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The Library: Accessibility Statements

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, which is in the order of our most commonly used systems:

  • lists these systems and websites
  • links to individual accessibility statements or notes on accessibility
  • provides additional information about the systems and their compliance with the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations
Name / function (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 manually audited a sample of our Library website pages and associated functions, including FAQs. We carried out a further manual audit when WCAG 2.2 was launched for the additional criteria. We 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.

Springshare Accessibility Statement was produced in-house for the Library website and associated functions and most recently updated in December 2023.

MyBeckett (Blackboard) Accessibility in Blackboard Learn

Anthology 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 formats. 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 an Anthology Ally FAQ.

Staff and students can also use the Ally File Transformer tool to convert files into alternative formats to suit needs, devices, and learning preferences. Log into MyBeckett and click on the Assist link in the main menu on the left.    

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 was carried out including a further audit when WCAG 2.2 was launched for the additional criteria.

An in-house statement was produced to coincide with the launch of the website in September 2020 and most recently updated in December 2023.

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 accessibility including changes to how lists can be viewed.

To ensure all students can access their reading list resources, we create alternative format reading lists for students who require them. 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. The home page of the system provides a link to the supplier's Accessibility Statement.

We continue to work with the supplier on known accessibility issues e.g. footer links on the Discover homepage having insufficient spacing. We also provide an additional webpage on Discover page with advice, tips, accessibility information and information on known issues for example for users who prefer reduced motion, there is an FAQ How can I stop the animated loading spinner during Discover searches?

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 e.g. How do I view my marks and feedback in Turnitin Feedback Studio? and How do I interpret a Turnitin Similarity Report?.

Ebook Collections (various suppliers) eBook Collections - links to accessibility information

Each eBook platform has an 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 and Databases (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 suppliers and other organisations to obtain accessibility statements for 97% of the electronic resources we subscribe to. These are linked to under the relevant entry via our Databases A-Z lists. We continue to liaise with the remaining suppliers and add their statements as they become available. We link to some open access (freely available) resources which do not yet have accessibility statements available.  

We continue to work with the supplier of our Journals A-Z and Databases A-Z pages on known accessibility issues e.g. the Journals A-Z page currently has no ‘Skip to main content’ link and the link text within journal records has insufficient contrast.

Some resources are only available in PDF format. For guidance on making them more accessible, please see our FAQ How do I make PDF files more accessible in Adobe Reader DC? and the advice on our Library Disability Support page. For help making resources more accessible, please email libraryaltformats@leedsbeckett.ac.uk and we'll get back to you within 5 working days.

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.

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 website Symplectic pages and there is additional Symplectic accessibility information on their support site.

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 continuing on 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 Deposit your eThesis and E-theses and copyright guides. We recommend theses are submitted in Word format and have produced guidance for students on making their thesis accessible.

Figshare (Figshare) Figshare accessibility statement

Figshare is our Thesis and Research Data Repository, which enables theses and archived data to be made Open Access.

Information on accessibility is included in our Deposit your eThesis and E-theses and copyright guides. We recommend theses are submitted in Word format and have produced guidance for students on making their thesis accessible.

An individual Accessibility Statement has been produced for this site.

Teach learn staff web pages (Sitecore) Sitecore Accessibility Statement

The TeachLearn pages for staff are held on the University's content management system, Sitecore. The University has produced an accessibility statement.

Library blog (Sitecore) Sitecore Accessibility Statement

The Library blog is held on the University's content management system, Sitecore. The University has produced an accessibility statement.

Social media applications (Various)  

Although we are aware that social media platforms are out of scope of The Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 we upload accessible content where possible and train our staff on accessibility.

Archive and Special Collections web pages (Springshare) 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.

Inspera

(Inspera)

Inspera Accessibility Statement Inspera is a digital exam tool using by courses in Nursing and Law.

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 2.2 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 2.2 success criteria 1.1.1 (Non-text Content) and 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships). We have purchased a new scanner and we are exploring how we can change our procedures to create more accessible scans, including the use of different software. 
  • The heading structure on some of our sites could be improved to work better for screen readers. This relates to WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships). This has been queried with the supplier. 
  • One component does not have sufficient contrast against the background colour. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.11 (Non-text Contrast). We are currently investigating this further.
  • There are a small number of instances where undersized targets do not have sufficient spacing. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.5.8 (Target Size (Minimum)).
  • On the Book a Study Space – Sheila Silver Library and Book a Study Space – Headingley Library pages, there is a link that receives keyboard focus which is hidden by our custom page footer. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.11 (Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)).   
  • There are some instances where the location of help differs across pages within the same set. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.2.6 (Consistent Help). 
  • 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 2.2 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 2.2 success criterion 3.3.1 (Error Identification). We are currently investigating this further.
  • There are some tutorials which contain drag and drop activities. Accessible text alternative versions of these tutorials have been provided, however there is no single pointer alternative available. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.5.7 (Dragging Movements). 

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 work but also train staff as appropriate as they use systems / upload content.
  • We identified tools and methodology for audits. We link to supplier Accessibility Statements where possible (see the table above) and undertake manual audits via sampling where these are not available or where we have extensively customised their products.
  • Accessibility compliance is now a key part of our requirements gathering for technology procurement and we continue to enhance 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.
  • WCAG 2.2 was published on 5 October 2023 and added six new criteria for compliance at level AA. We assessed the following against the new criteria: Library website and associated functions; Skills for Learning site; Figshare; Archive & Special Collections site; Academic skills modules. We updated our accessibility statements and internal accessibility guidance accordingly. The provider of our website system is also planning upcoming changes to its appearance. Once these have happened we will look to carry out a full audit against all WCAG 2.2 criteria on a sample of pages.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 11 December 2023. It was last reviewed on 11 December 2023.