The ADA mandates that library programs and services be accessible to people with disabilities. With the advent of the WWW, the popularity of commercial Web‐based resources in academic libraries has soared, but are these resources accessible to people with visual disabilities? This study examines the accessibility of two popular Web‐based abstracting and indexing services, Periodical Abstracts, offered by OCLC FirstSearch, and Gale Group’s Expanded Academic ASAP, when accessed by blind users using screen‐reading programs. The study measured accessibility based on guidelines from the amended Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines issued by the WWW Consortium. The findings indicate that, while each database has a high degree of accessibility, there is a need for Web developers to conduct usability testing of commercial databases with people who rely on screen readers for access to the Web. Librarians must be cognizant of accessibility issues and demand assurance from database vendors that their products are accessible.

PurposeWeb‐based research databases are common in today's libraries, but most librarians lack the ability to evaluate them for accessibility for persons with disabilities. Consequently, they rely upon resource providers to develop products that are ADA and Section 508 compliant. Are database vendors stepping up to the plate? As a follow‐up to a study reported in 2003, the purpose of this paper is to investigate accessibility of online databases from database vendors' perspectives.Design/methodology/approachResearchers used a web‐based questionnaire to gather information from vendors of online databases concerning the accessibility of their products. The questions covered general information about product accessibility, compliance with Section 508 standards, and product accessibility/usability testing.FindingsNearly all of the companies who participated in the survey consider their products to be mostly accessible to users of assistive technologies and are committed to improving product accessibility in the future. At the same time, few companies promote accessibility in their marketing efforts. Most companies test their products for accessibility, but few conduct usability tests with actual persons with disabilities.Research limitations/implicationsThis study covered a small sample of database vendors and relied on self‐reporting by representatives from database companies. Until usability testing becomes a standard practice, product testing by independent parties is necessary to complete the accessibility report cards for online library database providers.Practical implicationsLibrarians must be proactive in encouraging vendors to continue to provide products that are accessible and user‐friendly for everybody including persons with disabilities.Originality/valueThis is the second known study that examines online database accessibility and usability based on database vendors' perspectives.

Accessibility, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, pertains to accessibility of online environments as well as physical environments for persons with disabilities. Web‐based resources are prevalent in libraries today, but are they accessible? An e‐mail survey was used to examine accessibility of Web‐based abstracting and indexing services from product providers’ perspectives. Company representatives were asked to address overall product accessibility, company compliance with Section 508 Standards, and product usability for persons with disabilities. Findings indicate that the ADA and Section 508 are raising database company awareness of accessibility issues. Still, companies can do more to assure product accessibility.

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Each semester, undergraduate students at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs produce quality research papers that seldom reach audiences beyond their professors or classrooms. In 2008, Kraemer Family Library launched an open access undergraduate research journal on a trial basis to give faculty a mechanism for highlighting excellent student research. The journal has evolved into a sustainable and popular publishing service at the university. This case study describes the progress and setbacks that were encountered during the first year of the journal’s publication, with particular emphasis on management and policy issues.