NMRT (New Members Round Table)

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The mission of the New Members Round Table (NMRT) is to help those who have been association members less than ten years become actively involved in the association and the profession.

Learn more about NMRT on the ALA website.

  • 1.  Online Discussion Forum April 2022 Topic: Accessibility in Libraries

    Posted Apr 04, 2022 11:53 AM

    Hi everyone,

    My name is Ella and I'm a member of the Online Discussion Forum Committee. Our committee's April 2022 topic is Accessibility in Libraries. I hope you'll take the time to participate right here in Connect; simply click on the Reply button to share your thoughts.

    My background is in public education and accessibility in terms of my physical classroom space as well as my instructional practices and the learning objects that I created were always things that I kept in the back of my mind. With so many different accessibility needs, it can sometimes be overwhelming to try to accommodate them all but I also wanted to create an inclusive classroom environment so it was something I was passionate about educating myself about. Now that I've transitioned out of public education and into academic librarianship, accessibility remains a passion of mine – playing a role when I think of how I'm designing my instruction.

    Some questions I have: How does accessibility impact your position? How can libraries become more accessible? What things have you learned or done that have helped improve accessibility or your knowledge of it?

    Share as much or as little as you'd like. I'm really excited to see your perspectives and thoughts!



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    Ella Gibson
    Online Learning & Instruction Librarian
    University of Colorado Colorado Springs
    She/Her/Hers
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  • 2.  RE: Online Discussion Forum April 2022 Topic: Accessibility in Libraries

    Posted Apr 06, 2022 01:06 PM
    Hi Ella, 

    My position involves working on a public-facing desk, and when I am there, (if it is quiet, which it very often is) I will watch training videos of various types related to my work. However, I do not want to have the sound on, and wearing headphones or earbuds is not a very welcoming sight. Therefore, I rely on closed captioning just like many patrons who are hard of hearing or deaf. Automatically generated captions are terrible, especially if the presenter is using any type of jargon. Some videos I cannot watch unless I am off the desk as there is no closed caption or it is so bad I cannot tell what is going on, but I consider myself lucky that I have this option.  AI-generated CC is better than nothing, but I really think there can be a little editing done to most videos to make them more accurate.
    When we all went more to virtual programming, this increased access for so many people. Having live programs videotaped and put online is fantastic! Let's just take one more small step and edit the CC for accuracy. 

    Thank you, 


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    Lia Sansoucy
    Local History Associate
    Boone County Public Library
    She/Her/Hers
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    Original Message