In this article from American Libraries, Troy University in Alabama is featured because of their awesome new additions – six exercise bikes with tables for laptops that were purchased for student use!
Three bikes are available in the library’s student space at the main campus in Troy, and three are available at the university’s extension campus in Dothan, AL. The additions have been so popular and well-received that the university has ordered three more bikes and six elliptical machines that can be used under tables while students are seated!
Accessibility for individuals with disabilities is an important topic for any library. Not only is this a legal requirement for virtually all libraries, but it is also important to ensure that our libraries are welcoming and inclusive for all members of the community. This is particularly important when considering the way you offer your online materials. The four resources below make accessibility improvements approachable, no matter the staffing level of your library or the level of technical experience that you have.
ARL’s Web Accessibility Toolkit – Though created and maintained by the Association of Research Libraries, this toolkit has resources that will be useful to those working in any kind of library. The toolkit includes definitions and background information as well as best practices and a step-by-step process for fostering accessibility at your library. In addition, it has a resources section that includes a detailed page on best practices and resources for adding captions to your library’s video content.
WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) – WebAIM offers a wide array of web accessibility tools, information, and resources, but if I had to pick just one to recommend, it would be WAVE. This tool makes it simple to do a quick accessibility test of any website for which you have the URL. The resulting report provides detailed information in a way that is easy to read. While this tool might not catch every single potential problem on your site, it is an excellent way to find particularly troublesome issues.
Contrast Checker – One frequently overlooked aspect of accessibility is color contrast. This is important not only to those who are colorblind, but also for users who have low vision or are reading in low light. But, despite the fact that contrast is important to a large number of users, it is frequently ignored in the name of design aesthetics. This tool will not only allow you to check specific colors to ensure that they meet accessibility standards but will also let you save and share color pairs that work well (or poorly).
The Principles of Universal Design poster by NC State University College of Design – This resource moves a bit beyond basic accessibility to the concept of Universal Design, which is design that is “usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without adaptation or specialized design.” The poster sets forth the seven principles that are central to Universal Design and offers multiple examples for each principle. Implementing these principles will not only help to make your library more accessible, but will also make it welcoming for the widest possible range of users from those who are in a rush or have their hands full to those for whom English is not their first language and beyond. This poster is a great crash course on the topic and will almost certainly spark ideas for ways to make your library more inclusive.
I hope these resources will help you to improve your library’s accessibility and introduce you to new tools that will streamline your processes. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments or contact me on Twitter where I’m @CarliSpina.
CMLE Members – we continue to pass on assorted calls for your participation in the profession. You have a valuable voice and perspective to share – yours! We want to help you share your voice and your experience with others. Many of you are doing work that will fit right into this webinar series, and it would be great to share that! Of course perfection is not required here, just a willingness to help other library people. (And don’t forget: this kind of thing looks great on your annual review!)
As always, CMLE is here to help you with your application, to look it over before you submit it, or even just to give encouragement as you do this!
The LIRT Teaching Learning, and Technology Committee is soliciting proposals for our 2017 webinar series entitled
“Digital Pedagogy: How we use technology in the classroom”
Join the LIRT TLTC for an exciting three-part webinar series to be held on February 17, 24, and March 3 from 11am-12:30pm CDT. The series is designed to encourage an interactive and multi-faceted view of digital pedagogy and inspire engaging conversations surrounding the ways in which we integrate technology into our instructional activities from three broad perspectives:
Part 1: Introduction and examples
Part 2: Best practices in instructional design
Part 3: Best practices in assessment
Proposal Deadline: Friday, December 9, 2016
Applicants will be notified by Friday, January 13, 2017
Please fill out this form to submit a proposal: http://bit.ly/2fvamar
If you have questions, please contact Cinthya Ippoliti at cinthya.ippoliti@okstate.edu
Thank you! Submitted on behalf of the committee:
Alyssa Archer, Amy Chen, Joe Eshelman, Mandi Goodsett, and Kenneth Orenic
Angie and I were invited to visit the Avon Elementary School library, where we were in the capable hands of Cathy Studer and Gayle. They showed us around their very nice library, in between helping their young patrons and teachers in technology distress. (A busy library’s work is never done!) Teaching a class in the computer lab behind the library was Dana Dingmann, and swamped with busy kids working on assorted projects. Dana also helps in the library, and works on devices for the school.
looks good enough to eat!
When you walk in the door you immediately see this great display. It changes monthly, and this month they are focused on food and books. This theme carries over to other displays in the library.
important library supplies
Check out the really cute basket of crayons! This food-themed strategy for putting out crayons for patron is on all the work tables in the library. The library is also available for backup for the school’s technology needs. They have a laptop cart with 30 laptops, and iPad cart with 30 devices, and another cart of 30 Chromebooks. Each classroom works on a 2:1 ratio of tech tools – Chromebooks and iPads – to student. Cathy and Gayle are available to work with everyone to be sure the tech is effective in teaching and learning. And there was a copy of a Magic Tree House series book – one of my favorites! Continue reading A Visit to the Avon Elementary School Library→
Libraries are places of information and technology, so it makes sense to use technology to connect patrons with information! That’s exactly what library vending machines aim to do. The idea may sound a little silly, but the machines may be an answer to some libraries that lack the necessary staff numbers to distribute books and laptops.
Across the country, communities are giving this a try! Read about how Ohio’s Worthington Community Center has a vending machine where library patrons can check out books, music, and movies. The library wanted to be able to bring their materials out into the community to better serve patrons.
Closer to home, we have a few locations that feature library vending! Check out these lockers at the Hugo Library Express. And the Anoka County Library on the Go has a vending machine! Watch their video below:
