Accessibility Evaluation of Selected Library Websites in Delhi-NCR using an Automated Tool

Abstract

COVID-19 has bound library users to access content majorly digitally. During the pandemic, various libraries made their resources accessible digitally via remote login. The accessibility evaluation of 15 selected libraries of the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) is investigated, focusing on blind and visually impaired (BVI) users. This research aims to investigate and evaluate library accessibility with reference to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1). WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool), a well-known automated accessibility evaluation tool, was used in the study. The WAVE results show that 13 out of 15 library websites contain errors, and 14 out of 15 have alerts based on six components ("Errors, Alerts, Features, Structural elements, ARIA, and Contrast Errors"). The study found that the most common error in websites is Linked image missing alternative text, the second highest error is Empty link, and the third highest error is Empty Button. For these three highest occurring errors, WAVE recommended solutions are also provided for resolving them to improve the accessibility of these websites.