Accessibility at the South Burlington Public Library
Central to the mission of American libraries is that everyone should have the right to access books and library services. In practice, this means that libraries must be accessible and inclusive of people with a wide range of abilities. How is our own South Burlington Public Library pursuing these aims?
Opening its doors in 2021, the SB Library was designed and constructed with accessibility in mind. This includes standard elements such as disabled parking spots, curb cuts, automatic doors, an elevator, widely spaced furniture, and lower bookshelves for easy reach. Other building features include wiggly stools in the children’s area, a quiet reading room, a waterfall, headphones at all computers, and patron control of blinds, all of which allow patrons with sensory needs to control their environment.
The library has also invested in accessible on-site technologies. For example, in the Marabella KidSpace, both the early literacy computers and the growing collection of read-along books pair text and audio to engage all young library users, including those with visual impairments. Elsewhere in the library, the PC lab has a low-vision computer, and all public PCs have screen readers, which will soon be upgraded. Similarly, the hearing loop system in the library auditorium and the WiFi-based assistive hearing technology in two large meeting rooms are slated for updates.
Website accessibility is another area of focus for the SB Library, which has partnered with Eternity, a Vermont-based design company, to ensure that the site meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which include elements like descriptive alt text and readable color contrast. Recognizing that some patrons primarily access the library from their homes, staff are also working on a series of video and written instructions for accessing online resources like Libby, Mango, and Kanopy. Meanwhile, the children’s librarians are preparing a social story on what to expect at the library for neurodivergent children and their grownups to access on the website before visiting.
It is a truism of librarians that, if they don’t know an answer, they probably know where to look, and this is true in the realm of accessibility, too. The SB Library can’t meet all of patrons’ needs in-house, but staff maintain a Disability Resource Guide and make referrals and connections to a wide range of disability services. In addition, patrons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise unable to read standard print can register for Vermont’s ABLE Library and have free access to audio books, e-books, and braille books, beyond the SB Library’s own collection of large print and audio books.
Library staff emphasize that they are always working to improve access, from adding fidget tools and planning a new sensory-friendly story time in the KidSpace to meeting with the VT
Assistive Technology Program to demo accessibility tools to add to the Library of Things. Staff are working on outreach efforts to community-based organizations to better understand their access needs, and the library also welcomes feedback from community members.
By Holly Painter, Library Board of Trustees
