{"id":10806,"date":"2020-11-30T12:48:36","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T20:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bclaconnectrev.wpengine.com\/perspectives\/?p=10806"},"modified":"2025-01-22T11:25:29","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T19:25:29","slug":"online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/","title":{"rendered":"Online Only: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Library Services & Instruction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Preamble<\/strong><\/p>\n

During this transitional time of remote learning in post-secondary, we chose\u00a0a\u00a0question-and-answer\u00a0format to share our\u00a0logistical\u00a0responses to COVID-19 closures, as well as our initial\u00a0reflections. We are curious how\u00a0others would answer these questions and encourage you to respond in the Comments\u00a0section, or email us directly to turn these initial musings into a more\u00a0fulsome\u00a0conversation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Introductory Reflections<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbara:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0As a Public Services Librarian,\u00a0much\u00a0of my pre-COVID-19\u00a0work\u00a0focused on creating a welcoming service environment through staff training, inclusive programming and physical space design.\u00a0COVID-19 has caused our library to redesign service delivery, and has also provided opportunity for reflection on our standard practices.\u00a0A virtual service model is not a\u00a0common\u00a0approach in academic libraries; rarely do you see a \u201cvirtual branch\u201d as\u00a0is prevalent\u00a0in\u00a0public library systems\u00a0(Cahill 2009). Located in Kelowna, BC, the UBC Okanagan Library forms part of the UBC Library system, but is normally separated geographically by 400km. The most overarching service implication of a fully remote service model is that the entire UBC community now has one main portal for Library services, a website.\u00a0The\u00a0sixteen\u00a0specialized and nuanced\u00a0spaces<\/a>\u00a0that we normally staff\u00a0as starting points\u00a0for engagement\u00a0are far\u00a0opaquer\u00a0to patrons\u00a0with\u00a0physical doors closed.\u00a0The implications\u00a0of a fully virtual environment\u00a0for inclusive library services are significant with serious challenges as well as meaningful opportunities for\u00a0improvement.\u00a0There are many articles\u00a0speculating whether\u00a0libraries will persist or decline in the \u201cinternet age,\u201d\u00a0and yet we would have never collectively considered the possibility of all campus operations moving online \u2013 not just the library. As our initial responses were\u00a0justifiably\u00a0focused\u00a0on logistics,\u00a0we are only now beginning to examine the broader\u00a0ramifications\u00a0of \u201cvirtual only\u201d\u00a0or \u201cvirtual first\u201d\u00a0as a service model\u00a0(Cox, 2020; IFLA, 2020; Ma, 2020).<\/p>\n

Sajni:\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>My role as a Learning and Curriculum Support Librarian\u00a0at the UBC Okanagan Library has primarily focused on instruction\u00a0from\u00a0the perspectives of\u00a0strategic and individual practice. I\u00a0aim\u00a0to provide\u00a0direction to\u00a0my colleagues in the creation of\u00a0classroom experiences\u00a0that are\u00a0engaging, active-learning\u00a0focused, and inclusive.\u00a0This approach has been informed and structured around texts such as\u00a0Feminist Pedagogy for Library Instruction,\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0Critical Library Pedagogy Volume 1 and Volume 2\u00a0<\/em>set,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Critical Library Instruction: Theories and Methods<\/em>. At UBC Okanagan\u00a0Library\u00a0we have a teaching space that I\u00a0co-designed, which is\u00a0intentionally built to have\u00a0students engage and talk to each other\u00a0at group tables, rather than behind computer screens.\u00a0Up\u00a0until recently,\u00a0my\u00a0instructional\u00a0work has been focused on the\u00a0physicality of in-person\u00a0learning.\u00a0However,\u00a0leading up to the pandemic, the librarian team had started to\u00a0think about opportunities to blend and flip\u00a0library instruction. Through a UBC grant, and in collaboration with colleagues at UBC Vancouver, we hired a\u00a0graduate student to support\u00a0the creation of\u00a0a\u00a0series of foundational information literacy skill modules\u00a0to\u00a0embed\u00a0into the learning management systems [LMS]. These modules were intended to be\u00a0used in advance of introductory level library instructional sessions\u00a0so that the in-person instruction could focus on higher level skills and application.\u00a0This project was in its first year and was still very much in\u00a0its\u00a0initial development when the pandemic hit.\u00a0We were able to advance our\u00a0project\u00a0timeline and launch the first couple of modules to meet the immediate need\u00a0of finishing out the academic year. That being said,\u00a0module\u00a0creation at that point was, at\u00a0best,\u00a0informed\u00a0by\u00a0a\u00a0basic level\u00a0of\u00a0inclusion, accessibility, and engagement principles to meet\u00a0the pandemic-imposed\u00a0timeline.\u00a0The initial modules were created\u00a0without thinking about the opportunities and challenges of actually creating an accessible and inclusive online space for learning from the library perspective\u00a0in a\u00a0long-term, holistic way.\u00a0Now that we are somewhat through the panic mode of moving online, there feels to be more space to engage with how\u00a0this new context\u00a0can allow for more inclusive practices\u00a0in an ongoing way.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What does it mean to provide\u00a0an\u00a0inclusive\u00a0library services without a physical building?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbara:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0From a logistical standpoint,\u00a0our library has adapted the following from being location-based to virtual services:\u00a0reference\u00a0via\u00a0AskAway, email and Zoom consults,\u00a0contactless\u00a0materials\u00a0lending, remote access to computers,\u00a0and\u00a0online programs and workshops.\u00a0In all of these\u00a0service examples, accessibility, equity and diversity can be thoughtfully incorporated to ensure inclusion as a guiding principle, with important impacts for patrons and library employees alike.\u00a0And yet, we are constantly referencing our physical space \u2013 it remains dominant in our web presence through imagery and \u201cservices not currently available\u201d\u00a0notices.\u00a0I ponder these questions:\u00a0Is there actually a library without a\u00a0physical space, or is space\u00a0part of the definition?\u00a0What about for the majority of our patrons who never physically enter our library \u2013 have they seen a drastic improvement due to\u00a0focused\u00a0virtual service delivery?\u00a0How can we take basic inclusivity measures and expand them into proactive approaches to build services that expect diversity rather than react to it?<\/p>\n

Sajni:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0This question is so essential as we approach one full year in an almost exclusively online learning environment. As with Barbara\u2019s comments above, there are some\u00a0logistical\u00a0considerations that the online environment greatly enables that make library instruction significantly more\u00a0inclusive\u00a0from what has been\u00a0my\u00a0established practice\u00a0for\u00a0in-person\u00a0instruction.\u00a0As I mentioned previously, the classroom in which I typically teach is designed for students to work with each other to problem solve and discuss questions that I pose,\u00a0with me\u00a0there to facilitate. This has been harder to replicate in the online environment where students are not forming the same connections that they might in person.\u00a0That being said,\u00a0there is a significant amount of utility in using\u00a0what we have learned in transitioning to online to inform how we will do in-person instruction when we return.\u00a0The online environment lets me provide multiple examples in multiple formats and allow me to ensure that accessibility best practices are being met.\u00a0It also creates a large library of\u00a0learning objects that can be updated, assessed, and reused\u00a0in an ongoing way. I can see using this to blend and flip the classroom\u00a0going forward, and allow more space for questions, discussion and application during synchronous sessions, either in-person or virtual.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are some of the initial considerations that you made in switching to an entirely virtual environment?\u00a0What are some of the individual\u00a0and\/or\u00a0big-picture initiatives\u00a0and\u00a0changes that you have made to address inclusivity in your practices?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbara:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>At UBC Okanagan, we choose to create a streamlined set of pathways for patrons to connect: a single phone line for voicemails which forward automatically to email, a single general email with triage and referral done internally, a\u00a0revised online\u00a0form to\u00a0improve accessibility in\u00a0connecting patrons\u00a0with subject librarians, and use of our existing participation in\u00a0AskAway\u00a0for on-demand assistance.\u00a0We provided substantial training to reference assistants to support them in virtual reference and redirected most reference hours to our\u00a0AskAway\u00a0institutional queue. We have focused our social media campaigns and programs on equity-enhancing topics.\u00a0Our\u00a0regular\u00a0ongoing staff\u00a0training program\u00a0has directly addressed equity considerations in an online environment, focused on the student perspective, and builds on an existing culture of collective learning and service improvement.<\/p>\n

As a liaison librarian I have created asynchronous teaching materials with transcripts for all video content, in addition to teaching\u00a0synchronous classes online, while being cognizant and directly\u00a0addressing device\u00a0and internet connection, as well as\u00a0accessibility limitations of the platforms provided.<\/p>\n

As the pandemic has been layered with global conversations about racism and inequity, there\u00a0definitely\u00a0seems to be\u00a0potential\u00a0right now for incorporating inclusivity into daily university practices, and beyond strategic documents.\u00a0For me, the big-picture question is whether our existing efforts to create an inclusive service space could effectively be transitioned online. In many ways, it seems too early to assess whether we have achieved this goal.<\/p>\n

Sajni:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>From the instructional perspective there were a number of things that were initially considered to get virtual instruction off the ground. Most of this tied into how were we going to create material that could be seamlessly added into courses through the LMS,\u00a0and how\u00a0we were\u00a0going to ensure that students with all abilities would be able to engage with this material.\u00a0This led to a number of questions including: \u201cWhat are the best practices in creating accessible and inclusive online instructional learning objects?\u201d,\u00a0\u201cWhat is an inclusive and accessible online learning classroom?\u201d, and \u201cHow can we provide content in multiple formats for students to use and take away for ongoing use?\u201d<\/p>\n

From the big-picture\u00a0perspective,\u00a0the core elements of these\u00a0questions\u00a0are,\u00a0or should be\u00a0similar to\u00a0in-person instruction. How should communication happen when we are not in the classroom all the time?\u00a0How will\u00a0we encourage and outline\u00a0to students how they can connect and engage with the library outside of the\u00a0prepared content? How will the design of\u00a0learning objects\u00a0help and\/or hinder the learners experience? Where do we make assumptions about what learners do and don\u2019t know about the library?\u00a0How can we change that? Where\u00a0are\u00a0the implicit\u00a0biases\u00a0that we have about students and how they engage in the online environment? How do we be aware of our own\u00a0biases\u00a0when teaching online?\u00a0How do we support students who have inconsistent or limited internet access?\u00a0Like Barbara\u00a0has outlined above, the asynchronous environment allows for providing materials in multiple formats, videos with captions and transcripts, and multiple examples of each skill or task, that in in-person instruction would have\u00a0to all be provided in 50-80 minutes (for the classes I typically teach). I think\u00a0these learning objects being embedded directly into course sites provides a precedent for including\u00a0this content in multiple forms and access points even when we go back in-person.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How have your\u00a0understandings\u00a0and perceptions of inclusivity changed since\u00a0March 2020?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbara:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Late in the spring of 2020, when contemplating a virtual academic year, I reviewed the personal characteristics protected by the\u00a0BC Human Rights Code\u00a0<\/a>as a critical lens into our virtual service planning.\u00a0With\u00a0AskAway\u00a0as a crucial element of our service model, I also began to think province-wide, instead of being\u00a0focused\u00a0only on UBC Okanagan, which is my normal sphere of service delivery. What if we were to collectively\u00a0consider\u00a0what\u00a0we could\u00a0offer academic library patrons in BC to enhance their learning, teaching and research?\u00a0Could we build on the work of BC Campus to more holistically approach library collaboration in BC?\u00a0Could we offer a point of contact not tied to a\u00a0computer?\u00a0A\u00a0province-wide 1-800 reference line to address internet connectivity and device limitations, mental and physical disability, and any age-based constraints to virtual services? Could we offer multilingual chat reference to support the languages spoken in our province and studied in our institutions?\u00a0Does the anonymity of\u00a0AskAway\u00a0reduce\u00a0known\u00a0barriers\u00a0(Daniels, 2013)\u00a0to asking for assistance? Despite all of our efforts to\u00a0design a welcoming and inclusive service model\u00a0and space at UBC Okanagan\u00a0(Sobol 2020), only a fraction of the\u00a0university\u00a0population engages with our service desk \u2013 could this be improved through a concentrated focus on virtual service offerings?<\/p>\n

Sajni:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0It has become almost clich\u00e9 to say that 2020 has been\u00a0a challenging year. The pandemic, justifiable outrage and activism around the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd,\u00a0and the\u00a0presidential election in the U.S. have created an\u00a0increased\u00a0urgency\u00a0for many of us. This has been paralleled in Canada through the murder of\u00a0Coco<\/a>\u00a0in police custody\u00a0in Toronto as one of many\u00a0other\u00a0examples\u00a0of our unjust society.\u00a0How do we hold ourselves accountable for enacting\u00a0anti-racism initiatives that are appearing on most of our campuses\u00a0in response\u00a0to these events?\u00a0How do we\u00a0incorporate this awareness into our work? How do we advocate in a meaningful way to incorporate anti-racist, anti-colonial, and anti-ableist perspectives and initiatives into all levels of the library work? I have no answers, except that these are the questions that we need to focus on going forward, both in our continued pandemic context, and\u00a0when we eventually transition back to campus.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Existing library practices have historical roots tied to race, class, and gender. Can we use this \u2018virtual moment\u2019 in time to plan for how we move past these practices when we \u201creturn\u201d in a post-pandemic context?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbara:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>If remote work were a continued feature of library services post-pandemic, could we employ a more diverse set of library employees \u2013 on all the grounds of diversity outlined in the\u00a0BC Human Rights Code<\/em>? What are the potential technical solutions that would allow us to create meaningful connections with library patrons\u00a0virtually, in a sustained way?\u00a0The traditional reference desk heralds from a time of mediated stacks access for privileged scholars, and adaptations over time have been minimal \u2013 do we still need desks\u00a0in order to provide library services that foster meaningful relationships while supporting learning, teaching and research?<\/p>\n

Moving beyond service-model considerations,\u00a0does this pause in normal operations provide a place from which to reevaluate the overall set of policies and subsequent services that academic libraries provide to their communities?\u00a0What exactly are the bounds of our individual communities – enrollment and employment? As publicly funded institutions, is there opportunity to collaborate further to create more inclusive support services for learners, teachers and researchers, in the spirit of the open movement?\u00a0I am very skeptical that this level of reflection and change will occur,\u00a0certainly any time soon, but I do think that these conversations currently have a foothold that they did not pre-pandemic.\u00a0Considering global library perspectives and solutions provides valuable insights for us to consider in BC (IFLA 2020).<\/p>\n

Sajni:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0In the move to online it became very clear that students on our campus heavily relied on the library\u2019s desktop computers and laptops available through our lending program.\u00a0It also became clear that the physical spaces for studying and engaging with each other was a vital component of the library\u2019s physical space\u00a0and how students saw the library as part of the campus environment.\u00a0This\u00a0is not\u00a0really\u00a0surprising,\u00a0but was put into stark relief when everything shut down so quickly and right before the exam period.\u00a0This should tell us a lot about\u00a0how to support students when we do eventually return to the physical campus\u00a0and how to consider equitable access to technology, spaces and services.<\/p>\n

In addition, in light of everything that has happened in the last year, I think it further should draw our attention to how\u00a0our collections, spaces, and contextual framings of information in academic libraries are still firmly rooted in white supremacy\u00a0(Santamaria, 2020;\u00a0Sierpe, 2019)\u00a0and colonization\u00a0(Edwards, 2019). While many of us are actively working to include a deeper awareness of this in our teaching, through critical information literacy, social justice focused practices, and\u00a0OwnVoices<\/a>\u00a0we are still working within a system that does\u00a0not\u00a0always allow for this work to succeed. However, this perspective feels too hopeless. I think what this \u2018virtual moment\u2019 shows us is that we can\u00a0be forced to change, and at a faster pace than we thought possible. We have learned that institutions, and those of us that work within them,\u00a0can pivot, we\u00a0can change.\u00a0So,\u00a0we can take this as an opportunity, where possible,\u00a0and\u00a0when supported,\u00a0to ensure that we change our library practices, policies, and values\u00a0to reflect the\u00a0world\u00a0we\u00a0want to\u00a0live in.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What opportunities do you see, or ideas do you have for the future to address inclusivity in library practices?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbara:<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>One of the main challenges\u00a0that I foresee in improving inclusivity\u00a0long-term\u00a0is a desire to return to \u201cnormal operations\u201d when the pandemic draws to a close.\u00a0I see an opportunity to examine library services from non-library viewpoints before restarting them. At UBC we have an\u00a0Inclusion\u00a0Action\u00a0Plan<\/a>,\u00a0an\u00a0Indigenous Strategic Plan<\/a>, and\u00a0Truth\u00a0and Reconciliation Commitments<\/a>\u00a0on the Okanagan Campus. Can we imagine an exercise in which we take advantage of this pause in\u00a0normal operations to examine library services from these perspectives, and then actually commit to making change based on the analysis?\u00a0I would imagine that if we did this, the resources that we have traditionally put toward staffing service desks,\u00a0operating buildings\u00a0and purchasing collections\u00a0would need to be realigned to ensure that those various elements of an academic library were in support of inclusion.\u00a0When our library closed and halted most services in March 2020,\u00a0the technology access issues that Sajni mentioned were definitely apparent. We heard immediately from many students who had no other place to study, and needed solutions provided by the Library in order to be successful in their education. Would an evaluation led by our strategic documents allow us to create robust access to space, technology, and collections that were flexible enough to support students in this unprecedented pandemic closure? Unlikely. But they may allow us to better support those students under \u201cnormal\u201d circumstances by improving\u00a0human connections,\u00a0accessibility, socioeconomic-informed\u00a0scaffolding of technology access\u00a0and study space, and free\/open access to resources.<\/p>\n

Sajni:<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>To start, I want to echo what Barbara has said above. I think we will need to ensure that we do\u00a0not\u00a0return to business as normal whenever we are able to return to the physical campus. UBC in particular has put out a number\u00a0of plans that we will need to be held accountable for (Inclusion Action Plan, TRC, and Indigenous Strategic Plan). These provide us with a framework to\u00a0build our work on as we go forward. I think there is an opportunity to use these\u00a0documents\u00a0to create more opportunities for\u00a0students’\u00a0voices, diverse voices, and to provide space for those of us who work in libraries to listen to what is needed from our services. I think\u00a0we\u00a0have learned the\u00a0services that students are using remotely can inform what they may continue to use more in the future: access to open resources and textbooks, multiple points of asking questions, ease with which to connect the library to open web sources, self-serve tools and resources, etc.<\/p>\n

\n

Barbara Sobol<\/strong> is a Public Services Librarian at UBC Okanagan Library<\/em><\/p>\n

Sajni Lacey<\/strong> is a Learning and Curriculum Support\u00a0Librarian\u00a0at UBC Okanagan Libra<\/em>ry<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cahill, K. (2009). Building a virtual branch at Vancouver public library using web 2.0 tools.\u00a0Program: Electronic Library and Information, 43<\/em>(2), 140-155.\u00a0doi:10.1108\/00330330910954361<\/a><\/p>\n

Cox, C.\u00a0(2020, June 5).\u00a0Changed, Utterly Changed.\u00a0Inside Higher\u00a0Ed.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/views\/2020\/06\/05\/academic-libraries-will-change-significant-ways-result-pandemic-opinion<\/a><\/p>\n

Daniel, D. (2013). Gender, race, and age of librarians and users have an impact on the perceived approachability of librarians. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 8(3), 73. doi:10.18438\/B8JP5H\u00a0https:\/\/journals.library.ualberta.ca\/eblip\/index.php\/EBLIP\/article\/view\/19659<\/a><\/p>\n

Edwards, A. (2019). Unsettling the future by uncovering the past: Decolonizing academic libraries and librarianship.\u00a0Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, 14<\/em>(1).\u00a0https:\/\/journal.lib.uoguelph.ca\/index.php\/perj\/article\/view\/5161<\/a><\/p>\n

IFLA. (2020,\u00a0August 9).\u00a0IFLA ARL Webinar series: Academic Library Services during COVID-19<\/em>\u00a0[Video]. YouTube.\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YFkgM7uI2Sw&feature=youtu.be<\/a><\/p>\n

Santamaria, M. R. (2020). Concealing white supremacy through fantasies of the library: Economies of affect at work.\u00a0Library Trends, 68<\/em>(3), 431-449.\u00a0doi:10.1353\/lib.2020.0000<\/a><\/p>\n

Sierpe, E. (2019). Confronting Librarianship and its Function in the Structure of White Supremacy and the\u00a0Ethno\u00a0State.\u00a0Journal of Radical Librarianship, 5<\/em>, 84-102.\u00a0https:\/\/journal.radicallibrarianship.org\/index.php\/journal\/article\/view\/39<\/a><\/p>\n

Sobol, B. (2020). Conveying complexity in contemporary academic library service models. Partnership,\u00a015\u00a0<\/em>,\u00a01-21.\u00a0doi:10.21083\/partnership.v15i1.5777<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Preamble During this transitional time of remote learning in post-secondary, we chose\u00a0a\u00a0question-and-answer\u00a0format to share our\u00a0logistical\u00a0responses to COVID-19 closures, as well as our initial\u00a0reflections. We are curious how\u00a0others would answer these questions and encourage you to respond in the Comments\u00a0section, or email us directly to turn these initial musings into a more\u00a0fulsome\u00a0conversation.   Introductory Reflections Barbara:\u00a0As […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7345,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[270,264],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-issue-1-the-2020-issue","category-volume-12-2020"],"yoast_head":"\nOnline Only: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Library Services & Instruction - BCLA Perspectives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Online Only: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Library Services & Instruction - BCLA Perspectives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Preamble During this transitional time of remote learning in post-secondary, we chose\u00a0a\u00a0question-and-answer\u00a0format to share our\u00a0logistical\u00a0responses to COVID-19 closures, as well as our initial\u00a0reflections. We are curious how\u00a0others would answer these questions and encourage you to respond in the Comments\u00a0section, or email us directly to turn these initial musings into a more\u00a0fulsome\u00a0conversation.   Introductory Reflections Barbara:\u00a0As […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BCLA Perspectives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-30T20:48:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-22T19:25:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tammie.mercado\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"tammie.mercado\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"16 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/30\\\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/30\\\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"tammie.mercado\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3df5f57637b038d7597e062681eeb17f\"},\"headline\":\"Online Only: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Library Services & Instruction\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-30T20:48:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-22T19:25:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/30\\\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":3268,\"articleSection\":[\"Issue 1: The 2020 Issue\",\"Volume 12 (2020)\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/30\\\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/30\\\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\\\/\",\"name\":\"Online Only: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Library Services & Instruction - BCLA Perspectives\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-30T20:48:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-22T19:25:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3df5f57637b038d7597e062681eeb17f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/30\\\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/30\\\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/30\\\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Online Only: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Library Services & Instruction\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/\",\"name\":\"BCLA Perspectives\",\"description\":\"A publication of the BC Library Association.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3df5f57637b038d7597e062681eeb17f\",\"name\":\"tammie.mercado\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0c23a9e95d40337f04f889458a3fbaff6c2f4ff00d4918b8ca557fbb65906d7e?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0c23a9e95d40337f04f889458a3fbaff6c2f4ff00d4918b8ca557fbb65906d7e?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0c23a9e95d40337f04f889458a3fbaff6c2f4ff00d4918b8ca557fbb65906d7e?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"tammie.mercado\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bclaconnect.ca\\\/perspectives\\\/author\\\/tammie-mercado\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Online Only: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Library Services & Instruction - BCLA Perspectives","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Online Only: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Library Services & Instruction - BCLA Perspectives","og_description":"Preamble During this transitional time of remote learning in post-secondary, we chose\u00a0a\u00a0question-and-answer\u00a0format to share our\u00a0logistical\u00a0responses to COVID-19 closures, as well as our initial\u00a0reflections. We are curious how\u00a0others would answer these questions and encourage you to respond in the Comments\u00a0section, or email us directly to turn these initial musings into a more\u00a0fulsome\u00a0conversation.   Introductory Reflections Barbara:\u00a0As […]","og_url":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/","og_site_name":"BCLA Perspectives","article_published_time":"2020-11-30T20:48:36+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-01-22T19:25:29+00:00","author":"tammie.mercado","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"tammie.mercado","Est. reading time":"16 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/"},"author":{"name":"tammie.mercado","@id":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/#\/schema\/person\/3df5f57637b038d7597e062681eeb17f"},"headline":"Online Only: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Library Services & Instruction","datePublished":"2020-11-30T20:48:36+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-22T19:25:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/"},"wordCount":3268,"articleSection":["Issue 1: The 2020 Issue","Volume 12 (2020)"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/","url":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/","name":"Online Only: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Library Services & Instruction - BCLA Perspectives","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-11-30T20:48:36+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-22T19:25:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/#\/schema\/person\/3df5f57637b038d7597e062681eeb17f"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2020\/11\/30\/online-only-inclusivity-and-accessibility-in-library-services-instruction\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Online Only: Inclusivity and Accessibility in Library Services & Instruction"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/","name":"BCLA Perspectives","description":"A publication of the BC Library Association.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/#\/schema\/person\/3df5f57637b038d7597e062681eeb17f","name":"tammie.mercado","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c23a9e95d40337f04f889458a3fbaff6c2f4ff00d4918b8ca557fbb65906d7e?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c23a9e95d40337f04f889458a3fbaff6c2f4ff00d4918b8ca557fbb65906d7e?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c23a9e95d40337f04f889458a3fbaff6c2f4ff00d4918b8ca557fbb65906d7e?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"tammie.mercado"},"url":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/author\/tammie-mercado\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7345"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10806\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}