Exploring Accessibility Practices in Institutional Repositories

Abstract

Institutional repositories (IRs) provide open access and availability to research and scholarship. One area that needs improvement is ensuring the accessibility of this digital content to people with disabilities. In the fall of 2019, a team of librarians from six universities and organizations administered a survey to better understand current practices in this area and gauge the current landscape of accessibility efforts in IRs. The specific focus of this project looked at accessibility to the digital content itself stored in the repository, rather than the repository platform. This presentation discusses the key findings from the survey, lessons learned, and potential next steps. In addition to presenting our findings, we hope to gather feedback and suggestions from the community.