The Library: Accessibility Statements: Library Services

Accessibility Statement for Library Services

Accessibility Statement for systems and websites managed by Library Services at Leeds Beckett University

Leeds Beckett's Library Services use a number of third party systems and websites to deliver its service to students and staff of the University. We want as many people as possible to use these and we work with platform owners and content creators to ensure this.

The table below:

lists these systems and websites
links to individual accessibility statements or notes on accessibility
provides additional information about compliance

Name, function and provider of system / site	Link to Accessibility Statement / information on accessibility	Additional information
Library Website and associated functions (FAQs / Room Bookings / Tutorials / Chat) (Springshare)	Springshare Accessibility Statement	We have manually audited a sample of our Library website pages and associated functions, including FAQs and continue to work on a small number of areas of non-compliance. We have created comprehensive guidelines for creating accessible content as this is provided by a wide range of Library staff. New content continues to be checked for accessibility. A Springshare Accessibility Statement was originally produced in-house for the Library website and associated functions in June 2020 and was most recently updated in September 2021.
MyBeckett (Blackboard)	Accessibility in Blackboard Learn	Blackboard Ally is available to enable academic staff to check the accessibility of the material they upload to our Virtual Learning Environment and for students to convert material into accessible format. This function is also available via the Blackboard App so students can download alternative formats from within the app. Training is available to University staff in the use of Ally and to support them in creating accessible content. Online support is also available for students including a Blackboard Ally FAQ.
Skills for Learning (Springshare)	Skills for Learning accessibility statement	The Skills for Learning website uses the Springshare platform used by the Library website but has been customised so a separate audit has been carried out. An in-house statement was produced to coincide with the launch of the website in September 2020 and updated in April 2021 and again in October 2021 following work on a small number of areas of non-compliance.
Reading Lists (Talis Aspire)	Talis Web Accessibility Statement	Talis Aspire provide our reading list system and each reading list has a link to the supplier's statement from within the system toolbar. The supplier continues to improve functionality and accessibilty including chagnes to how lists can be viewed. We create alternative format reading lists to ensure they are accessible to all students. If we are unable to obtain an accessible format of an item which is required by a student we digitise it on request and produce an OCRed searchable PDF.
Discover (OCLC)	OCLC Accessibility Statement	Discover is the Library's academic search engine providing the ability to search for books and electronic resources. A new platform for this was introduced in August 2021 removing the need for a separate Library Catalogue. The home page of the system provides a link to the supplier's Accessibility Statement. We are also working with the supplier on an accessibility issue (animation) raised by a student.
PebblePad (PebblePad)	PebblePad Accessibility Overview	PebblePad is a portfolio system with content mainly uploaded by students.
Turnitin (Turnitn)	Turnitin Commitment to Accessibility	Turnitin is a web-based text matching system used by many universities worldwide. Lecturers usually ask students to submit work via Turnitin submission areas in MyBeckett. Turnitin helps with the development of academic writing and referencing skills. Information about accessing a text-only version of Turnitin Similarity Reports and some of the current known limitations is available in our student FAQs.
Repository (Eprints)	Eprints Accessibility Statement	The Leeds Beckett Repository provides open access to research outputs at the University, as required by funders and permitted by publishers and copyright law. It manages the full text (Word/PDF) files uploaded from Symplectic and is the external, online collection of Leeds Beckett research outputs. Work is taking place to look at the accessibility of PDFs in the Repository. We are investigating whether links to Sensus Access can be added to the Repository to enable students and staff to create accessible copies if required.
Research Information System (Symplectic)	Symplectic accessibility information	Symplectic Elements is a research management system that collects research activity in one place. It is an internal database of research records and is used to generate the list of publications that appears on online staff profiles and to provide reports on research activity across the University. More information about the system can be found on the Library web pages and there is additional Symplectic accessibility information on their support site.
Ebook Collections - various suppliers	eBook Collections - links to Accessibility information	The Library was a lead partner on the ebook accessibility project and continues to work closely with suppliers ensuring that the ebooks were purchase are accessible. Each eBook platform has its accessibility FAQ containing a link to the platform Accessibility Statement. These are linked to from the eBook Collections and the Database A-Z page.
Ejournal Collections - various suppliers	Journals A-Z Databases A-Z	Library Services use preferred licensing guidelines when purchasing and renewing electronic resources which includes key accessibility measures. We have liaised with JISC Collections, other institutions and suppliers to obtain statements from individual publishers and have accessibility statements for 97% of the electronic resources we subscribe to. These are linked to under the relevant entry via our Journals A-Z and Databases A-Z lists. We continue to liaise with the remaining suppliers and will add their statements as they become available.
Digitised readings created under the CLA licence	CLA Accessibility Policy	Digitised reading created by The Library's Digitisation service under the CLA licence are added to online reading lists and to MyBeckett. The files created are OCRed searchable PDFs. Work is taking place to look at the accessibility of digitised PDFs. A new student FAQ has been written: What accessibility features are available for digitised chapters using Kortext?
CLA's Digital Content Store	Digital Content Store Accessibility Policy	The Digital Content Store is the platform which hosts digitised reading created by The Library's Digitisation service under the CLA licence.
E-theses		Electronic formats of PhD theses supplied by third party (students). Information on accessibility is included in our E-theses and copyright guide. Guidance to support students create their theses in an accessibile format is being developed with the aim of incorporating into the graduate training programme.
Teach learn staff web pages (Sitecore)	Sitecore Accessibility Information	The TeachLearn pages for staff are held on the University's content management system, Sitecore.
Library blog (Sitecore)	Sitecore Accessibility Information	The Library blog is held on the University's content management system, Sitecore.
Social media applications (Various)		Although we are aware that social media platforms are out of scope we upload accessible content where possible and train our staff on accessibility.
Archive and Special Collections web pages	Archive and Special Collections Accessibility Statement	These pages are created within the same content management system as our Library website but have a customised template. An individual Accessibility Statement has been produced for this site.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

The Library’s software page provides information on assistive software which may help in using our systems and websites. 

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of the websites and systems we use are not fully accessible - details are provided in the individual Accessibility Statements.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on the content of our systems and websites in a different format (for example accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille) please email libraryaltformats@leedsbeckett.ac.uk. We'll consider your request and get back to you within 5 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our systems and websites. If you find any problems or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact h.loughran@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

The Library supports the use of The Next Generation Text Service. Alternatively you can email us or contact us by online chat..

You can find out all the ways you can get in touch with us on the Library website Contact Us page.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Leeds Beckett University is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

The websites and systems used by LLI are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Please note these are a sample of non-compliances; individual Statements will provide more information.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Some of the ways in which our websites and systems are not yet compliant with the Regulations are: 

Scans created for our digitised readings service are not always fully accessible. This may fail WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.1.1 (Non-text Content) and 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships). We are hoping to purchase a new scanner and improved software for future outputs. 
Some images may be missing a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text content). We continue to check existing content and add alt text where it is found to be missing. When we publish new content we’ll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.
When navigating the Library and Archive and Special Collections websites using a keyboard, there are some items which could not be accessed via keyboard navigation during testing. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard). There are also a small number of instances where the keyboard focus is not visible. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible). We are currently investigating these issues further.
Some link text needs re-wording. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context)). We continue to work on identifying and resolving these instances.
One page is missing a 'Skip to main content' link. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks). We are working on rectifying this.
There are a small number of instances where text and components do not have sufficient contrast against the background colour. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.4.3 (Contrast (Minimum)) and 1.4.11 (Non-text Contrast). We are currently investigating this further.
In a small number of instances, we have used visual descriptions to communicate information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.3 (Sensory characteristics). We are working on addressing this.
In a small number of instances, tables and lists not styled correctly. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships). We are working on addressing this.
On the Library website Disabled and Dyslexic Users Welcome and Help page, when text is zoomed to 200% using the AT Bar plugin, text in the Chat with the Library Disability Support team widget does not enlarge. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.4 (Resize text). We are currently investigating this issue further.
Some forms on the Library website which collect information about the user do not have autocomplete tokens added. These include the following forms: Library Email Us and Chat With Us, Disability Support Email Us and Chat with the Library Disability Support team, FAQ search. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.5 (Identify Input Purpose). We are currently investigating this further.
We may be able to do more to help users avoid entering incorrect information into forms on the Library website. For example, it is possible to enter a date of birth in the future into the Library Email Us form. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.1 (Error Identification). We are currently investigating this further.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

External content

We link to external pages and other Leeds Beckett University pages which may not be accessible.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We created a roadmap towards compliance in September 2019:

We assigned a staffing resource to this in October 2019 and supplemented this in June 2020. The resource available for this work has been reduced by staffing vacancies in September 2021.
We identified tools and methodology for audits. We link to supplier Accessibility Statements where possible (see the table above) and have undertaken manual audits via sampling where these are not available or where we have extensively customised their products.
The complexity of manually checking our websites and systems means the work continues to take longer than initially estimated but this has been accompanied by an in-depth understanding of best practice in improving accessibility which has also been shared with colleagues across our service via a variety of training opportunities.
Accessibility compliance is now a key part of our requirements gathering for technology procurement and as part of the recent shift to more digital learning and teaching we’ve enhanced our digital ecosystem with compliant technologies, and tools that enhance the accessibility / inclusivity of our existing technologies.
We have created this overarching Statement to document our approach and progress and the separate Accessibility Statements document actions taken towards compliance.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 01 October 2021. It was last reviewed on 01 October 2021.

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