Library Accessibility Alliance
The Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation (IPLC) joins the Library Accessibility Alliance (LAA) as a partner to advance accessibility for library electronic resources, with the goal of providing equal access to information for all library users. IPLC is a voluntary union of 13 sovereign academic libraries: Brown University, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Stanford University, and Yale University. Under the Library Accessibility Alliance umbrella, members of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL), Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), Washington Research Library Consortium, and IPLC consortia work together toward improving the accessibility of third-party electronic resource library platforms, enhancing the living document that is the Library Accessibility Toolkit, communicate LAA’s value to membership and prospective members, and collaborate on analyses and training opportunities.
"The Library Accessibility Alliance exemplifies the collaborative, community-driven advocacy I believe we need to support scholars’ use of online resources. With the increasing volume of content available online, it is imperative that these resources are available to all scholars, and the Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation is eager to join the Library Accessibility Alliance and improve accessibility of third-party e-resources." - Galadriel Chilton, Director of Collections Initiatives for IPLC
IPLC innovates at scale for the creation of new knowledge and exercises collective action and leadership in helping shape the discourse and outcomes around scholarly communication. IPLC brings strength in numbers of research institutions adapting the model licensing language about accessibility. This mutually beneficial partnership will help shift library culture toward access justice for current and future member libraries.
The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) formed the Library E-Resource Accessibility Group in 2015 to address concerns about the accessibility of library e-resources. Since 2016, BTAA has been conducting third-party evaluations of electronic resource platforms and collections, publicly posting the evaluations for review by vendors and libraries. In 2019, the Association of Southern Research Libraries (ASERL) partnered with the BTAA creating the Library Accessibility Alliance. The group further expanded in 2021 with the addition of the Greater Western Library Alliance and the Washington Research Library Consortium. The LAA engages with library vendors in initiatives to improve usability of online resources for all users.