Shenandoah University Libraries are committed to providing inclusive access to resources and services for all university community members, including:
electronic resources that are compliant with World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 and
accommodations to library users with disabilities when requested through Student Support Services.
Reference and instructional services are available in person, by phone, through the Ask Us service (chat and email), and on Zoom.
The library’s research guides, FAQs, and Ask Us ticketing system are hosted in the LibApps system by Springshare. Springshare designs and develops its products with high standards of accessibility in mind. Read more about accessibility measures in LibApps here. We incorporate best practices for accessibility into our local digital design and development.
All tutorial videos are fully captioned. Closed captioning is available for research consultations and instruction sessions delivered via Zoom.
We ask that classroom faculty, when scheduling classes with instruction librarians, please let us know if your class includes students who need accommodations for lectures and/or in-class activities.
SU Libraries online catalog, WorldCat Discovery, has been tested and found to work with assistive technologies. Click here for accessibility information from OCLC, which develops and hosts WorldCat Discovery, in addition to library user account pages, interlibrary loan request forms, hold request forms, and course reserve pages.
The library prioritizes the acquisition of e-resources that meet current accessibility standards. Closed captioning is available in all of the library’s streaming video collections. PDF full-text files are searchable and machine readable, and the free Adobe Reader includes a Read Out Loud feature. Additionally, some library databases include a text-to-speech option for HTML full-text articles and ebook sections. Library staff can provide additional information about specific vendors upon request.
To request that a book be retrieved from the collection for you, you may click “Place Hold” on the item’s record in the online catalog. If you need additional assistance, please contact the Circulation desk at (540) 665-5424 or help@su.libanswers.com.
Alson H. Smith Library meets most requirements for wheelchair access, with an accessible entrance, elevator access to all floors, restrooms, and individual and group study space. Please notify library staff if you require assistance with accessing a particular library space. We comply with university guidelines on accommodations, including the use of service animals.
Library events are free and open to Shenandoah University students, faculty and staff. To request accommodations, please contact (540) 665-5424 or help@su.libanswers.com as early as possible in advance of the event.
Scans provided by the Shenandoah ILL department are PDFs, most with baseline Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Scans delivered by other libraries may have lower standards. If you receive a file with poor or missing OCR, or with any other issues, please contact us at (540) 665-5424 or help@su.libanswers.com. Library staff can work with you to obtain library materials in a format that works for you.
To learn about the NLS and additional services available to all who have a disability that prevents them from reading regular print, please visit this page from the Library of Congress.
We are actively working to improve the accessibility and usability of our services. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us at (540) 665-5424 or help@su.libanswers.com.