Designing LibGuides with accessibility in mind helps ensure that all patrons can effectively navigate and benefit from library resources.This guide provides best practices for accessible LibGuide design and is broken down into three subpages: Structure and Organization, Equivalent Experiences, and Readability. 

Follow these best practices to set a foundation of accessibility:

1. Use the template. Stick to OSU Libraries' LibGuide template styles and formatting since it's already formatted for accessibility!
2. Check your work. Use an automated accessibility checker as well as a manual accessibility check with all of your LibGuides. 
3. LibGuide Layout. When creating a new LibGuide, always use one of the following two default layouts: "1 Column with profile" OR "1 column w/o profile"

After visiting each of the sections located in the LibGuides navigation menu, check your work using the Evaluation and Checklist sections below. 

Evaluating LibGuide Accessibility

You can do a manual evaluation by working through the content and formatting guidelines provided in this template and applying them to your LibGuides. It can be helpful to use an automated accessibility evaluation tool (such as the WAVE Browser Extension) as well to help identify accessible and potentially inaccessible elements of your LibGuides.

To download and install the WAVE Browser Extension, visit:

This checklist is intended to be a starting point as you work to make your LibGuides more accessible. No single checklist can cover every single aspect of accessibility. More information and resources are available throughout this LibGuide.

Structure and Organization

• I used programmatic headings to create structure, and they are nested appropriately.
• I used programmatic lists to concisely convey series of items, concepts, or other information.
• All tables convey information and have the appropriate “Headers” table setting.
• Content is organized in a logical, linear way.

Equivalent Experiences

• Decorative images have empty alt text.
• Images that convey information have concise & contextual alt text.
• Videos and/or audio have captions or transcripts.
• I provided equal or equivalent ways for users to access content.

Readability

• I used the default text formatting provided by the OSU LibGuide template.
• I followed formatting best practices for text styling.
• I used simple and concise language.
• I promise I really did use simple and concise language.
• I used descriptive text for hyperlinks.
• I used Link assets as much as possible to share hyperlinked content.
• For additional color use, I used a tool to check for sufficient color contrast.
• If I used color to convey meaning, I paired it with another stylistic mechanism.

Evaluation

• I used the WAVE accessibility checker (or a similar tool) to do an initial evaluation of the accessibility of my LibGuide(s).
• I performed a manual accessibility check of my LibGuide(s).