Resource Discovery and Universal Access: Understanding Enablers and Barriers from the User Perspective

Resource discovery tools are the keys to explore, find, and retrieve resources from multitudes of collections hosted by library and information systems. Modern resource discovery tools provide facet-rich interfaces that provide multiple alternatives to expose resources for their potential users and help them navigate to the resources they need. This paper examines one of those tools from the perspective of universal access, utilizing the experience of users with print disability. It aimed at exploring the way print disabled users use library search tools, the barriers they might face in the process, and what needs to be considered in order to implement discovery tools that incorporate the needs of users with print disability. Interviews that involved user testing were made with selected group of users. The data obtained in the process was analyzed and compared against the existing body of knowledge to forward design recommendations for future endeavors.