About
This project for the University of Alabama's course "CIS-650: Diversity Leadership in Information Organizations" is a review of public library outreach to the patrons living with disabilities of the United States, and ways in which the High Plains Library District of northern Colorado addresses this community's needs. I am Greg Mahaffey, an employee at two of HPLD's member libraries. This page focuses on input from HPLD staff and patrons concerning accessibility within the district.
Staff Interview
To investigate the High Plains Library District's self-assessment of accessibility efforts, I reached out to Elena Rosenfeld (she/her/hers), the district's Community Engagement and Strategies Manager. I conducted a brief interview via email to ask for her impression of the district's performance thus far.
First, I asked Elena how she would rate the district's execution of accessibility efforts. In general, she gave the district a "C" grade, "average" in her words. All physical spaces meet ADA standards, and exceed them in cases such as the Centennial Park Library, which has features including automatically opening bathroom doors. As illustrated in Agency's Diversity Responses, online content is improving but still contains issues such as poor type contrast and lacking alternative text. Considerable work needs to be done to make the website accessible (Lechtenberg & Gold, 2024). Elena informed me the district is working with 3rd party vendors to improve those access points. Elena further elaborated that as a service to the public, she rated the district libraries with a "B" grade. In her responses, she stated: "Our service norm is to connect people with the resources the want or need... so, we tend to assume that if someone can't access something directly, that we will help."
The advent of Universal Design has vastly improved the accessibility of buildings, but for older facilities, some accessibility issues are not easy to find. As an example, the Platteville Public Library is a single story building, but does not have enough space to ensure that every collection item is shelved at a height that a wheelchair user can reach. As Elena illustrated, proper training of employees ensures that staff knows the importance of being available to assist where accessibility changes are not currently feasible. Elena and I both agreed that finding a path to normalize Universal Design would be a great area of growth for the library. She stated that while it may have arisen accidentally or sporadically, keeping Universal Design in mind will help us move in the right direction. This aligns with the research of Schomberg and Corley (2022) who discuss accessible design in academic library study rooms. With community input and insight into modern issues around disability, architects avoid finding many faults that in retrospect could have been avoided with the right feedback.
I asked Elena to share any insight about our accomplishments, growth, or shortcomings that had not been reported on by the website. Elena informed me of internal concerns about whether our accessibility meets user needs. Once again she highlighted an issue where best practices were at odds with practicality: the debate as to whether to invest in tools like UbiDuo, assistive technology available for communicating with members of our deaf or hearing imparted community." She stated a need to collect more data to determine if the investment is necessary when less elegant but nevertheless effective solutions are available. She pointed out the need for more data, citing Census data as showing that Weld County has a lower-than-average count of persons living with reported disabilities.
I asked Elena about feedback the district has already received. She mentioned a very useful bit of feedback received from an older patron who found it hard to get out of the no-armed chair in one of our meeting rooms. The table had wheels that weren't locked and couldn't be used to help her get out of the chair as it moved. Elena concluded that having some chairs with arms for those who need the extra height to help them get up, but is aware of the best practice of having chairs with no arms. This stresses the need for flexibility and multiple options when addressing barriers, as a solution for one situation may cause issues for others.
Patron Google Reviews
To complement Elena's insights with patron feedback, I conducted a retrospective study of the Google Reviews left for all libraries in the district. While patrons sometimes left low-scoring reviews complaining about noisy patrons, others praised the quiet atmosphere of the study rooms each library has available for reservation. The Centennial Park Library also addresses this concern with Privacy Pods that filter out distractions. While a study room is not the same as a space meant for handling overwhelming sensory experiences, control over volume is an important feature of such spaces. Neurodiverse patrons the Valparaiso University cited that any space for mental wellness is welcome (Downey et al., 2024). Perhaps with the use of accessibility tools such as fidget spinners, the privacy pods could be modified into such a space for patrons with cognitive disabilities.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic many Google Reviews praised the Farr Library's strict adherence to guidelines in order to keep patrons safe. This diligence impacts patrons with autoimmune disorders, who to this day are at risk of severe complications from COVID-19 infection. Šaparnienė et al. (2024) investigated library responses to emergencies and identified success factors that led to successful management of pandemic. Based on my time working at Nantes and the Platteville Public Library during the pandemic, I attribute our success to the preparedness of our staff, as we had already had a protocol for closure in the event of infectious disease outbreaks. Our flexibility in procedure, which enabled us to begin curbside delivery of books, and our knowledge and competency development, which allowed us to tailor our strategies in response to emerging info and available technology, were the standout factors that kept our patrons safe during that time. Farr's positive reviews suggest that they were also able to use these success factors to rise to the challenge.
Sources Cited
Downey, A., Muszkiewicz, R., & Muskin-Press, N. (2024). The Library Cares About Me: Creating Distinct Spaces to Support Student Wellness and Mental Health. Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, 46, 71–88. https://doi.org/10.55671/0160-4341.1236
Lechtenberg, U., & Gold, H. (2024). Beyond the Minimum: New Rule Requires Web Content (I’m Looking at You, LibGuides) to Meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA Standards. Information Technology and Libraries, 43(4). https://doi.org/10.5860/ital.v43i4.17312
Šaparnienė, D., Kulikauskienė, K., Aleksandravičiūtė, N., & Miežinienė, V. (2024). Challenges in Managing Public Library Services Aimed at Ensuring the Well-being of Society in the Context of Emergency Situations. Social Welfare Interdisciplinary Approach, 14, 115–133. https://doi.org/10.15388/SW.2024.14.8
Schomberg, J., & Corley, C. (2022). Asking the Right Questions: Accessibility and Library Study Rooms. Journal of Library Administration, 62(4), 572–579. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2022.2057134
sComm Information Technology. (2024, October 10). UbiDuo 3 Communication Device [Video]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/1018389756