Many library and information science scholars, as well as those in adjacent fields, publish research that would be useful to help public, academic, special, and school librarians do their jobs even better. But few practicing librarians have the time to find papers that would be relevant, let alone read them. LJ’s column Research Briefs will summarize in plain language some key takeaways of recent research, and point to the full paper for those who want to know more. If you are a scholar or journal editor and would like your paper to be considered for inclusion, please email Lisa Peet at lpeet@mediasourceinc.com.

Most libraries strive to make services as accessible as possible for those with disabilities, but there are always limitations. In a university setting however, equal access to resources is essential to achieving the outcomes that are every student’s moral and legal right, and while visual impairment has historically been the most researched, a wide range of mental health, learning, behavioral, physical, and health disabilities can also be barriers to access.

Many accessibility options are available to librarians and library workers, but the costs involved in training staff, reworking spaces, and purchasing tools can be limiting. It therefore falls on each library to best allocate their resources.

In order to bring to light possible approaches, Osama Youssef Smadi, associate professor of special education at the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Saudi Arabia, surveyed students with disabilities. In the 2021–22 academic year, 160 students with physical, health, visual, and hearing disabilities registered with the university’s Special Needs Services Center, and of those, 35 participated in the study. (Despite the fact that Smadi wrote his PhD dissertation on “The Effectiveness of an In-service Training Program for Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Jordan Based on Their Needs,” no students with a hearing disability responded to this survey.)

Smadi’s results were analyzed in his article, “The Satisfaction Level of Students with Disabilities with Library and Information Services,” published in the 2022 International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology , Vol. 10, No. 2.

The descriptive survey approach included having students share: 1) Which library resources they felt were available to them, 2) Their satisfaction with library services and facilities, 3) Which obstacles and challenges hindered them from accessing those services and facilities, and lastly, 4) Open-ended suggestions to improve accessibility.

1) Resources perceived as available to students with disabilities included book borrowing, book return, audiobooks, large print books , and braille books. No students noted these as available: study space in the internet lab, individual library search assistance service, adapted appropriate hardware and software, electronic services, library printing services, or scientific articles.

2) Student satisfaction was generally high with the borrowing service for students with disabilities, information staff providing facilities for students with disabilities, and training courses held for students with disabilities on the use of the library. However, students were generally dissatisfied with signage (directions) compatible with disability needs; tools and technology being available without needing the help of others; and study spaces, computer spaces, and chairs suitable to their needs. The author notes that none of the computers in the university’s Internet Lab are adapted to students with disabilities, nor are there any assistive technology tools available.

3) The obstacles and challenges identified by students with disabilities as hindering their access to library services and facilities included elevators, main entrances and exits, corridors, toilets, and photocopiers.

4) In the open-ended suggestion section (see pages 452-453 of the article for full list), student ideas included audio and braille versions of the library catalog and materials; an app where students can check if something is available in order to potentially avoid an unnecessary trip; funding the purchase of journals and books for students; having a staff member read manuscripts and rare book sources aloud; setting accessibility guidelines for the library; and providing a braille printer, screen readers, and other supportive technology.

The author’s suggestions for his university included creating specialized training programs for library workers on how to meet the needs of students with disabilities; exchanging ideas with other university libraries; purchasing supportive technology requested by students; and modifying halls, corridors, elevators, signs, and toilets as needed.

Despite the survey’s small size, in the article’s conclusion the author states his hope that these findings will help workers across all academic libraries explore potential methods to improve accessibility, and suggests the consideration of a broad range of learning, behavioral, mental health, physical, and health disabilities. He provides a non-exhaustive list of assistive technologies, tools, devices, and software on pages 349-441 of the article, and urges the application of Universal Design in Library Accessibility.