College and Research Libraries The State-Supported University Libraries of Alabama: Serving the Needs of Patrons with Disabilities Barbara A. Bishop The Americans with Disabilities Act is a highly enforceable piece of national legislation that greatly affects public institutions of higher learning. Informa- tion gathered in a fall1993 survey of the libraries at Alabama public universities acknowledged that while disabled populations on campuses needed to be served, they were not being served. Among the reasons given were lack of preparation on the library's part, lack of knowledge of the potentially disabled student populations on campuses~ and lack of funding for needed accommodations. g he Americans with Disabili-ties Act (ADA) was signed by · former President George Bush in 1990. Some sections had implementation dates beginning in 1992. Title II of the ADA, which affects four-year state institutions, became ef- fective on January 26, 1992. By this date Title TI entities should have been aware of their responsibilities regarding acces- sibility. Self-evaluations and transition plans were to be undertaken and com- pleted by January 1, 1993. These evalu- ations and transition plans, even if done by the college or university administra- tion, were to have helped focus attention on library services to patrons with dis- abilities. These deadlines raise a major question: Are Alabama's public univer- sity libraries responsive to this national legislation, or do they lag behind? Little has been written on the extent to which academic libraries have accom- modated the needs of persons with dis- abilities. A search of the datafile Library Literature found eight articles published after 1984 that have the keywords college, survey(s), and handicapped in them. Of these eight, two were published in jour- nals outside the United States and an- other article discussed the attitudes of academic librarians toward persons with disabilities. The remaining five ar- ticles surveyed patrons with disabilities and gathered information about their perceptions of library use. While preparing the 1981 Oryx Press directory, Academic Library Facilities and Services for the Handicapped, James L. and Carol H. Thomas surveyed academic in- stitutions in order to list "accessibility, equipment, and services of academic li- braries throughout the United States and the outlying areas."1 However, this di- rectory has never been revised and the survey was geared rather toward dis- covering physical access-accessible routes from parking lot to library, level thresholds, height of tables, and width of aisles-than toward overall service. There were questions regarding special equipment and services, but for the most part the questions had an architectural focus. Barbara A. Bishop is Humanities Reference Librarian at the Ralph Brown Draughon Library, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama. The author expresses special thanks toT. Harmon Straiton and Linda Thornton of Auburn University for their support throughout the entire project. 17 18 College & Research Libraries The first Association of Research Li- braries (ARL) Spec Kit 81 discussing disabilities needs was published in Feb- ruary 1982. Although the kit did not contain a copy of the survey, the re- sponses indicate that the survey must have gathered information about both services and facilities. The documents included were divided into the follow- ing categories: policy and procedure statements, personnel and staffing, fa- cilities and services planning, building access, descriptions of services, and publicity or user guides.2 In 1991 Kate Ragsdale of the Univer- sity of Alabama undertook a survey of ARL libraries regarding their services to patrons with disabilities. The survey was completed before the Title II 1992 implementation date; however, it gener- ated much information that revealed the level of library awareness regarding re- sponsibilities in terms of the ADA. This survey asked questions concerning a li- brary's responsibility to patrons with disabilities and the need for some type of self-study. The survey instrument was published along with the survey results; again documents were included that covered everything from policies and procedures to equipment provided. Un- fortunately, any conclusions drawn from the results of this survey become prob- lematic because the sampling error is much greater than 5 percent (x2 = 17). There has been little coordination be- tween libraries within the state of Ala- bama regarding ADA compliance. Only one workshop, cosponsored by the Pub- lic Library Division and the Services to the Handicapped Round Table of the Alabama Library Association (Ala LA) in November 1991, and one session at the 1992 and 1993 AlaLA annual conven- tions have been conducted. The Net- work of Alabama Academic Libraries is cosponsoring a workshop with the Auburn University Libraries; however, this is still in the initial planning stages.3 METHODOLOGY I became curious about what Ala- bama's public university libraries were doing in order to meet the needs of their January 1995 patrons with disabilities and decided that a survey might provide some infor- mation. ThemostrecentARLSpec Kit 176 on disabilities covers a library's accessi- bility in terms of programs, equipment, and facilities. The survey form and re- sults were included in the kit. However, only generalizations can be made be- cause of the sampling error in this sur- vey. No valid comparisons may be drawn between these data and the data generated by the survey of Alabama's university libraries. The Association of Research Libraries Office of Management Services in Wash- ington, D.C., was contacted for permis- sion to use the 1992 survey in order to study public academic institutions in Alabama. After permission was re- ceived, the Alabama section of the 1993 College Blue Book was used to identify participants. The author chose any pub- licly funded institution offering a four- year program of study culminating in at least a bachelor's degree. This resulted in a pool of fifteen libraries.4 In Septem- ber 1993 the survey was mailed to the library directors at the fifteen institu- tions. By the deadline, November 1, 1993, only eight of the fifteen surveys had been returned. Because of the small size of the survey pool, this response rate was deemed unacceptable. After a round of telephone calls and telefacsimile cor- respondence, fourteen of the fifteen sur- veys were returned. However, using the chi-square test of sampling validity, this response rate was still unacceptable as x2 = .067. After one more round of tele- phone calls, the final survey was received which made for a highly satisfactory 100 percent return. SURVEYINSTR~ENT The ARL survey used for this project consisted of twenty-seven questions di- vided into four major categories. These sections dealt with general information, management and training, space for spe- cialized library services, and general services. A final section allowed for general comments. The questions were primarily yes/no questions with expla- nations requested. Several times docu- Serving the Needs of Patrons with Disabilities 19 mentation was requested for particular questions (see appendix A). General Infonnation Questions 1 and 2 of the general infor- mation section asked whether the library provided services to its disabled student population, and whether there was an increased use of the library by students with disabilities within the past five years. Questions 3 and 4 specifically asked about building accessibility checklists and improvement in accessi- bility during the past five years. Ques- tion 5 asked which disabilities were addressed through library services. Although the survey population was not large, certain trends became evident. With the exception of one library, all pro- vide services and/ or equipment de- signed for persons with disabilities. Approximately one-third of the respon- dents thought that people with disabili- ties had not increased their library use in the past five years. Of the two-thirds that believed usage had increased, the major reasons given were increased enrollment of disabled students followed by univer- sitywide promotion and awareness of services. Other reasons for the greater use of libraries included the provision or promotion of better services, the im- provement of services campuswide, and increased awareness of disability rights. The literature supports the choice of increased enrollment of students with disabilities as the number one answer given for greater library use. In his book No Pity, Joseph Shapiro says, "a 1991 report by the Department of Education notes that the number of students iden- tified with disabilities has increased every year since 1976 and is expected to continue that trend through at least the end of the century."5 Shapiro comments that those students at present graduat- ing from college started kindergarten or first grade protected by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. These students have never known a time when they did not have a legal right to quality public education. In the Profile of Handicapped Students in Postsecondary Education, published by the National Center for Education Statis- tics, students reporting at least one dis- ability comprised approximately 10.5 percent of all college students.6 In the fall of 1986 the number of undergraduate students enrolled in four-year public in- stitutions of higher learning numbered 4,296,159. Of these four million plus stu- dents, 86,161 attended school in Ala- bama.7 Using the percentage of students reporting at least one disability in 1986, the potential number of disabled stu- dents in Alabama was just over nine thousand. In 1990, the number of stu- dents grew to 4,677,769 nationwide and to 102,301 statewide. This was a growth rate of almost 7.5 percent nationally and approximately 16 percent in Alabama. 8 If the percentages continued at this rate, the Alabama enrollment could have reached 118,669 undergraduates in the fall of 1994 (projected figures at the time of this study). If the 10.5 percent of stu- dents with disabilities also holds steady, then there is the potential that Alabama's public academic libraries are serving al- most 12,500 students this year. Using the undergraduate enrollment figures from the 1993 College Blue Book, the fifteen Ala- bama institutions' total enrollment comes to 102,764, which would equate to approximately 10,790 potential students with disabilities (see table 1). In a 1991 article for the Chronicle of Higher Education, Laura Rothstein, a pro- fessor of law at the University of Hous- ton Law Center, states that in the last ten years the number of persons with dis- abilities attending college has tripled. Rothstein writes about the responsibili- ties of university administrators regard- ing accessibility and accommodation resulting from recent court cases con- cerning Section 504 and the ADA.9 "Fail- ure to make mandated changes could result in significant financial liability, costly litigation and loss of public image, and most important, loss of the valuable contributions that disabled individuals can make to any academic commu- nity."10 Survey respondents reported an increase in universitywide promotion and awareness of services; in part this action may be a response to the potential 20 College & Research Libraries January 1995 TABLEl POTENTIAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN ALABAMA PUBLIC FOUR-YEAR POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS Students with Undergraduate Disabilities Institution Enrollment* (10.5 percent)t AlabamaA&M 3,533 370.97 Alabama State 4,697 493.19 Auburn 21,551 2,262.86 Auburn Montgomery 6,500 682.50 Jacksonville State 5,797 608.69 Livingston 1,646 172.83 Troy State 4,007 420.74 Troy State Dothan 2,139 224.60 Troy State Montgomery 2,736 287.28 University of Alabama 16,782 1,762.11 University of Alabama Birmingham 9,509 998.45 University of Alabama Huntsville 8,156 856.38 Montevallo 3,250 341.25 North Alabama 3,904 409.92 South Alabama 8,557 898.49 Total 102,764 10,790.26 .. Enrollment statistics are taken from the 1993 College Blue Book. t This percentage is from the 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. for litigation by an ever-growing and better informed disabled population at- tending colleges and universities. Although Alabama libraries, for the most part, do not have a checklist for building accessibility, several of the di- rectors noted that their library is either being surveyed as part of a campuswide study or the checklist is in process. Al- most all acknowledge improvements in the elimination of barriers and the addi- tion of specialized equipment in order to meet the needs of their disabled popula- tions. During the past five years, librar- ies have focused on the elimination of physical barriers and the addition of spe- cialized equipment or adaptive tech- nologies for the disabled. Only one-third of the respondents have added special- ized library services. To the question "Which disabilities are specifically addressed through special- ized library services?" only about 27 per- cent responded that programs were in place to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities. However, accord- ing to national studies done on enrolling freshmen,, this is the fastest growing dis- abled population of students on college campuses. From 1983 to 1990 the total number of students reporting a learning disability has risen from .7 percent to 1.2 percent.11 Public university students re- porting learning disabilities rose from .9 percent in the fall of 1991 to 1.3 percent in the fall of 1992. 12•13 · With the exception of one library, all provide services and/or equipment designed for persons with disabilities. This inattention to serving persons with learning disabilities is not surpris- ing. In a nationwide survey of academic library services provided for learning- disabled patrons, only 22 percent of the respondents knew the size of their learn- ing-disabled student population, and over 90 percent indicated they had only minimal to moderate knowledge of Serving the Needs of Patrons with Disabilities 21 TABLE2 ALABAMA STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES* All Students Specific Learning Institution with Disabilitiest Disability %of Total* Auburn 325 163 50 Auburn Montgomery 275 68 2~ Jacksonville State 135 61 45 Troy State Dothan 26 2 7 University of Alabama 318 138 43 University of Alabama Birmingham 346 90 26 South Alabama 234 60 27 .. Figures are provided by campus offices serving students with disabilities and are valid for Fall Quarter 1994. t These are actual figures, potential could be greater according to national percentages. ~National figure is 12.2 percent based on the 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. learning disabilities.14 Telephone calls to several Alabama campus offices serving students with disabilities show that many of the students registered with these offices have a specific learning dis- ability (see table 2). A person with a disability is not re- quired to take advantage of a service offered or even disclose the disability. Individuals may not know that they have disabilities, or that they have legal rights because of a disability. As a result, many of the offices that provide services to these students may be working with only a fraction of the disabled popula- tions on their campuses. Alabama li- brarians need to begin identifying the disabled student populations and then to consider how existing services best can be utilized in serving them. Management and Training The management and training section contained questions 6 through 15. These questions examined the units on campus with which the library cooperates (ques- tion 6); as well as funding, cost analyses, planning, and awareness (questions 7 to 11). Questions 12 through 16 concern staffing and training issues. In terms of management and training all the respondents indicated that they cooperate with a variety of other campus entities ranging from the student gov- ernment (low response) to student serv- ices (high response). Eighty percent provide funding for special library serv- ices out of their library budget, yet none have completed cost analyses for pro- viding these services, and only 20 per- cent have prepared planning documents or recommendations regarding these services. This appears to validate the ARL study in which 75 percent of the respondents indicated funding came from the library budget, about 95 per- cent had not done a cost analysis, and only about 27 percent had prepared planning documents.15 Training within Alabama's libraries does happen. Many of the libraries pro- vide some type of training in disability sensitivity for most of the staff who work with the public, including circulation, all public service areas, and library admini- stration. However, only six libraries have assigned a staff member to coordi- nate library services; this person usually spends less than half time on this respon- sibility. Alabama's university libraries need to do a better job in preparing to serve their disabled student populations. First, they should identify the campus officer most responsible for advocating the rights of students with disabilities. All fifteen public universities within Alabama have either a specific office or officer who does this, yet only six of the respondents indi- cated they utilized this person. Second, the librarians need to do evaluations on existing services and cost 22 College & Research Libraries analyses for potential services. Then they must identify alternate sources of additional funding beyond their own budget. In some cases, cost sharing across offices and departments can work. Sometimes service organizations are looking for ways to invest in their communities by donating funds for spe- cific projects. Finally, the libraries need to create a job description that includes the respon- sibility for library service for persons with disabilities. This staff member would communicate with the various campus departments and make recom- mendations to the library administra- tion for planning and training. Space for Specialized Library Services Questions 16 through 19 examine the physical space provided for patrons with disabilities, its location and hours it is available, and the assistance provided within it. Alabama academic libraries are in the process of providing special space for their students with disabilities. Several libraries are under construction or renovation, and their plans include dedicated space for handicapped use. Many have scattered workstations, and one library explicitly stated that integra- tion is its goal. The spaces are available whenever the libraries are open, and as- sistance usually is provided by the refer- ence staff. Services The final section of questions con- cerned services. Policies and procedures were addressed by questions 20 through 23. Adaptive equipment needs were ad- dressed by questions 24 through 27. Written policies for providing library services for the disabled seldom exist. Two institutions have written policies; two others have policies in develop- ment. Auburn University has two sepa- rate statements in its Guide to the Auburn University Libraries and in A Guide to the Ralph Brown Draughon Library. These statements say that "services for users with disabilities are available on an as- needed basis" followed by a contact number.16 Troy State University's un- January 1995 published policy statement "Personal Help for Disabled Patrons" touches briefly on the library staff's responsibili- ties in regards to their students with dis- abilities. Alabama's university libraries need to do a better job in preparing to serve their disabled student populations. Services provided for Alabama stu- dents with disabilities range from the paging of materials from the stacks (about 93 percent) to the recording of textbooks or other reading materials (about 7 percent). Only three libraries give extended loan periods and four give specialized bibliographic instruction. One library responded that it gives spousal checkout privileges, and Ala- bama A & M provides limited signing for the deaf. The University of Alabama has speech-synthesis capabilities available on their OPAC, and Auburn University plans to have this capability available soon. There are a variety of ways in which the libraries communicate with their stu- dents. Almost half (seven) have a sug- gestion box, and only six consult directly with individuals with disabilities. A cou- ple of libraries surveyed their students; many others consulted with other cam- pus offices or professional consultants. The question "Do the blind library pa- trons at your institution use Braille?" elicited some interesting answers. Of the ten written responses, seven either did not know or answered no to the ques- tion. One director replied that "we have had no calls for the Braille dictionary." The dictionary referred to is the Webster's Student Dictionary published in 1968 by the American Printing House for the Blind. It has never been updated, and although it has been superseded by newer mainframe or CD-ROM diction- aries that can be accessed through voice synthesis, there is a growing debate on the need for Braille as a mandatory sub- ject in schools for the visually impaired. Serving the Needs of Patrons with Disabilities 23 In 1989 the number of Braille readers in school was about 12 percent. 17 However, because Braille is becoming as easy to produce through the advancement of microcomputer technology as a taped copy of a book, it is entirely possible that the population of Braille readers will in- crease in colleges and universities across the United States. Library staff members need to identify and communicate with their disabled population in order to provide necessary services and equipment. Equipment and adaptive technolo- gies, in those libraries reporting, range from the reliable hand magnifier to the technologically advanced computer- based scanner I reader. Several of the li- braries that have adaptive equipment report that it is seldom used. Among the reasons for this are a lack of publicity regarding services offered and a lack of knowledge concerning the disabled stu- dent population. Many of the libraries do not provide much in terms of adap- tive technology. The low number of li- braries providing equipment directly relates to the 80 percent which provide funding of services through their own budgets. The state of Alabama has pro- rated its education budget three times in the last ten years. Library budgets have decreased. These budgets in turn con- tinually are being eaten away by rising serial and monographic costs. CONCLUSION It is difficult to draw conclusions from this study. The survey population is ex- tremely small, and is not easily com- pared with existing data from other sources. Alabama librarians are aware of the ADA, but are not sure how to com- ply. More needs to be done within the state in terms of education and training. Library staff members need to identify and communicate with their disabled population in order to provide necessary services and equipment. This survey of Alabama state-sup- ported university libraries poses more questions than it answers. The lack of information on persons with disabilities and academic libraries shows that more studies need to be done. Questions that need to be answered include: Does the institution's age, size, location, and budget affect its accessibility? Are librar- ies in a particular geographic region more accessible than those in another? How does the library director's attitude toward persons with disabilities affect the library's accessibility both physically and attitudinally? Are older libraries less likely to be accessible than newer ones? This was one view of one state's re- sponse to persons with disabilities. How does Alabama compare with other states? The ARL survey is a good starting place, but it only looks at the larger insti- tutions. Are the other libraries comparable to the small, medium, and large libraries surveyed here? After all, there are only two ARL libraries in the state (Auburn Uni- versity and the University of Alabama), and when the ARL survey was done, Auburn was not an ARL member. These questions and others are yet to be answered. A survey of this nature should be done every few years, espe- cially if the ADA is strictly enforced. This initial survey may indicate where Ala- bama's libraries are now, where they are going, and what they have accom- plished. The ADA will not go away; therefore, librarians need to begin the process of complying; if they do not do so voluntarily, it is entirely conceivable that they will be forced to comply legally. :R.EFERENCES AND NOTES 1. James L. Thomas and Carol H. Thomas, Academic Library Facilities and Services for the Handicapped (Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx, 1981), ix. 2. "Services to the Disabled in ARL Libraries," Spec Kit 81 (Washington, D.C.: Association of Research Libraries, Office of Management Studies, 1982), iii-iv. 24 College & Research Libraries January 1995 3. Sue 0. Medina to Dr. William C. Highfill, letter, Nov. 3, 1993. 4. The institutions surveyed are Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University, Alabama State University, Auburn University, Auburn University at Montgomery, Jacksonville State Uni- versity, Livingston University, Troy State University, Troy State University at Dothan, Troy State University in Montgomery, The University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Alabama in Huntsville, University of Montevallo, University of North Alabama, University of South Alabama. 5. Joseph P. Shapiro, No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement (New York: Times Books, 1993), 175. 6. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Profile of Handicapped Students in Postsecondary Education, 1987 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1989), 5. 7. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 1989 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1989), 190. 8. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 1992, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1992), 195. 9. Laura F. Rothstein, "Campuses and the Disabled," Chronicle of Higher Education (Sept. 4, 1991): B3. 10. Ibid., B10. 11. Eric L. Dey, Alexander W. Astin, and WilliamS. Korn, The American Freshman: Twenty-Five Year Trends (Los Angeles: Cooperative Institutional Research Program, University of Cali- fornia, 1991), 101. 12. Alexander W. Astin, and others, The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall of 1991 (Los Angeles: Cooperative Institutional Research Program, University of California, 1991), 18. 13. Eric L. Dey, and others, The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall of 1992 (Los Angeles: Cooperative Institutional Research Program, University of California, 1992), 16. 14. Julia Gustafson and Kerry Langan, "Academic Library Services and the Learning Disabled College Student," Library Services for the Learning Disabled, (Buffalo, N.Y.: The Western New York Library Resources Council, June 8, 1990). Reprint ERIC ED333899, 9-10. 15. "Library Services for Persons with Disabilities," Spec Kit 176 (Washington, D.C.: Association of Research Management, Office of Management Services, 1991), 5. 16. A Guide to the Auburn University Libraries (Auburn, Ala.: Auburn University Libraries, 1993) and A Guide to the Ralph Brown Draughon Library (Auburn, Ala.: Auburn University Libraries, 1993). 17. Karen De Witt, "How Best to Teach the Blind: A Growing Battle over Braille," New York Times, May 12, 1991, sec. 2, p. 1, col. 4. APPENDIX A SURVEY "Library Services for Persons with Disabilities," SPEC Kit 176. Washington, D.C.: Association of Research Libraries, Office of Management Services, 1991. Used with permission of the Association of Research Libraries Office of Management Services, Washington, D.C. GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Does the library have/provide services and/or equipment designed for persons with disabilities? Yes No 2. In your opinion, has the use of the library by patrons with disabilities increased in the past five years? Yes No Serving the Needs of Patrons with Disabilities 25 If YES, why do you think that this has happened? (Use back of sheet, if necessary.) Increased enrollment of students with disabilities _ Library providing more services; also better promotion of services _ Improved services on campus encourages more students to attend and to identify themselves _University actively recruiting; outreach service _ Universitywide promotion and awareness of services _Changing attitudes of persons with disabilities; more independent; greater awareness of legal rights _ Mainstreaming resulting in more students academically prepared to attend university _ Increased publicity and use of library in general _More (and better) adaptive equipment available 3. Does the library have a checklist for building accessibility? Please provide a copy of the checklist. Yes No 4. Indicate areas in which the library has made improvements in library accessibility for patrons with disabilities during the past five years. (Check all that apply.) _Elimination of physical barriers _Addition of specialized equipment/ adaptive technologies _ Adding specialized library services _ Staff devoted to providing library service for patrons with disabilities _Other (please explain) 5. Which disabilities are specifically addressed through specialized library services? (Check all that apply.) _Blind and visually impaired _ Deaf and hearing impaired _Learning disabled _Physically impaired _Other (please specify) MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING 6. With which other units on campus does the library cooperate or coordinate in providing specialized services? (Check all that apply.) Office for Disabled Students Student Services _ Computer Center _ Counseling Center _ Learning Center _ Not applicable Student Government _ Oth.er (please specify) 7. What is/ are the source(s) of funding for providing special library services for patrons with disabilities? (Check all that apply.) _ Library budget _ Other campus office Office for Disabled Students Office of Student Affairs _ Physical Plant _Office of Equal Opportunity _Gifts/ endowments _Grant(s) _Agency _Other (please specify) 26 College & Research Libraries January 1995 8. Has the library completed cost analyses for providing specialized services? If budgetary documents are available, please provide copies. Yes No 9. Has the library prepared planning documents, project reports, or lists of recommendations concerning library services for patrons with disabilities? (Please provide a copy of these documents.) Yes No 10. Is the library (or any other unit on campus) taking steps to heighten awareness among library faculty and staff of the special needs of library patrons with disabilities? (Include sample materials and/ or other information.) Yes No 11. Does the library (or any other unit on campus) provide the staff with specific instructions for assisting patrons with disabilities in the event of an emergency? (Please provide copy of instructions.) Yes No 12. Who conducts training for library staff in providing specialized services and in the use of equipment designed for use by persons with disabilities? (Check all that apply.) Librarians Disabled Students Office Vendors Persons with disabilities Vocational rehabilitation _No training provided at this time Other 13. Who attends these training sessions? (Check all that apply.) _Circulation Department _ Reference Department _ Librarians in C!.ll public service areas _ Support staff in all public service areas Patrons with disabilities Student assistants Other 14. Does the library have a librarian or staff member who coordinates library services for patrons with disabilities? Please provide a position description. Yes No 15. If yes, indicate the amount of time this employee devotes to this responsibility: Full-time Half-time Other SPACE FOR SPECIALIZED LIBRARY SERVICES 16. What space does the library set aside specifically for library services for those with disabili- ties? Please provide floor diagrams showing square footage and placement of furnishing and equipment. _Separate room(s) Scattered individual workstations _Dedicated space within a larger room _None (please skip to question 20) Serving the Needs of Patrons with Disabilities 27 17. What is the location of the room/ space for specialized library services? _ Main library _ Branch library All libraries 18. What are the hours of operation for this area? (Check all that apply.) _Same hours of operation as the library _ Monday-Friday, business hours _Monday-Friday, evenings _Evenings Other 19. Who provides assistance for patrons using space set aside for patrons with disabilities? SERVICES 20. Does the library have written policies for providing library services for the disabled? Please provide a copy of these policies. Yes No Other 21. Have the policies for providing services for library patrons with disabilities been revised in the past five years? Yes No If yes, in what way have the policies been changed? 22. Does the library provide for patrons a statement on and/ or a description of specialized library services available in the library? Please provide a copy of such documents. Yes No 23. Which of the following library services for persons with disabilities are provided by the library? (Check all that apply.) _Paging of materials from the stacks _ Looking up material in library catalog _ Photocopy service _ Accessible public telephones _ Telephone renewals _ Accessible photocopiers _ Telephone requests _ Specialized bibliographic instruction Referral services _ Delivery service _ Extended loan periods _ Reading to the blind _ Recording of textbooks or other reading materials _Giving examinations _ Signing with the deaf/hearing impaired Other 24. Is the library's online catalog equipped with: Print enlargement? _Yes_ No In all libraries? Speech synthesis?_ Yes_ No In all libraries? Other 28 College & Research Libraries January 1995 25. Do the blind library patrons at your institution use Braille? 26. In what ways does the library communicate with patrons with disabilities concerning ways the library might be more effective in serving their informational needs? (Check all that apply.) Consultations with individuals with disabilities _ Suggestion box _Advisory committee (staff and disabled) _Survey _Workshops Consultation with Office for Disabled Students _ Consultation with other campus offices _Written correspondence with those who self-identify Consultations with vendors _Consultations with professional ADA consultants 27. What specialized equipment or adaptive technologies are available in the library for use by patrons with disabilities? How often is this equipment used? (Check all that apply.) Please include a list of specialized equipment/ adaptive technologies (including manufacturer) available in the library. _ Reading machine _ Screen enlargement _ Cassette tape recorder _Hand magnifier _ Tape recorder (variable speech) _ Braille typewriter CCTV _TTY/TDD _ Talking calculator _ Speech synthesis _ Reel-to-reel tape recorder _ Braille printer _ Typewriter, large print Tactile reader _Page turner Hand held scanner Other GENERAL COMMENTS Heavily used 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 · 0 0 0 Seldom used 0 0 .0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Please include any additional comments about library service for persons with disabilities on the back of this sheet.