Opening Keynote - Digital Accessibility for Libraries in 2026
In April 2026, the ADA Title II rule directly impacting digital accessibility standards goes into effect. In this changing landscape, it is imperative to explore the current meaning of digital accessibility and how it applies to libraries. During this keynote session presented by the University of Minnesota Libraries’ Amy Drayer, participants will brush up on accessibility terms and definitions, explore what ADA Title II is and what it means to libraries, and identify frameworks and tools to use in their digital accessibility journey.
Amy Drayer, a User Interface Developer for the University of Minnesota, has been a longtime advocate involved in library accessibility efforts on local, regional, and national stages. Notably, she chaired the Library Accessibility Alliance while leading library accessibility training efforts for the Big Ten Academic Alliance. She has also contributed to authoring accessibility policies and workflows for digital libraries through CLIR. Amy brings practical technical knowledge with a background in web and systems librarianship.
Transcripts and Captions and Metadata, Oh My!: A Case Study on Making Digitized Film Accessible
Making a large archival audiovisual collection fully accessible is a time-consuming process. The requirement to add accurate captioning, transcription, and metadata to digitized film clips becomes even more challenging when trying to interpret heavy Southern accents and references to events from over 40 years ago. The library’s Digitization Team at Arkansas State University faced this challenge with its KAIT News Film Reel Collection, consisting of over 200 reels of raw unprocessed film footage of Northeast Arkansas. This presentation will explore the processes and workflows that the Digitization Team developed while using AI large language models to ensure efficient and accurate captions and promote productivity in its metadata for its institutional repository and finding aids.
Matthew Mayton is the Archivist and head of Archives & Special Collections at Arkansas State University. He previously worked for the Spurlock Museum, Villanova University, and Northern Illinois University before accepting his current position in August 2022.
Kristin Flachsbart is the Metadata Librarian at Arkansas State University. She has 17 years of experience with metadata and cataloging, with an emphasis on enhancing metadata for print and audiovisual special collections.
Accessibility in Action: Steps, Strategies, and Tools to Scale the Mountain
Join the Northwest Arkansas Community College librarians for an open conversation about their accessibility journey, from early assessment to hands-on implementation in digital library spaces. In this session, you will learn practical tips and tricks for tackling digital accessibility including training, developing task workflows, and overcoming challenges. This discussion will provide you with tools and takeaways to help your library prepare to meet the upcoming WCAG standards deadline, even with limited time and resources.
Autumn Roberts is the Digital Services Librarian at Northwest Arkansas Community College. Autumn oversees the library’s technological infrastructure, including the website, computers, circulating equipment, and library databases. She is currently implementing WCAG-aligned accessibility improvements and working closely with her team to train and ensure inclusive, compliant access for all library users. She has presented on digital accessibility for Springshare and the Arkansas Libraries Conference.
Access Services Librarian Rachel Baack earned a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from the University of Oklahoma in 2019 and joined the NorthWest Arkansas Community College team in January 2024.
Technical Services Librarian Patti Bruno earned her Master of Science in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Spring 2024 and joined the Northwest Arkansas Community College library team the following summer.
Heather Lundy graduated from Texas Woman's University with her Master of Science in Library and Information Science in 2020. After teaching high school math for a few years, she joined the NorthWest Arkansas Community College Library team in 2024 as the Outreach & Engagement Librarian. She currently supervises the peer tutoring program and the library extensions of the Learning Commons and the Washington County Information Commons.
Make Your Videos Accessible
YouTube tutorials... TikTok promotional videos... live-streamed events... how are these made accessible to both sight-impaired and hearing-impaired users? Learn the requirements of WCAG AA standards for video format and refer to resources to continue assessment of your own videos. Acquire some best practices by seeing how two libraries have modified their tutorial video creation processes to comply with the standards.
Naomi Schemm is a social sciences librarian at Fondren Library at Southern Methodist University. She leads the internal team responsible for creating asynchronous online learning objects, primarily publicly available through their YouTube channel [ https://www.youtube.com/@smulibrariessouthernmethod1847 ] and is working hard to improve the accessibility of their videos.
Rebecca Paulraj is a reference and instruction librarian, and library liaison to the College of Business and Economic at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Her work focuses on creating and delivering information literacy materials in a variety of modalities.
Accessibility-first Strategies for Digital Content
Texas Tech University Libraries will present its accessibility-first approach to developing and maintaining content for LibGuides and public website pages. Drawing on insights from recent accessibility audits, the presenters will share the training, tools, and practices they use to support content creators in producing accessible and user centered digital materials. Topics covered will include planning digital content, creating accessible content including templates, pre-publication review strategies, and ongoing quality assurance processes.
Holli Kubly is the UX + Assessment Librarian at the Texas Tech University Libraries. She earned her Master of Science in Library and Information Science from the University of Missouri – Columbia. Her research interests include user experience in libraries, accessibility, assessment, and data analysis.
Jingjing Wu is the Web Librarian at the Texas Tech University Libraries. She earned her Master of Science in Library and Information Science from Wayne State University. Her research interests include web technologies, user experience in libraries, and data analysis.
Where Do We Go from Here? A Discussion on Library Accessibility Next Steps
As the ADA Title II rule requiring public-facing library websites, mobile apps, and electronic resources to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards approaches, many libraries have action plans that are in need of refining. During this facilitated discussion, library workers will collaborate to brainstorm ideas, discuss questions, and develop solutions that incorporate inspiration gathered from the Digital Accessibility in Libraries online conference. Together, conference attendees will identify next steps to improve digital accessibility for libraries ahead of the federal April 2026 deadline.
Christina Pryor is the Continuing Education Services Manager at Amigos. She has over 15 years of experience spanning across academic, health sciences, public, and specialized libraries. Most recently she served as the Associate University Librarian for the Specialized Libraries and the Director of the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri University Libraries. Her professional interests encompass library management and administration especially in the areas of personnel recruitment and retention as well as strategic planning. In her personal life, Chris enjoys spending time with her family, running, spending time outdoors, and playing the piano.
Kyla Hunt is the Library Services Trainer and Missouri Libraries 2 Go (MOLIB2GO) Coordinator at Amigos Library Services. Her career has featured experiences in a variety of government, nonprofit, and library institutions, including the Cedar Park Public Library, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and TechSoup Global. She is interested in all aspects of the library field, having worked in youth services, reference librarianship, technical services, and library instruction. Her book, Library Programs and Services for New Adults, was published in 2017. Outside of libraries, Kyla likes to crochet, spend time with her family and cats, and bake pumpkin cake.