Special Needs Populations

To provide academic librarians with a forum to discuss issues related to all types of library service to international patrons, including instruction, outreach, reference, collections, and programming; develop guidelines and resources that will assist academic librarians with providing quality services to their international constituencies.

To address the needs of young adults who do not or cannot use the library because of socioeconomic, legal, educational, or physical factors; to serve as a liaison between these groups and their service providers; and to identify and promote library programs, resources and services that meet the special needs of these populations.

We will be transitioning to a SIG in 2010.

Serves as a resource and discussion forum for academic library disability service issues such as web accessibility, assistive technology, reference and instruction for users with disabilities, captioning processes, and any other accessibility issues of interest to participants.

Promotes library and information service to deaf persons by: fostering deaf awareness in the library community and in the deaf and hearing populations at large.

Improves the quality of library service to the impaired elderly, including those with physical handicaps, emotional problems, those in institutions, in group living situations and the homebound who cannot avail themselves of traditional library service; develops standards of library service in this area.