Final Approval 2/18/2020
Staff of the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery provides assistance necessary to ensure that students with disabilities have equitable access to Library resources and services. All students with disabilities requiring accommodations or special services are STRONGLY encouraged to register with Student Disability Services (SDS), located in Room 212 in the Mathematics/Psychology Building.
Qualified staff members in the Student Disability Services Department meet with students individually to discuss their needs. A variety of accommodations are available to students registered with the SDS department including, note takers, extended time testing, scribes, and assistants to help with making photo copies in the library.
If a student approaches a service point at the Library, identifies himself or herself as a UMBC student with a disability, and requests accommodation, the following questions are appropriate:
- Have you requested and been granted accommodation services from Student Disability Services?
- Is your instructor aware that your have a disability for which you have been approved to receive accommodations?
Asking these questions will determine how Library staff should proceed with providing assistance. For example, if an assignment seems insurmountable, Reference Librarians often contact the instructor. If the answer to the second question is "no," contacting the faculty member may put the Library at risk for violating confidentiality.
In addition to providing the Assistive Technology Rooms, which provides access to workstations with text-to-speech and speech-to-text software, and a 19 inch monitor, large print keyboard, and text enlargers, the Library provides the following services for students who need them.
Reference Service and Consultations
Staff at the Reference Desk will provide assistance to users requiring general help with locating materials and research. Students with low or limited vision are encouraged to register with SDS and request an assistant to help them when viewing results retrieved during a Reference Desk session. Students with special needs provide services to support all of our users, regardless of disability status. We are happy to provide additional services for the research and personal information access needs of users who require accommodations due to a disability.
The AOK Library provides the following services for library users with disabilities:
The Assistive Technology Room, (Library 455) provides access to specialized hardware and software through a collaboration between the Library’s IT department and the Office of Student Disability Services. See the Assistive Technology Room webpage for the complete list of current equipment and procedures for using this room.
Research Assistance and Consultations
Librarians and staff provide assistance to all users who require help with identifying and locating research materials. Staffing patterns and service desk traffic may affect the amount of time that staff can spend with any individual user. Users who need specialized assistance are encouraged to make appointments with the library liaison subject librarian for their the academic discipline . Any student wanting to know more about assistive technology software and/or rooms with special facilities please contact the Reference Desk at 410-455-2346 or send an email to the Reference Department at ref-group@umbc.edu.
Subject guides are also available online to assist users with research in many areas.
Ask a Reference Librarian and Chat with a Reference Librarian
Users with special needs they are researching to ensure uninterrupted assistance and the availability of the type of support requested.
Individuals with low or limited vision, or other sensory impairments including deafness, who may need access to alternative formats or assistive technology for research access are encouraged to share their access request information at the time of appointment request. Library staff will consult with the Office of Accessibility & Disability Services if accommodation assistance is needed to facilitate the access.
Ask a Librarian
Users who need accommodations are encouraged to submit reference questions via the Ask a Librarian link on the Library's Web site. Librarians will provide online chat service during designated hours, and will respond via email to queries received outside of those hours. These services do not include in-depth research or renewing, retrieving, or holding library materials.
Photocopying and Book CollectionRetrieval
The Library does not provide copy cards to patrons. Students who have mobility disabilities are encouraged to register with SDS and request an assistant to help them with retrieving materials from the book stacks and/or photocopying. If the student does not have an assistant present, depending upon availability, staff at the Circulation desk, the Reference desk, or Serials may retrieve materials from the book stacks. Students who do not have an appointment may not be able to receive specialized assistance in the same day.
guidelines drafted 2/15/05, rev. 2/16/05Library staff may assist users with retrieving materials from the book stacks as staffing patterns and service desk traffic permit. We recommend that users make an appointment or request assistance in advance by contacting the Circulation department. If no staff member is available to assist a user immediately, staff will retrieve and/or photocopy materials and notify the user when their materials are available.
Photocopying and Scanning
UMBC users with visual disabilities may request scans of research materials via Interlibrary Loan. We are able to exceed copyright limitations on scanning for these users as follows:
-For books the Library owns, Interlibrary Loan will scan the entire book and deliver it as a PDF with Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Note that such requests may take up to five business days to complete.
-For books the Library does not own, Interlibrary Loan may:
oAsk the user to provide a copy, which ILL will scan and deliver as an OCR PDF. Note that such requests may take up to five business days following receipt of the book from the user.
oPurchase a copy of the book, if appropriate for the Library’s collection, up to a cost of $100. For books costing more than $100, the Library may ask the user to cover the difference. The user will be consulted before any book is purchased for this purpose. Note that such requests may take up to five business days following receipt of the book, order and delivery times will vary.
-For books the Library does not own, which are not appropriate to purchase for the collection, and which cannot be supplied by the user, the Library (ILL?) may request a copy of the book from another library. We may scan portions of the book, up to limits prescribed by copyright law, and deliver those portions as OCR PDFs.
Service Animals
Trained service animals, dogs and in some cases miniature horses, as described in Guideline 232 –Animals in the Library, are permitted in the Library & Gallery when assisting a user with a disability. All other animals, including emotional support animals (aka therapy or comfort animals), are not recognized under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are not permitted in the Library.
Students with Disabilities
All enrolled UMBC students with disabilities who would like to request accommodation support are strongly encouraged to register with the Office of Student Disability Services(SDS), located in Room 212 in the Mathematics/Psychology Building within the Office of Accessibility & Disability Services. Information about disability services for students is also available online at http://sds.umbc.edu. Staff members in SDS meet with students individually to discuss their access needs and to coordinate accommodations. SDS does not provide personal assistance to students such as carrying books, loans of wheelchairs or crutches, golf carts for transport, personal attendants or other travel assistance to classrooms or residence halls.
Assistive Technology Loan
In partnership with SDS, the Library’s Digital Media Lab (Library 216H) offers a selection of assistive technology devices which SDS-registered users may borrow. Details of this program are available on the DML website: https://library.umbc.edu/media/dml.php.