Accessibility statement for webpages and resources provided by the University Library

This accessibility statement applies to the University Library webpages provided by the University of Wolverhampton, as well as third party services and content accessed via the Library webpages.

The Library resources are an integral part of study, research and work at the University of Wolverhampton. Therefore, the content is designed to be easy for everyone to find, access and use. 

Getting the best from your device

We want as many people as possible to be able to use Library services and access information on Library webpages and systems.  For example, that means you should be able to:

  • change contrast levels
  • navigate most Library webpages using just a keyboard
  • navigate most Library webpages using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the information on Library webpages using a screen reader

It is important before accessing University of Wolverhampton Library webpages that you are aware of the settings available for your hardware, such as laptop computer or mobile devices, including smart phones or tablets.  These devices have individual accessibility settings that will help you access content, including Library content.  Depending upon your choice of internet browser or mobile smart device operating system, there are further settings to help you access our content.  Such settings may include the ability to change colours, contrast and the size of text and images.

You can find useful advice on making your device easier to use by visiting AbilityNet, which provides step-by-step guides to making individual adjustments to your laptop, tablet or smart phone.  The University also provides a number of assistive software products (e.g. Virtual Magnifying Glass, ssOverlay) as part of its Apps Anywhere software repository.

We know some parts of the Library webpages are not fully accessible:

  • you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text
  • most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
  • some navigational headings do not convey a heading style
  • some images are missing a description or alternative text
  • navigating with a keyboard may be difficult because of a chat-box window
  • zooming on this webpage may mean that not all of the content follows in sync
  • navigational elements may be difficult to distinguish due to minimal contrast
  • structural elements of the webpage may impact upon accessing content when using a screen reader.

If you need information about this website or this accessibility statement in a different format, please:

We’ll consider your request and get back to you within three working days.

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of the Library webpages.  If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: itsupport@wlv.ac.uk.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).  If you have contacted us about an accessibility issue relating to our online content and you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

We consider digital accessibility a key part of our approach to being the University of Opportunity and we want you to be able to use our services in a way that supports a positive learning experience.

The University of Wolverhampton is committed to making its Library webpages accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

The Library webpages are partially compliant with the  Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard; the non-compliances are listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Headings

The audit of the Library web-based content found that some of the navigational headings did not convey a heading style, this means that for some people, accessing the content and trying to navigate the content may be more difficult, especially if using screen readers or navigating using the keyboard. 

We will amend heading elements as we find them.  Please contact itsupport@wlv.ac.uk if you find headings that do not enable easy access to our content.

Text alternatives: non-text content

Some of the images used on the Library webpages may not have fully descriptive explanations or alternative text; an example of where this can be found is in some of the header banners.  Not having descriptions or alternative text can impact upon the effectiveness of screen readers or other assistive devices.

Our website may hold images that are purely decorative, and these do not require descriptive or alternative text.

We will amend text alternatives as we find them.  Please contact itsupport@wlv.ac.uk if you find a content that does not have fully descriptive elements or alternative text.

Navigating with a keyboard

Whilst our audit found that most of the Library services website had a logical structure that could aid navigation, it also found that a pop-up called ‘Ask the Library’ could not be hidden with the keyboard once it appeared and that this may cause an accessibility issue.   It was also found that when trying to navigate whilst tabbing through the sites, it may not be easy to identify your position on the page.

We aim to fix this issue as part of a larger review of our digital offer.  Please contact itsupport@wlv.ac.uk if you find a content that does not allow you to navigate with your keyboard.

Zooming into access content

Some content within the Library sites may not follow the rest of the content when zooming in.  Being able to zoom into content whilst maintaining contrast is one way that some people with visual disabilities can access content.

We aim to fix this issue as part of a larger review of our digital offer.    Please contact itsupport@wlv.ac.uk if you find headings that do not enable easy access to our content.

Distinguishable: contrast (minimum)

Some of the Library pages contain contrast errors for both text and navigational elements as aligned to its background.  Low contrast means that some people with visual disabilities may find the text difficult to read, especially for people with colour vision deficiency or hyperopia (farsightedness).  Contrast errors in navigational elements of the website may impact upon the ease with which to navigate to other content.

We aim to fix this issue as part of a larger review of our digital offer.  Please contact itsupport@wlv.ac.uk if you find content that is hard to distinguish. 

Structure

Our audit found that at times, the html coded the structure of the website in a way that was not the most suitable for style it was trying to convey.  A good example of this is that the html tag <DIV> was used to set the boundaries for a list, which normally would have the tag <ol>.  This means that for people who rely on these tags to navigate the website, there may be content that is not easy to navigate.

We aim to fix this issue as part of a larger review of our digital offer.  Please contact itsupport@wlv.ac.uk if you find content that you feel does not follow a logical structure.  

PDFs and other documents

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.  Some of the Library webpages may contain such content.  If you are having problems accessing this information, please consider visiting AbilityNet where you can find useful advice on making your device more easy to use.  Please contact us if you are unable to access this information.

Third party systems and content

The Library website also acts as a gateway to a number of third party systems or links to other resources that may also contain third-party content that we are not able to control or develop and therefore have no responsibility for.

Third party services which can be accessed through the Library website are listed below, along with a link to accessibility information provided from the suppliers of each service, where possible.

Leganto Reading List System provided by Leganto from Ex Libris. The Leganto platform is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard

Detailed accessibility information for Leganto.

Library Search provided by Primo from Ex Libris. Primo is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

Detailed accessibility information for Primo.

ASSIST provided by provided by LibAnswers from Springshare. The LibAnswers platform is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

Springshare Accessibility updates

Third party electronic resources

The Library’s online collections of e-journals, e-books and other resources are provided by third party publishers and vendors and hosted on their platforms, we do not design or control these directly.

The majority of platforms offer a good level of accessibility and typically have a user accessibility statement with further information.

Accessibility is a key consideration for us when we make decisions about purchasing digital content.

For any of the third party products that you may issues with accessing, you may be also be able to find accessibility statements in searchBOX.  This is a free, comprehensive directory created by textbox to support accessible content.  The University is not affiliated with searchBOX and is not responsible for its content.

If you find any of our Library resources hard to access, then please contact the Library team at library@wlv.ac.uk directly for help.

The Library also provides other support and facilities designed to make accessing our services easier.

This statement was prepared on 16 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 11 September 2020.

The Library webpages were last tested on 15th August 2020.  The test was carried out by members of staff within the Library at the University of Wolverhampton within the period 11th-28th August 2020.  We audited a range of Library webpages that reflect the breadth of access that students and staff will normally make at the University of Wolverhampton.