Meeting Patrons Where They Are: Incorporating Adaptive/Assistive Technology In Libraries (11)

Friends wonder why I use the closed captioning feature every time I watch a DVD.  I tell them my reason is twofold:  first of all, I watch a lot of movies with my favorite actor, British champion diver-turned-action hero, Jason Statham.  So as not to miss any of his witty, funny lines, I have to read as well as listen to what he is saying. Also, I can remember his lines better (and later quote them like I usually do) if take them in in a bimodal manner. This different way of processing information is only one of the many important things that has to be taken into account when dealing with patrons in our libraries.

Universal design is the idea that resources, spaces and places are created to be equitably accessible to people with and without disabilities. Just like I have a particular way of getting what I want or need, library patrons deserve to have things in place that enable them to make the most of their visits.  Putting that concept in the context of my school library makes me all the more determined to save enough money or secure donations to get smaller and more comfortable chairs for the primary students who visit the library. I have arranged the tables and chairs in such a way to make navigation through the room easy and safe for everyone. Signs are printed in large letters and numbers so children who wear glasses and those who have not yet been diagnosed with vision concerns can see and read them.  The large, remote-controlled screen and projector combination provides audio and visual reinforcement for students. Audio books, bilingual books and online translation services support all of my students, especially my English Language Learners, or ELLs.

Equally as important as meeting my students’ physical and academic needs in the library is understanding how circumstances at home may prevent them from participating in activities vital to their overall success. There should be no surprise that even in this technological age when it seems like "everyone we know is online”, there is a portion of my students who do not have computers and/or Internet access at home. Because of this and the very few computers in each classroom, students with their teachers’ permission are allowed to freely come in the library (even when I have a class) to search our school’s OPAC or to do other computer-based activities.

Just the other day, I was asked why libraries are still so important because “everything is online now. You don’t really need books; you can get everything from the computer.”  I told the curious man that libraries offer countless resources, other than books, including librarians ourselves, who can guide people to information that they would have never known about. Furthermore, job seekers, high school and college students and people who could not otherwise afford to pay depend on Internet access and the constant, free support system (e.g., human beings) that accompanies it.