Using LibGuides: Making Guides Accessible

UNC Libraries work to comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines for all websites and guides. By incorporating these guidelines into your everyday editing of your guides, you will make usability better for all users.

Make sure you have met the following guidelines before publishing your guide or related content on the web. Contact Nora Burmeister to request an accessibility review of your guide prior to publication.

Headings

Use the Heading 3 through Heading 6 in the Rich Text Editor options to layout and organize your text.

• Tags should be properly nested from largest (Heading 3) to smallest (Heading 6).
• Using tags out of order to style text for aesthetic reasons creates problems for low vision and blind users.

Alternative Text

For every image added to a guide include alt text (Alternative Text). When writing alt text:

• Use common sense
• Focus on the essential content in the image
• Consider the image's purpose on your page
• No need to use "Image of" or "photo/image"

For example, an image of kittens in the grass could be interpreted many ways:

• If the kittens are your focus, simply putting "kittens" or "5 kittens" works
• If the grass contributes to reason you are adding the image, include that in your alternative text.
• Decorative images or logos that duplicate or do not contribute to information on the page can have blank alternative text fields. LibGuides does this automatically when the Alternative Text field in the Image Properties window is blank.

Springshare provides more details on writing effective Alternative Text.

PDFs and Other Documents

Like any webpage, a document you upload to LibGuides needs to be accessible for all users. Adobe Acrobat makes it easy to check and update your PDFs.

If you aren't sure about your documents or how to make them accessible, email the Digital Accessibility Office at digitalaccessibility@unc.edu.

Screenshots and Images of Text

Images of text are generally discouraged, as a screen reader cannot recognize the text within an image. If you must use an image containing text, make sure that your alt text includes the text contained within the image.

If you are planning to work on a guide with a lot of screenshots, you’ll want to make sure that the text accompanying the screenshot details the process(es) being described in the image. That way, the alt text can be left blank because the image serves as a duplication of the process described in text.

Links

Web best practices indicate that links should open in the same window, which is our LibGuides system default. This practice leaves the user in control of whether or not a new link opens in the same window or a new window/tab rather than forcing a decision on them.

If you still choose to open links in a new window/tab, include the phrase "link opens in new window" at the end of the link to warn users what will happen.

Link meaningful words that convey destination information to the user. Do not link words like 'click here'.

Readability and Plain Language

Plain language helps users:

• Find what they need
• Use what they find
• Use what they find to meet their needs

In the library, we have a lot of jargon and complex terms that users won't always recognize. By keeping this in mind and using resources like the Hemingway App, we can simplify our content and have it understood by a majority of users.

Visit plainlanguage.gov for examples.