"Research Library Issues" ("RLI") focuses on current and emerging topics that are strategically important to research libraries. The articles explore issues, share information, pose critical questions, and provide examples. This issue includes the following articles: (1) Open Educational Resources as Learning Materials:…

"Research Library Issues" ("RLI") focuses on current and emerging topics that are strategically important to research libraries. The articles explore issues, share information, pose critical questions, and provide examples. This special issue presents a report released by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Joint Task…

Many scholarly studies investigating school library services provided to students with special needs primarily address aspects of collaboration with special education (SPED) teachers in an immersed school environment. Scarcely studied are ways that school library programs (SLPs) empower students in schools serving only students with a specific…

An increasing number of library patrons are hard of hearing. The U.S. Bureau of Census projected that 35 million North Americans would suffer from hearing loss by the year 2005 based on the age-population projections. These individuals would have at one time been labeled as deaf due to the lack of assistive hearing technology such as hearing aids…

Examines 11 electronic research journals for accessibility to users with visual or mobility impairments and suggests that librarians need to consider accessibility issues. Discusses the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act (1998); usability and universal design; accessibility errors; following links; browser compatibility;…

Discusses basic assumptions behind the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and suggests that often Web pages are not accessible to the visually impaired. Highlights several resources that deal with the issues surrounding adaptive technology and disabilities, as well as tools and utilities for checking Web services. (AEF)

This book presents a planning process to ensure that libraries consider all of the issues necessary to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, designed to work in conjunction with an already existing library plan. Libraries that complete this process will: ensure that all parts of the larger plan are inclusive; develop objectives and…

Discussion of access to electronic resources and library services via Web sites focuses on accessibility barriers to the disabled that have created a digital divide. Topics include legal requirements, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act; barriers to implementation; and implementation…

Library services to students with disabilities at a university with special programs in rehabilitation are described, including staff commitment, physical features, and adaptive technology such as the Arkenstone Reader which converts printed materials to electronic formats and synthetic speech. Photos of students and staff are included. (EAM)

The purpose of this study is to identify strategies, policies, and practices of Ohio public libraries in complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Small to medium public libraries were surveyed to gather information about the ways libraries are providing equal access to materials and services for patrons with disabilities.…

This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) Kit presents the results of a survey on issues and concerns associated with planning for library services for persons with disabilities. The survey was sent to 119 U.S. and Canadian Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and returned by 74. The report is based on the responses of libraries which…

Librarians must find ways to meet the information needs of patrons with various disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act codified what librarians have long espoused: equal access to information for people with any type of disabling condition. This study's objective was to identify and examine current or planned programs dealing with staff…

Eight articles review the progress achieved in making library computing technologies and library services accessible to people with disabilities. Adaptive technologies, automated conversion into Braille, and successful programs that demonstrate compliance with the American with Disabilities Act are described. A resource list is included. (EA)

The Central Libraries Automated Network (CLAN) of Nevada is a cooperative system which shares circulation, cataloging, and acquisitions systems and numerous online databases. Its mission is to provide public access to information and efficient library administration through shared computer systems, databases, and telecommunications. This document…