4-Week eCourse - Asynchronous

Individuals with disabilities are an important part of the communities our libraries serve. In this course, you will learn how to make your library accessible for patrons with disabilities and how to foster an inclusive community that is welcoming and engaging for these patrons. Through a combination of discussions, assignments, and projects that are tailored to the needs of your library, you will not only expand your understanding of accessibility and inclusion but will also develop a collection of tools that you can implement at your library.

This course is designed for anyone who is interested in making their library more inclusive for patrons with disabilities and will be particularly relevant for library managers and public services staff.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course the participant will be able to:

Conduct successful outreach to patrons with disabilities, including communicating effectively with individuals with disabilities and developing accessible outreach materials.

Develop training documents and best practices/policies for staff at their libraries to ensure consistently high-quality service for patrons with disabilities.

Evaluate the accessibility of existing spaces and services and make improvements with low or no budget.

Who Should Attend

This course will be useful and relevant for all library staff interested in improving accessibility and fostering inclusion of patrons with disabilities. It will be particularly relevant to library managers and public services staff at all types of libraries, including public, academic, government, and specialized libraries.

Limited seating - priority will be given to SEFLIN members.  If your library is not a member of SEFLIN and you do not have an individual SEFLIN account please create an account at seflin.org.  Individuals need to FIRST have a SEFLIN account to then register on the wait-list HERE.  (Please make sure you refresh your browser after opening an account.)  We will grant first come first serve access if seats remain available. 

About the Presenter

Carli Spina is the Head Librarian of Assessment and Outreach at the Boston College Libraries. She holds a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, an MLIS from Simmons GSLIS, and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has served as the chair LITA's Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the leaders of ASCLA's Library Services to Persons with Print Disabilities Interest Group, as well as serving as a coordinator for services to patrons with disabilities at a library. She frequently presents, teaches, and writes about accessibility, inclusion, Universal Design, user experience, copyright, and technology in libraries.

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