Accessibility in libraries during the Corona crisis

Abstract

The VÖB working group "Accessibility in Libraries", which was founded in 2020, designed a survey that focused on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on accessibility in libraries. An online questionnaire was designed that asked about how libraries were dealing with the pandemic, impacts on organization and infrastructure, legal frameworks, and also readers' testimonials. Over 100 librarians from German-speaking countries took part in the survey, which was analyzed using SPSS statistical software. It revealed deficits that existed before the pandemic, but also improvements that the pandemic had only just set in motion, such as accessible online media for people with visual impairments or library services such as training courses that took place as online services. People with mobility or visual impairments and good digital IT infrastructure were able to make the best use of the digital accessible services and benefited the most from the adaptations. The vast majority of participants also stated that they would continue to be very interested in the topic of accessibility in libraries in the future.