Background: GODORT has been asked to endorse in principle the following draft resolution, as it will be brought forward to LITA and other groups, and ultimately to ALA Council, at the ALA meeting in Chicago.  If we wait until our GODORT Membership meeting on Monday, the resolution may already be on its way without GODORT input.  Please take time to vote or share a comment now.  --Cass Hartnett, GODORT Chair

Drafted by David Vess & Camilla Fulton, University of Illinois
Draft: Resolution on Accessibility of Library Websites

Whereas, The American Library Association's (ALA) mission is to " provide 
leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and 
information services and the profession of librarianship in order to 
enhance learning and ensure access to information for all" (ALA Policy 
1.1);

Whereas, ALA Policy 40.1 "Core Values of Librarianship," includes 
principles of: "Access," "Intellectual Freedom," "Social Responsibility," 
"Service," and "The Public Good" and ALA Policy 40.2. Code of Professional 
Ethics for Librarians, section 1 states goal that libraries, "... provide 
the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and 
usefully organized resources" and lists both "equitable service policies" 
and "equitable access" as ways to achieve said goal;

Whereas, ALA Policy 50.15.1 "Principles for the Networked World," 
identifies, "... policy areas intrinsic to libraries, technology, and the 
role that libraries play in connecting people to an increasingly networked 
world" and specifically notes the principals of, "intellectual freedom, the 
right to access and express ideas," "equitable access to information";

Whereas, ALA seeks to, "...increase ALA's influence in promoting equity of 
access and fair use" (ALAhead Strategic Plan 2010, Goal Area III, Strategic 
Objectives);

Whereas, ALA Policy 54.2.3, "Library Services for People with Disabilities" 
states that "libraries should use strategies based upon the principles of 
universal design to ensure that library policy, resources and services meet 
the needs of all people" and "universal design" has a principle of 
equitable use where, "...design is useful and marketable to people with 
diverse abilities" (Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library 
Agencies, (ASCLA) Issues, Universal Design);

Whereas, the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3) has endorsed widely accepted 
guidelines, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, which, the 
Guidelines state, "will make content accessible to a wider range of people 
with disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing 
loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, 
speech disabilities, photosensitivity [and combinations thereof, and in 
addition] can make Web content more usable to users in general";

Whereas, Federal Government has created regulations based on Section 504 
and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act that ensure that its technology is 
accessible to its employees and public (which happens to apply to most 
libraries);

Whereas, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II Regulation, 28 
C.F.R. 35.160 "requires [public entities] to take such steps as may be 
necessary to ensure that communications with applicants, participants, and 
members of the public with disabilities are as effective as communications 
with others";

Whereas, there have been a number of court cases which uphold the precedent 
that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to websites, such as 
the National Federation of the Blind, et. al., v. Target Corporation, the 
National Federation of the Blind v. Law School Admissions Council Inc., and 
the National Federation of the Blind v. Connecticut Attorney General's 
Office (IRS Forms);

Whereas, many libraries receiving state funding must acknowledge the 
importance of web accessibility issues within state statutes, policies 
and/or guidelines, through Section 508 and/or WCAG (i.e. Illinois, 
California, New York, etc.);

Whereas, ALA Council adopted the, "Accessible Digitization Projects 
Resolution" (ALA Council Document 38, 2007), which resolves that ALA, 
"strongly encourages all libraries engaging in digitization projects to 
create versions of all materials that are accessible to persons using 
screen-reader or other assistive technologies, based on Section 508";

Whereas, ALA Council adopted the Office for Information Technology Policy 
(OITP) Digitization Workgroup's values, through "Resolution on Principles 
for Digital Content," stating that "...[e]quitable access to digital 
library materials is ensured through maximum accessibility, ubiquity, 
sustainability, and barrier-free access" (ALA Council Document 20.9, 2007); 
and

Whereas, library websites are a key factor in accessing digital library 
materials; now, therefore, be it

Resolved that the American Library Association (ALA) urges 

1. All libraries plan compliance with Section 508 regulations, Web Content 
Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 or more current, widely accepted criteria as 
standards of accessibility evolve, so that people with disabilities can 
effectively use library websites to access information with ease. 
Compliance is strongly recommended to ensure access to information for all 
and, be it further;

2. That ALA forwards this resolution to appropriate government agencies, 
commercial, trade, and nonprofit councils and organizations.