 6 |
Chicago Public Library | N | 5 | 28 |
Skokie Public Library | N | 11 | 1 |
Allen County Public Library | N | 9 | 3 |
Carmel Clay Public Library | N | 12 | 2 |
Indianapolis Public Library | N | 19 | 5 |
Davenport Public Library | N | 3 | 9 |
Des Moines Public Library | N | 5 | 0 |
Johnson County Library | N | 17 | 12 |
Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library | N | 1 | 7 |
Lexington Public Library | N | 39 | 2 |
Louisville Free Public Library | N | 6 | 2 |
East Baton Rouge Parish Library | N | 2 | 3 |
New Orleans Public Library | N | 3 | 21 |
Portland Public Library | N | 2 | 7 |
Baltimore County Public Library | N | 1 | 2 |
Enoch Pratt Free Library | N | 8 | 2 |
Howard County Library System | N | 12 | 3 |
Montgomery County Public Libraries | N | 4 | 4 |
Prince George’s County Memorial Library System | N | 24 | 3 |
Boston Public Library | N | 4 | 31 |
Springfield City Library | N | 2 | 2 |
Detroit Public Library | N | 40 | 2 |
Grand Rapids Public Library | N | 14 | 9 |
Kalamazoo Public Library | N | 37 | 4 |
Kent District Library | N | 9 | 8 |
Hennepin County Library | N | 9 | 12 |
Saint Paul Public Library | N | 3 | 4 |
Kansas City Public Library | N | 2 | 12 |
Mid-Continent Public Library | N | 26 | 13 |
St. Louis County Library | N | 3 | 2 |
St. Louis Public Library | N | 13 | 0 |
Omaha Public Library | N | 8 | 13 |
Las Vegas County Library District | N | 2 | 4 |
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System | N | 12 | 5 |
Brooklyn Public Library | N | 5 | 7 |
New York Public Library | N | 40 | 4 |
Queens Library | N | 12 | 8 |
Rochester Public Library | N | 2 | 230 |
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library | N | 6 | 2 |
Durham County Library | N | 5 | 5 |
Greensboro Public Library | N | 4 | 345 |
Cleveland Public Library | N | 5 | 3 |
Columbus Metropolitan Library | N | 11 | 4 |
Cuyahoga County Public Library | N | 3 | 9 |
Dayton Metro Library | N | 9 | 27 |
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County | N | 2 | 8 |
Stark County District Library | N | 7 | 7 |
The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County | N | 13 | 5 |
Toledo-Lucas County Public Library | N | 30 | 11 |
Pioneer Library System | N | 3 | 3 |
Tulsa City-County Library | N | 101 | 20 |
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | N | 6 | 6 |
Free Library of Philadelphia | N | 7 | 3 |
Providence Public Library | N | 9 | 18 |
Richland Library | N | 11 | 15 |
Chattanooga Public Library | N | 53 | 2 |
Memphis Public Library and Information Center | N | 7 | 10 |
Nashville Public Library | N | 12 | 7 |
Dallas Public Library | N | 14 | 8 |
El Paso Public Library | N | 12 | 1 |
Fort Worth Library | N | 3 | 8 |
Frisco Public Library | N | 2 | 1 |
Houston Public Library | N | 6 | 8 |
San Antonio Public Library | N | 9 | 2 |
Salt Lake City Public Library | N | 10 | 43 |
Salt Lake County Library Services | N | 1 | 6 |
Alexandria Library | N | 11 | 8 |
Arlington Public Library | N | 10 | 7 |
Loudon County Public Library | N | 9 | 1 |
Richmond Public Library | N | 17 | 9 |
Fort Vancouver Regional Library District | N | 10 | 6 |
King County Library System | N | 22 | 4 |
Pierce County Library System | N | 17 | 15 |
Sno-Isle Libraries | N | 1 | 29 |
Madison Public Library | N | 14 | 33 |
Milwaukee Public Library | N | 9 | 59 |
Appendix 3: ADA compliance by population
Library | Population served | ADA compliant | Number of 508 errors | Number of 508 alerts |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chattahoochee Valley Libraries | 11,368 | N | 13 | 0 |
West Bloomfield Township Public Library | 33,411 | Y | 0 | 11 |
Skokie Public Library | 65,112 | N | 11 | 1 |
Portland Public Library | 66,666 | N | 2 | 7 |
Palo Alto City Library | 66,955 | N | 18 | 10 |
Kalamazoo Public Library | 75,922 | N | 37 | 4 |
Arlington Heights Memorial Library | 76,024 | N | 7 | 6 |
Carmel Clay Public Library | 86,682 | N | 12 | 2 |
Santa Monica Public Library | 92,987 | N | 7 | 43 |
Davenport Public Library | 102,448 | N | 3 | 9 |
Carlsbad City Library | 112,299 | N | 5 | 4 |
Berkeley Public Library | 118,853 | N | 11 | 0 |
Hartford Public Library | 124,705 | N | 12 | 10 |
New Haven Free Public Library | 130,282 | N | 12 | 8 |
Pasadena Public Library | 140,881 | N | 5 | 3 |
Dayton Metro Library | 141,003 | N | 9 | 27 |
Frisco Public Library | 145,035 | N | 2 | 1 |
Bridgeport Public Library | 147,612 | N | 30 | 29 |
Alexandria Library | 153,511 | N | 11 | 8 |
Springfield City Library | 153,991 | N | 2 | 2 |
Hayward Public Library | 154,612 | N | 104 | 14 |
Pueblo City-County Library | 163,591 | N | 23 | 2 |
Fort Vancouver Regional Library District | 169,294 | N | 10 | 6 |
Chattanooga Public Library | 173,778 | N | 53 | 2 |
Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library | 178,725 | N | 1 | 7 |
Providence Public Library | 179,154 | N | 9 | 18 |
Newport News Public Library System | 182,965 | Y | 0 | 3 |
Salt Lake City Public Library | 190,884 | N | 10 | 43 |
Poudre River Public Library District | 191,399 | Y | 0 | 12 |
Grand Rapids Public Library | 193,792 | N | 14 | 9 |
Des Moines Public Library | 209,220 | N | 5 | 0 |
Rochester Public Library | 209,983 | N | 2 | 230 |
Richmond Public Library | 220,289 | N | 17 | 9 |
Arlington Public Library | 229,164 | N | 10 | 7 |
Scottsdale Public Library | 230,512 | N | 2 | 8 |
The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County | 231,900 | N | 13 | 5 |
Live Oak Public Libraries | 237,709 | N | 3 | 13 |
Madison Public Library | 245,691 | N | 14 | 33 |
Marin County Free Library | 261,221 | N | 2 | 4 |
Greensboro Public Library | 282,586 | N | 4 | 345 |
Saint Paul Public Library | 297,640 | N | 3 | 4 |
Durham County Library | 300,952 | N | 5 | 5 |
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | 305,412 | N | 6 | 6 |
Lexington Public Library | 310,797 | N | 39 | 2 |
Howard County Library System | 313,414 | N | 12 | 3 |
St. Louis Public Library | 315,685 | N | 13 | 0 |
Aurora Public Library | 353,108 | N | 4 | 7 |
Allen County Public Library | 368,450 | N | 9 | 3 |
Forsyth County Public Library | 369,019 | Y | 0 | 8 |
Stark County District Library | 375,165 | N | 7 | 7 |
Loudon County Public Library | 375,629 | N | 9 | 1 |
New Orleans Public Library | 384,320 | N | 3 | 21 |
Pioneer Library System | 384,399 | N | 3 | 3 |
Cleveland Public Library | 389,521 | N | 5 | 3 |
Richland Library | 407,051 | N | 11 | 15 |
Oakland Public Library | 413,775 | N | 8 | 1 |
Toledo-Lucas County Public Library | 433,689 | N | 30 | 11 |
Omaha Public Library | 446,599 | N | 8 | 13 |
East Baton Rouge Parish Library | 446,753 | N | 2 | 3 |
Kansas City Public Library | 470,800 | N | 2 | 12 |
Sacramento Public Library | 485,199 | N | 3 | 10 |
Jefferson County Public Library | 565,524 | N | 81 | 1 |
Johnson County Library | 580,159 | N | 17 | 12 |
Milwaukee Public Library | 599,642 | N | 9 | 59 |
Louisville Free Public Library | 612,780 | N | 6 | 2 |
Enoch Pratt Free Library | 621,849 | N | 8 | 2 |
Nashville Public Library | 626,663 | N | 12 | 7 |
Kent District Library | 636,369 | N | 9 | 8 |
Tulsa City-County Library | 639,242 | N | 101 | 20 |
Boston Public Library | 655,884 | N | 4 | 31 |
Memphis Public Library and Information Center | 656,861 | N | 7 | 10 |
Denver Public Library | 663,862 | N | 75 | 13 |
District of Columbia Public Library | 672,228 | N | 3 | 5 |
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System | 676,685 | N | 12 | 5 |
El Paso Public Library | 679,036 | N | 12 | 1 |
Detroit Public Library | 680,250 | N | 40 | 2 |
Sno-Isle Libraries | 713,835 | N | 1 | 29 |
DeKalb County Public Library | 734,871 | N | 4 | 1 |
Mid-Continent Public Library | 770,000 | N | 26 | 13 |
Multnomah County Library | 790,294 | Y | 0 | 1 |
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County | 807,598 | N | 2 | 8 |
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library | 809,958 | N | 6 | 2 |
Fort Worth Library | 812,238 | N | 3 | 8 |
Baltimore County Public Library | 831,128 | N | 1 | 2 |
Columbus Metropolitan Library | 835,957 | N | 11 | 4 |
Pierce County Library System | 843,954 | N | 17 | 15 |
Indianapolis Public Library | 848,788 | N | 19 | 5 |
San Francisco Public Library | 852,469 | N | 2 | 3 |
Jacksonville Public Library | 853,382 | Y | 0 | 4 |
Metropolitan Library System | 855,091 | Y | 0 | 5 |
Gwinnett County Public Library | 895,823 | N | 13 | 1 |
Prince George’s County Memorial Library System | 909,535 | N | 24 | 3 |
Anythink Libraries | 942,418 | N | 15 | 5 |
Fresno County Public Library | 974,861 | N | 10 | 2 |
St. Louis County Library | 1,003,362 | N | 3 | 2 |
Pima County Public Library | 1,010,025 | N | 4 | 66 |
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System | 1,010,562 | N | 39 | 6 |
San Jose Public Library | 1,015,785 | N | 1 | 2 |
Montgomery County Public Libraries | 1,040,116 | N | 4 | 4 |
Salt Lake County Library Services | 1,107,314 | N | 1 | 6 |
Contra Costa County Library | 1,126,745 | N | 67 | 81 |
Hennepin County Library | 1,223,149 | N | 9 | 12 |
Cuyahoga County Public Library | 1,255,921 | N | 3 | 9 |
Dallas Public Library | 1,281,047 | N | 14 | 8 |
Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library | 1,349,050 | N | 9 | 4 |
San Diego Public Library | 1,381,069 | N | 5 | 5 |
Palm Beach County Library System | 1,422,789 | N | 40 | 3 |
San Antonio Public Library | 1,436,697 | N | 9 | 2 |
Free Library of Philadelphia | 1,560,297 | N | 7 | 3 |
Alameda County Library | 1,638,215 | N | 12 | 13 |
Santa Clara County Library | 1,918,044 | N | 10 | 5 |
Las Vegas County Library District | 2,114,801 | N | 2 | 4 |
King County Library System | 2,117,125 | N | 22 | 4 |
Houston Public Library | 2,239,558 | N | 6 | 8 |
Queens Library | 2,339,150 | N | 12 | 8 |
Brooklyn Public Library | 2,636,735 | N | 5 | 7 |
Miami Dade Public Library | 2,693,117 | N | 1 | 5 |
Chicago Public Library | 2,722,389 | N | 5 | 28 |
San Diego County Library | 3,299,521 | N | 6 | 2 |
Los Angeles Public Library | 3,928,864 | N | 10 | 5 |
New York Public Library | 8,491,079 | N | 40 | 4 |
County of Los Angeles Public Library | 10,170,292 | N | 4 | 3 |
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Liu, Y.Q., Bielefield, A. & McKay, P. Are urban public libraries websites accessible to Americans with Disabilities?. Univ Access Inf Soc 18, 191–206 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-017-0571-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-017-0571-7