A Metropolitan Library System: Making Every Digital Service Accessible to Every Patron
28 branches. 500,000 cardholders. A patron base that includes thousands of readers with disabilities and thousands more who speak a primary language other than English. Then an OCR resolution agreement started the clock.
28
Library branches served
500K
Active cardholders
100+
Languages supported on the platform
18 mo.
OCR resolution agreement timeline met
Why Public Libraries Carry a Different Accessibility Load
Libraries aren't like city departments. A resident visits a permit office once a year, maybe twice. They visit the library website weekly. Ebook checkouts, program signups, computer time reservations, database access, reference lookups, community info. It never stops. And the patrons who lean on public sector digital serviceshardest are the ones most likely to hit a wall when the site isn't built for them: seniors, patrons on tight budgets, patrons with vision loss or cognitive disabilities.
This metropolitan public library system serves a patron base that reflects the full service area. The library's own demographic data told the story:
- About 14% of active cardholders self-reported a disability affecting reading or vision
- More than 38% of the service population spoke a primary language other than English at home
- The library system was the primary public computer and internet access point for an estimated 22,000 residents each year
- 7 branches ran specialized services for patrons with visual impairments, including tactile collections and screen reader workstations
The OCR Resolution Agreement
In mid-2024, a patron who uses a screen reader filed a complaint with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. The complaint said the library's website didn't give equal access to its digital services. It named three failure points. The online event registration system used a CAPTCHA that screen readers couldn't handle, with no keyboard-accessible fallback. The e-resource portal ran a carousel of subscription databases with no accessible controls. And the PDF library guides published for each branch were scanned images with no text layer at all.
OCR opened a compliance review. They found that the library's digital services violated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (in play because the library takes federal funds) and Title II of the ADA. The resolution agreement that came out of it set five hard deadlines:
Publish an accessibility statement and name an ADA coordinator for digital services
Replace the online event registration system with an accessible alternative that meets WCAG 2.1 AA
Audit and fix every PDF library guide across all 28 branches
Document WCAG 2.1 AA conformance for the primary library website and every branch page
Run annual accessibility audits and train every staffer who creates or publishes digital content
OCR resolution agreement milestones
18 mo. total
Five hard deadlines set by the resolution agreement, on one shared clock.
Every milestone landed on time. The 18-month conformance target was met with room to spare.
The Content Types Libraries Fight With
Library sites carry content that most city sites don't. Program calendars that change daily. Reader advisory guides written by branch staff. Portals into dozens of subscription databases. The digital services librarian and the WPPersona team took each category one at a time:
Event Calendars
Challenge
Programs change every day. The old calendar used JavaScript date-pickers that screen readers couldn't enter, and event details never made it to the accessibility tree.
Solution
The new calendar module uses plain HTML table markup for the month view, with ARIA labels on each date cell and a list view that screen reader patrons can switch to. Registration forms work with the keyboard alone. No CAPTCHA.
Branch-Specific PDF Guides
Challenge
Every one of the 28 branches maintained its own guides. Reader advisory lists. Local history finding aids. Database tutorials. Most were scanned images or PDFs with no tag structure at all.
Solution
The PDF scanner runs at upload. It blocks non-compliant guides and hands the branch librarian a specific fix list. Each branch got a standard accessible template for future guides. All 28 branches finished remediation in 14 weeks.
E-Resource Portal
Challenge
The access page for 40+ subscription databases used an autoplay carousel with no pause control, no keyboard support, and screen reader announcements that made no sense.
Solution
The carousel is gone. In its place, a filterable, keyboard-navigable database directory. Each database lists its subject scope, access method, and a direct link. No motion. Full keyboard and screen reader support.
Multi-Language Support
Challenge
The old site had Spanish translations on 12% of pages and no other languages, in a service area where 38% of patrons spoke a primary language other than English at home.
Solution
The integrated language switcher covers 100+ languages through a certified translation layer, and it's live on every page. The HTML lang attribute is set for each page in each language, so screen readers pronounce the content correctly.
PDF guide remediation across 28 branches
28 / 28 in 14 weeks
Cumulative count of branches with fully remediated PDF library guides, week by week.
What the Patrons Said
Six months in, the library ran an accessibility-focused survey. It went out by email, on in-branch signs, and through the new accessibility feedback link on the site. 847 patrons responded. The numbers:
91%
of respondents using assistive technology said the new site was easier to move through than the old one
78%
of non-English-speaking respondents said the language switcher made it easier to find branch info
94%
of respondents with visual impairments said they can now finish an event registration on their own, without staff help
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