In recent years, government agencies have worked to make digital services more inclusive and accessible, with the recognition that government organizations play an important role in making information available to all constituents. Libraries, specifically, have moved beyond book rentals and computer labs in recent years, focusing instead on technology offerings and similar things.
SLCL’s new accessibility tools, purchased through a donation from the Winnefred A. Lesandrini Trust, aim to help the community the library serves by removing barriers to access, SLCL Director and CEO Kristen Sorth said.
“We always like to turn people’s view of a public library upside down,” Sorth said.
The library will now offer several tools to support this population.
Image credit: Lucas Peterson
First, it will now offer Visual Accessibility Kits for a 21-day checkout, which will be available at all 20 county library branches. These kits include: 1) a portable, handheld video magnifier with a 5-megapixel, auto-focus camera; 2) an adjustable LED lamp allowing users to optimize light color temperature and brightness level settings; and 3) an LED angled, handheld magnifier.
Image credit: Lucas Peterson
The specialized technology items are intended to help create a greater understanding and awareness of technologies available to support people with visual impairments, Sorth said. There will likely be another lottery in the future, but the first was designed to gauge interest and demand levels for the tools, she explained: “But I think the goal is ultimately to figure out a way to make these available for checkout.”
Currently, all of the accessibility kits have already been checked out. As for the lottery, there were more than 20 initial applicants. The library will, however, be working with community partners, including nonprofit organizations and even local eye doctor businesses, Sorth said, to increase community awareness and future turnout.
The Missouri Assistive Technology Department helped SLCL determine which tools and technologies would be most impactful for patrons, the library director said.
SLCL will be collecting feedback from patrons to better understand how they found out about the available accessibility tools, and their user experience with the specialized items. This will help inform the library about whether the right tools were made available, Sorth said, and could help patrons determine whether to purchase these items for themselves.
The entire donation from the trust has not yet been spent, as the library wanted to ensure some of it could be used after receiving initial feedback.
“Libraries are so great about collecting feedback and data on everything,” Sorth said. “And we want to make sure that we are using the dollars from the trust in the best possible way, so we definitely want to get feedback.”
Library officials are already hoping to add more accessibility kits to be checked out for home use, Sorth said. She acknowledged the benefits of having devices available for use at libraries, but underlined the value of patrons being able to bring them home: “if they want to read in bed or curl up on the couch or whatever and read a book, they should get to do that in their own home with the use of this technology.”
As is the case with other Library of Things offerings, SLCL has someone managing the collection who can demonstrate these new technology offerings to patrons.
