Per the 2019 NASIG Core Competencies for electronic resources librarians (ERL), ERLs "work with concepts and methods that are very much in flux ... [they are] knowledgeable about the legal framework within which libraries and information agencies operate… [including] laws relating to... equal rights (e.g., the Americans with Disabilities Act)". However, the Core Competencies do not define the level to which an ERL is responsible for determining the accessibility of an electronic resource. This article aims to create a better understanding of the steps an ERL can take to develop an accessibility statement pertaining to procuring accessible content. This article synthesizes key laws and policies that ERLs should be aware of in order to draft an accessibility procurement statement for their institution. It will also discuss licensing strategies, documentation collection, and conducting potential audits of electronic purchases.
In the spring of 2019, the Montana State University (MSU) Library embarked on a
large-scale inventory project that involved weeding and moving portions of their
collection to an offsite storage facility within six months in order to create more
student study space in the Library. The department primarily responsible for leading the
project, Collections Access & Technical Services, the result of two departments
merging, was also simultaneously navigating their new structure and a remodel of their
workspace thus adding further challenges to the project. This poster session
demonstrated how MSU Library approached and completed this project by advocating to
their Library Administration for additional resources, including hiring a project
manager and third-party companies to assist with the inventory and moving of the
collection. It also discussed the types of work groups formed to identify new workflows
(i.e., retrieval of offsite items) and modify existing ones, involving student employees
in the project, and internal and external collaborations that took place. Additionally,
presenters shared strategies used to communicate to their campus community, and the
impact this project has had on our patrons. They also included statistics that were
gathered during the project including deselection figures, the number of materials that
did not have barcodes and were not accounted for in the Library’s catalog and discovery
layer (Ex Libris’ Alma and Primo), and what subject areas currently remain in the main
library building.
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