LibCentral

Introduction

ProQuest is committed to providing all our users with a fully accessible experience for research, teaching, and learning. At ProQuest, we make every effort to ensure that our platforms – including LibCentral – can be used by everyone. LibCentral is continually designed and being developed to meet Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) and Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act for features and functions.

Accessibility standards and features

LibCentral is the administrative application of Ebook Central and is primarily used by librarian customers. In LibCentral, librarians can:

• View Ebook Central’s entire catalog,
• Preview eBooks in Ebook Central
• Create book lists
• Make purchases
• Manage settings for Patrons
• Run reports and more

On LibCentral, librarians can save time and effort with preferred workflows, make informed purchasing decisions, and provide relevant content for their patrons.

• Transparent pricing, including discounts and promotions.
• Robust reporting with Counter5, detailed usage reports, and expenditure reports.
• Consolidated librarian curated topic lists make it simple to find titles for groups or subjects such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Clear Digital Rights Management for owned and subscribed titles.
• Latest News highlighting discounts, promotions, and new features and market trends

While LibCentral is not designed or recommended for mobile devices, librarians should be able to perform the following actions:

• Navigate the website using just a keyboard or speech recognition software.
• Identify and expand most menus on site.
• Listen to the website using a screen reader.
• Navigate page content using headings.
• Adjust color contrast in browser settings. ProQuest style guides specify using colors that meet minimum contrast specifications.
• Zoom in up to 200% using browser tools without text spilling off-screen in desktop view.

Please see the Non-Accessible Content section below for more information and workarounds for any remaining accessibility concerns.

If you have a disability and need to make your computer, tablet, or another device easier to use, AbilityNet  is a recommended resource. While we mention free third-party browser plugins, we do not endorse them. We recommend that you take customary precautions when selecting a browser plugin.

Colors, contrasts, and fonts

ProQuest style guides specify using colors that meet minimum contrast specifications. Adjusting these aspects can be changed in the browser settings. While a built-in solution is not available, browser extensions can be used to change the color and contrast settings.

Magnification

Users can zoom in up to 200% without text spilling off-screen using built-in browser features (e.g., CTRL +/- for PCs and Command +/- for Macs). Browser extensions are also available.

Keyboard navigation

Users can navigate LibCentral by keyboard only, with a few exceptions. LibCentral allows you to do the following with a keyboard:

• Navigate website menus
• Perform basic and advanced searches
• Navigate search results
• Preview books online and more through Ebook Central.

Browser extensions that generate a heading map may help in better navigating LibCentral pages, such as HeadingsMap for Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome or Headings Map for Firefox.

See the Non-Accessible Content section of this statement for more information on areas where keyboard navigation is not ideal.

Screen readers

Non-sighted or low-vision users using LibCentral rely on elements that are not visible on the screen. These elements include hidden landmarks, labels, and other code to support accessibility. Screenreaders detect these hidden elements and provide more information to non-sighted or low-vision users. As detailed in the Non-Accessible Content section, not everything in LibCentral is currently labeled to accommodate screen readers effectively. Our approach to remediate these issues is based on leading accessibility standards. LibCentral tests using the latest version of screenreader and browser combinations, as follows:

• Chrome or Microsoft Edge + JAWS
• Firefox + NVDA
• Safari + Voiceover

Text to speech

Text-to-speech tools are used by dyslexic users, as well as users with different language backgrounds or users looking to multi-task. While LibCentral does not offer an embedded text-to-speech tool, text-to speech is:

• built into the Microsoft Edge browser
• available as browser plugins for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera
• built into most digital devices such as PCs, Macs, Tablets, and Phones

Previewing Ebooks in LibCentral

When previewing ebooks in LibCentral, librarians are directed to Ebook Central to read the book online. Librarians are allowed a 5-minute preview of any unowned title. Detailed information about Ebook Central Accessibility in the topics listed below can be in the Ebook Central Accessibility Statement.

• Information about our support for image descriptions within ebook content is available in the Image Description section
• Support for DRM-free content, information about copy and print limits, as well as guidance on selecting the offline format that compliments your assistive technology are available in the Download, Print, and Copy section
• Detailed information about available reading options is available in the Ebook Formats section

Non-accessible content

Not all parts of the LibCentral site may be fully accessible. The table below lists the general accessibility gaps currently addressed in the development and quality assurance pipeline. Please let us know if you experience any issues through our contact details provided in the Support and Feedback section below.

Category	Known issue
Alt Text	Book cover images
Buttons	Buttons are not labelled as buttons Button pressed state is not conveyed Button text is not readable by screenreader
Colors	Buttons Contrast ratio Hover text Links
Date selection	Not accessible using keyboard navigation
Documentation	Accessibility documentation not available in Help pages
Forms	Form field labels are missing Form field groups without meaningful labels
Headings	Heading levels are out of order Text marked as heading incorrectly
Navigation	Skip navigation links Sub-menus are not accessible via keyboard Elements do not have readable text
Page	Orientation
Tables	Missing or incorrect markup
Text	Text in modals is not accessible by screenreader Text in links is not readable by screenreader

Support and feedback

Our support team is available and trained to accommodate the needs of librarians and patrons with disabilities.

For platform issues, we offer several self-service options for librarians LibGuides , help documentation, and videos. ProQuest’s Ebook Central Idea Exchange is the recommended way to suggest enhancements and features to Ebook Central or LibCentral.

If you have a request for an accessible copy of a title, please Submit a Case via our web form or contact us by phone. When sending your request, please include the title and/or ISBN, details about the accessibility issue, and any specifications for required file formats. We will respond to your request within 24 hours.

Alternatively, your institution may have access to Bookshare  (International) or  RNIB Bookshare (UK), all of which provide accessible book files to patrons with disabilities and organizations that serve them.

Technical information about LibCentral

ProQuest is committed to making its website accessible in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018, the EU Directive on the Accessibility of the Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies 2016, and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines v2.2  AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed in the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).

The VPAT is a document which evaluates how accessible a product is according to Section 508 Standards in the US. It is a self-disclosing document produced by the vendor which details each aspect of WCAG 2.2 Requirements and how the product supports each criterion.

For detailed information on individual features, please refer to our VPAT (available from the ProQuest Accessibility Directory) and Customer FAQ.

LibCentral is optimized for Microsoft Edge and the latest versions of Firefox, Safari, and Chrome.

Accessibility testing

The accessibility of LibCentral is an ongoing effort at ProQuest. Accessibility standards are built into our design and style guides and included as part of requirements in our software development and quality assurance pipeline.

LibCentral uses a variety of automated and manual tools for accessibility testing including, but not limited to:

• Color Contrast Analyzer provided by WebAIM
• Deque aXe accessibility testing tool
• High-contrast Chrome extension
• Keyboard-access manual testing and assessment
• WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation tool) provided by WebAIM
• Ebook Central tests all existing and new functionality with the latest version of JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver.

LibCentral is tested on Microsoft Edge and the latest versions of Firefox, Safari and Chrome.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Making content accessible is an ongoing effort at ProQuest. We are committed to working with the community to ensure we continue to meet our customers’ needs. A list of our ongoing efforts include:

• Testing with a range of assistive technology users
• The Clarivate Accessibility Council: a team of stakeholders working to increase accessibility resources and capabilities
• Pursuing relationships with colleges, universities, and digital accessibility organizations
• Fostering an accessibility culture within the business by supporting accessibility certifications and courses for our employees
• Consulting with and performing audits through accessibility experts such as Deque
• Accessibility is embedded in our development process. Our acceptance of new features and functionality requires compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA.

About this page

This accessibility statement was originally prepared on August 18, 2021. This statement was updated on April 11, 2024. LibCentral was last tested in April 2024. The test was conducted internally at ProQuest.