Engaging with Vendors on E-Resource Accessibility

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Two-day E-Learning Forum | September 16 & 17, 2025 | Follow instructions to register

The updated ADA regulations that affect every Title II institution are rapidly approaching. How do we engage with vendors to ensure that accessibility needs are clearly communicated on both sides?

Accessibility is a timely topic, as Title II institutions and libraries prepare their electronic resources for the updated ADA regulations that are coming up (for many of us) in April 2026, and international legislation has already affected some electronic resources. Come to discuss how we’re all preparing our libraries and e-resources for the new regulations. How has communication with vendors changed? How do we ensure that communication provides both parties with what they need to ensure accessible e-resources for the end users?

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this e-Forum, attendees will be able to:

• Engage with library workers on the topic of the new ADA Title II regulations;
• Talk about and discover productive ways of discussing accessibility needs and requirements with library vendors; and
• Develop skills for keeping accessibility and user experience at the forefront in all stages of the electronic resource management lifecycle

Who Should Attend: Anyone interested in the topic!

Moderators:

Jessica D. Gilbert Redman, MLIS, is the Online Resources & Services Librarian at the School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) Library Resources at the University of North Dakota. Jessica streamlines access to library databases, services, and systems for users of SMHS Library Resources, which includes students, employees, and volunteer faculty of both SMHS and the College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines. She also oversees the acquisitions, licensing, and maintenance of all e-resources at SMHS Library Resources, which is a digital-only library. Her focus of interest is accessibility of library resources and how librarians can work to make the user experience of those resources seamless. She lives in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with her spouse, Neal, and their rambunctious Siamese cat, Ronan.

Cody Hackett is the Director of Continuing Resources and Licensing at the University of Arkansas Libraries. He leads a team responsible for managing the full lifecycle of electronic and continuing resources, from negotiation and licensing to discovery and access. Cody specializes in streamlining workflows, aligning resource management with strategic priorities, and advancing licensing practices that reflect both user needs and institutional values. Cody is particularly interested in licensing frameworks, negotiation strategy, and the evolving intersection of libraries and scholarly publishing. He lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and is pursuing graduate work in strategic leadership and management.

Tonia Graves, MLS, MA, is the Resource Discovery Librarian at Old Dominion University Libraries in Norfolk, Va. She serves the university community by managing operations, and processes involved with electronic resource management including providing successful experiences for all library users. She specializes in streamlining access to scholarly resources and advancing user-centered discovery strategies. Tonia has a graduate level certificate in Program Planning and Contract Management from Old Dominion University’s Strome College of Business and a Certificate in User Experience for Libraries from Library Juice Academy. Her research interests include understanding differences in information seeking behavior, understanding how discovery services impact library users and staff, and using project management principles in an academic library.
 

How to Participate:

e-Forums are two-day, moderated, electronic discussion forums that provide an opportunity for librarians and library professionals to discuss matters of interest on an email discussion list. These discussions are free and available to anyone who wishes to subscribe to the email list.

To participate, subscribe to the list by sending an email to core-eforum+subscribe@groups.io. Your message can be empty. Your request will be approved within 1-2 business days. You will receive a welcome email from groups.io with instructions on how to create a user account to manage your notification settings.

If you have question, need assistance, or would like to propose an e-Forum topic, please write to core-eforum+help@groups.io.

Training Provider for this Event: ALA

Track: Accessibility