Serving the library needs of students with physical disabilities
| Published date | 01 January 1996 |
| Date | 01 January 1996 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb047978 |
| Pages | 37-40 |
| Author | Marilyn Graubart |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
SERVING THE LIBRARY NEEDS OF STUDENTS
WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
Marilyn Graubart
INTRODUCTION
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)
is one of four campuses of the University of Missouri
(UM).
As an urban university, it is committed to
serving the needs of urban society. It provides under-
graduate, professional, and graduate schools, and the
university's catalog states UMKC's dedication to public
service related to community needs and resources. The
University Library's vision statement calls for service
supporting the information resources needs of UMKC
and the community. In the past two years, the library
has pursued fulfillment of this mission by offering
improved service to students,
staff,
and community
users with disabilities.
In the past several years, the library has increased
its
use of automated reference resources. This includes
a universitywide online catalog to the UM libraries'
book and journal collections, numerous CD-ROM and
online periodical indexes to materials located in
libraries all over the world, and multimedia reference
publications such as encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Each student attending UMKC pays a computer fee
based on the number of credit hours for which he or
she is registered. These funds are monitored by a
campus computer student fee committee. The libraries
have been awarded funds
to
provide
access to
electronic
information resources for students by this committee.
Two adaptive technology workstations with software
and peripheral equipment to be used by students with
vision disabilities also were provided to the campus
main library—the Miller Nichols Library—by this com-
mittee. Currently, one workstation is for patrons with
no vision and the other one is for patrons with limited
vision. In addition to the computers that allow access
to the library's CD-ROM network and online catalog,
there is a scanner, a speech synthesizer, a Braille
printer, and a regular printer.
In the spring of 1993, two librarians in the Miller
Nichols Library reference department received a "diver-
sity grant" for $10,000 from the campus to offer ad-
ditional library services to UMKC patrons with special
needs.
This included international students, persons
with disabilities, and racial and ethnic minority stu-
dents.
The grant had three objectives: 1) to improve
the ability of students to conduct library research in-
dependently by expanding the library instruction pro-
gram to better serve the needs of persons with physical
disabilities, international students, and racial and ethnic
minorities; 2) to improve library services by increasing
the sensitivity and understanding of the library staff
toward persons with physical disabilities, international
students, and racial and ethnic minorities; and 3) to
improve access to information and to enhance the
library's collection to better serve persons with physical
disabilities. This article will concentrate on the grant
activities concerning persons with physical disabilities.
PHASE
I: STAFF SENSITIVITY TRAINING
The staff sensitivity training program began in the
fall of 1994 with the presentation of workshops for all
full-time staff of
the
Miller Nichols Library. UMKC's
counseling center staff conducted the workshops. The
two reference librarians directing the diversity grant
had an initial meeting with the director and assistant
director of the counseling center in July 1994, and
Graubart is
business reference librarian, University
of Missouri-Kansas City, Miller Nichols Library, Kansas
City, Missouri.
— SERVING THE LIBRARY NEEDS OF STUDENTS — ISSUE 53
—
14:1 (1996) 37
To continue reading
Request your trial