Those returning to Michigan State University at the start of the spring semester can enjoy an exhibit demonstrating the MSU Libraries’ commitment to accessibility, on display through Feb. 5 at the MSU Libraries Main Gallery.
The exhibit “Universal Access: Accessibility in the Library World” showcases how the MSU Libraries have implemented accessibility practices to ensure our collections and archives, assistive technologies and equipment, and spaces are and remain widely available to all. For those looking to visit virtually, an online exhibit is also available as a companion piece to the physical exhibit. Audio files of text for both the physical and virtual exhibits are also available via QR codes.
This exhibit was curated by Libraries staff members from multiple units including the Accessibility and User Experience teams, as well as University Archives. Head of Accessibility Heidi Schroeder emphasized the collaborative effort behind the exhibit and how it demonstrates the commitment of faculty and staff across the Libraries to ensuring access to our world-class collections. “It was great to work with units across the Libraries to install this exhibit and showcase how accessibility has been and continues to be a priority for us,” Schroeder said. “It features a wide array of items — accessibility and disability studies materials from our collections and archives, assistive technologies and gaming equipment in the Libraries — and offers interactive sensory experiences like a hearing loss simulation in our sound dome and tactile maps and objects.”
The sound dome and tactile resources noted by Schroeder are key features of the “Universal Access” exhibit that also provide interactive sensory experiences. The simulation in the sound dome aims to lend insight into living with hearing loss, including an interview with MSU accessibility trailblazers Eric Gentile and Judy Taylor that aired on the WKAR program “Viewpoints for Action” in 1979, which has been modified with filters to demonstrate how various levels of hearing loss affect the ability to understand the text. The tactile table includes an array of 3D-printed objects created in the MSU Libraries’ Hollander Makerspace, which is an alternative learning environment and gathering space that encourages cross-discipline collaboration, experimentation and learning, as well as a globe from the Map Library’s collection of braille and tactile resources.
The technologies incorporated in the tactile table and throughout the various exhibit cases are known as assistive technologies, which are resources used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities. The MSU Libraries has an Assistive Technology Center (ATC) on the first floor of the Main Library that offers resources including adjustable desks and chairs, a SARA Scanning & Reader Appliance, a Perkins Brailler and more. According to former Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities Student Assistive Technology Manager and 2024 MSU graduate Annika Arney, the ATC is a convenient and necessary resource.
“The Assistive Technology Center is an important resource for MSU students who may have specific needs while they are completing their coursework at the Main Library,” Arney said. “The space is convenient to use, as it does not need to be signed up for ahead of time, but rather the student can ask for the room to be unlocked when they have a need for it. The Assistive Technology Center is also useful for collaborating and meeting with other students. I have no doubt that if a student had any concerns regarding one of the machines or computers available within the space, library staff would be readily available to assist.”
This story was originally uploaded on lib.msu.edu.
