Accessibility of library and information services
Accessibility plan
This plan describes the current state of accessibility of the HAMK library and information services and the actions to improve accessibility.
The library aims to make its facilities, services and materials easily accessible to all. The library provides services for both HAMK and HAMI students and staff and also for users outside the higher education community.
The library is actively involved in accessibility and equality work, both within HAMK and in cooperation networks.
Information material services
The library collection is built, maintained, and developed for the needs learning, teaching, and research at HAMK and HAMI. Much of the material is electronic, and available anywhere, anytime. The accessibility features of foreign materials are advanced and support the use of reading aids. The accessibility features of Finnish materials are also developing all the time.
The print and electronic collections are actively maintained to ensure that they are up-to-date and needed information is easy to find.
The library provides instructions and guidance on the use of information resources, especially electronic resources. The online library provides information on alternative ways of accessing electronic resources and on the accessibility features of the services.
The acquired e-material can be accessed with HAMK user IDs. Customers without HAMK user IDs can access the e-collections locally on HAMK campus. Printed material can be used by all library customers.
Information search guidance
The library organises information search guidance for students through contact and remote lessons. Materials related to guidance are offered in an accessible format to students using those channels that students anyway use for their studies, such as HAMK Learn. Not all shared lecture recordings are subtitled.
Students and staff have an opportunity to reserve personal guidance for information search.
The library also produces self-study materials, such as videos. In accordance with HAMK guidelines, the videos are shared in Kaltura and they are subtitled.
Library customer service and use of information materials
Each campus has a library, where staff are available during the university’s teaching semesters. At the Hämeenlinna University Centre library, staff are usually present on weekdays and at the other campuses once a week.
The customer service can also be contacted via video devices. In addition, the library’s customer service can be reached during office hours by e-mail and telephone.
The library’s online library is accessible HAMK Finna.
The instructions for using the library are available on the library’s website, intranet and HAMK Finna. The instructions use simple, ordinary language. The instructions are also available as videos.
The library provides the entire university with the services of the Accessibility Library Celia. Customers with reading disabilities can order Celia IDs through the HAMK Library. The library will help with the use of Celia services.
Library facilities and self-service
The library spaces are open on weekdays from 8 am to 4 pm during the university’s teaching semesters. Students and staff can also visit the library at other times with campus access key. For directions to the library, please visit the website. It is not possible to arrange direct access to all of the library’s facilities. Information on accessibility can be found on the library’s website under More information about campus libraries.
When staff are not present, the library’s print books and journals are available by self-service. Printed books can be borrowed during self-service hours with the self-check machine. The height of the self-check machine tables at the lending machines can be adjusted. Some of the library’s printed books are stored on high bookshelves. Books on the shelves can be reserved and will be brought to the accessible reservation shelf for pick-up.
The library service desk in the Hämeenlinna University Centre has an induction loop.
RDI support services
HAMK’s RDI support services are provided by a multi-professional RDI support team. The RDI support team includes representatives from the library, information management, communication and project services. Library and Information Services are responsible for co-ordinating the RDI support services.
RDI support services are available to everyone in HAMK: staff and students. The RDI support team can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected]. The guidelines are mainly available on the Research and Development page in HAMK Intranet. In addition, some guidelines can be found in the HAMK Digipeda guidelines on the public website and instruction videos are on Kaltura. The instructions and forms on both the public website and the intranet are made accessible.
Publications follow the accessibility guidelines of the publishers. In addition, most of HAMK’s publications can be read openly online, which means that anyone can use them without logging in or paying a separate fee.
The service provider’s accessibility guidelines are followed when publishing research data and producing description data.
The theses are archived in the joint Theseus Repository of the universities of applied sciences or in an internal HAMK thesis archive in an accessible PDF/A format. The theses are written using HAMK’s accessible document base. The student is responsible for the accessibility of their thesis content. The Theseus guidelines describe how to create an accessible thesis.
Publication services
HAMK Publication services is responsible for the publication processes of the online journal HAMK Unlimited and the blog HAMK Beat. The services support publishing by offering guidance for writing and publishing.
The online magazine HAMK Unlimited is an accessible website. The editorial team strives to ensure that texts and related images and tables are as accessible as possible. The same applies to the reviewed HAMK Beat blog.
E-publications are made accessible. The editorial staff also pay attention to the accessibility of the publications’ language.
The author is responsible for content accessibility. The Publication services provide help to authors to improve the linguistic accessibility of texts.
Responsibilities
The library’s accessibility specialists coordinate the library’s accessibility work and are part of the university’s network of accessibility specialists. All library staff are involved in accessibility work.
Objectives
- Campaign on the international dyslexia awareness week
- Organise a workshop for library staff on clear communication.
- Clarify the terminology used in library communication and materials.
- Contribute to the production of joint marketing materials for university libraries on the theme of supporting reading and accessibility of information resources.
- Increase the number of self-study materials for information searching.
- Developing guidelines for library services.
Achieved objectives
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