Reflect to Renew: Improving the Accessibility of Your Library’s Public Spaces

Session Format:
This interactive immersion session will feature a panel discussion, a game with audience response, and small group discussion.

Objective:
In this session, participants will discuss accessibility in health sciences library physical spaces and will learn how to improve the accessibility of their own library physical spaces.


Methods:
A panel of librarians will share expertise on accessibility in library public services and will share advice on how to advocate for more accessible spaces. Attendees will play a game designed to help identify areas of accessibility improvement in a variety of library settings. Participants will also have an opportunity discuss within small groups their own experiences and/or success stories with improving accessibility in their library spaces.

Participant Engagement:
Participants will be actively engaged throughout this session through large and small group interactions and through an interactive game. The small group discussions will include prompts meant to provide an opportunity for participant reflection and brainstorming on their own library spaces. The game will involve pictures of library spaces that participants will be asked to identify as many potential accessibility “issues” that they can find within a set time period. Game facilitators will offer feedback and their own “answers” after each round of the game.


Learning Objectives:

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• define and identify what accessibility is in comparison to ADA compliance

• identify common areas where accessibility can be improved in library spaces

• share challenges and solutions to making library public spaces more accessible

Sponsors: Accessibility and Disability Caucus and Public Services Caucus