Accessible Resources, Spaces and Services

The University of Alberta Library strives, in collaboration with our users and partners, to provide services, spaces, and resources that are accessible to persons with a wide range of abilities, respecting their dignity and independence as they pursue their learning and research.

Accessing Libraries and Library Materials

• The U of A Library has multiple locations. Visit our Location Accessibility page for detailed accessibility information for each location.
• You can place a request for books and other physical materials to be retrieved for you using the ‘Place Hold’ function in the library catalogue, or you can Ask Us for assistance.

Accessibility Software

• The U of A Library has an e-preferred collection policy, and a large proportion of library resources, including books and journals, are available only in online formats.
• All library locations provide access to Windows workstations with the following software installed:
  • ZoomText: screen magnification software with text-to-speech
  • Kurzweil 3000: text-to-speech software
  • JAWS: text-to-speech software

HathiTrust Digital Library

• HathiTrust is a partnership of academic and research institutions offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world.
• U of A students who have a print disability and are registered with Accessibility Resources can receive special access to full-text, digital copies of in-copyright materials found in the HathiTrust Digital Library.

Steps for Students to Request HathiTrust Materials

Access to the Internet Archive Collections for users with Print Disabilities

The Internet Archive includes a very large collection (more than 1.9 million) of in-copyright books that can be borrowed online by users with a perceptual disability. The University of Alberta is registered as a “qualifying authority” and can grant access to this collection for its users. https://archive.org/details/printdisabled?sort=-reviewdate . This collection includes many titles not visible to other Internet Archive users, and authorized users do not need to join a waitlist to view any of the items.

Steps to become an Authorized User of the Internet Archives

Additional Services for Users with Visual Disabilities

Edmonton Public Library provides a range of special services and adaptive technologies to support people with visual disabilities, including large print books, DAISY books, and descriptive videos/DVDs with added narration for people with visual disabilities.

As a public library, they also provide access to the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA), a service that provides reading materials in accessible formats to people with print disabilities. In addition, they provide access to the National Network for Equitable Library Service, an online public library of over 10,000 titles for people with print disabilities.