A Cohort Model Approach to Addressing Library Accessibility in a Large, Devolved Library System

Abstract

When the State University of New York (SUNY) system mandated that all sixty of its institutions develop accessibility plans in 2019, library accessibility was one of several key elements. Accordingly, SUNY librarians created a community of practice—modeled in part after the approaches adopted by several other large library systems—to identify system-wide accessibility best practices and to develop expertise that was dispersed across multiple campuses. SUNY’s Library Accessibility Cohort provided a conducive environment for discussion and the coordination of training and accessibility reviews. The initiative successfully undertook the evaluation of a large number of subscription databases and created documentation to support those at other SUNY campuses and beyond who undertake this work in the future. Cohort members encountered a number of obstacles throughout this accessibility work, many of which were made more complex due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite these challenges, the cohort’s experience validated the potential benefits of a collaborative approach to this work. It is hoped that the cohort’s insights and best practices toolkit will assist other libraries and provide the groundwork for future initiatives.