Accessibility at WSU Libraries

WSU Libraries is committed to ensuring that our services and programs are accessible to all patrons. This is achieved in part by

  • Acquiring accessible technology
  • Advocating for resources to enable us to better serve all patrons
  • Participating in campus communities and events dedicated to advancing accessibility
  • Training staff and student workers to better assist patrons with disabilities

Physical assistive technology

We have three computer setups at accessible workstations equipped with

  • Motorized height-adjustable desks
  • High contrast keyboard

Ask at the circulation desk for a trackball mouse and headphones.

The public computers include Windows 11 accessibility features, which can be adjusted through the Ease of Access shortcut on the desktop.

Terrell Library has a 24″ Merlin HD Ultra screen magnifier on the 1st floor in the Reference area – see Magnifier PDF manual

Owen Library has a 20” Merlin HD screen magnifier on the 1st floor – see Magnifier PDF manual

Locations of Accessible Workstations & Screen Magnifiers

Map of Holland and Terrell first floor with screen magnifier by reference desk and accessible media station through doors entering Holland
Accessible Technology in Holland/Terrell, 1st Floor
Map of Owen first floor with accessible workstation and screen magnifier straight through the front door
Accessible Technology in Owen, First Floor

Digital Accessibility

Libraries Websites

Washington State University Libraries is committed to maintaining an accessible website which meets the Level AA conformance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. 

We use automated accessibility evaluation tools and manually check pages to evaluate and continuously improve our current website. We work with our vendors to encourage them to do the same.

All our web properties are subject to Washington State University Web Accessibility Policies: Executive Policy #7 and BPPM 85.55.

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of this website. If you have any questions, suggestions, or complaints, feel free to contact us. 

Licensed Resources

Many of the WSU Libraries electronic resources, including databases, eBook collections, and the libraries managed discovery service (Search It @ WSU), are made available to the WSU community through license agreements with publishers and software providers. The WSU Libraries is not able to fully control the level of accessibility of resources provided through 3rd party providers we work closely with them and with colleagues across the Libraries community to advocate for the highest levels of accessibility. We request WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, at a minimum, in all license negotiations.

If you have a question about a particular library vendor platform or electronic resource one place to start is the list maintained by the Library Accessibility Alliance (https://libraryaccessibility.org). The Library Accessibility Alliance contracts with third-party, independent accessibility consulting companies to perform high-level accessibility evaluation based on WCAG 2.1 AA. The Alliance maintains a growing list of over 120 e-resource reports that can be accessed from their website. In addition to this resource, the WSU Libraries has collected the most recent (as of October 2025) accessibility statements or vendor supplied VPATs on our libguide about digital accessibility.

Digitized Collections

The Washington State University Libraries Digital Collections includes rare and unique materials digitized (or converted from analog to digital form) by the WSU Libraries. The materials cover the academic history of WSU and cultural heritage of Washington state and the Palouse region. The collections include images, documents, audio recordings, and moving image materials. If you have difficulty accessing Digital Collections materials, please contact us at mascref@wsu.edu and let us know. We will provide you with an accessible version or otherwise work to address your concerns.

Statement of partial conformance due to third parties 

On our webpages, we provide links and access to third parties, such as database vendors, or links that provide educational content.  We strive to conform to WCAG 2.1 at level AA, and when we are informed of accessibility issues, we contact the third parties to inform them of the issue.  When vendors or third parties refuse to cooperate, we prefer to remove them from our collection. 

If you notice an accessibility issue, please contact us.

Additional information for specific libraries resources

University accessibility resources