Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses : Honours Theses 2010 Website accessibility issues in Western Australian public libraries Vivienne L. Conway Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons Part of the Graphics and Human Computer Interfaces Commons, and the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation Conway, V. L. (2010). Website accessibility issues in Western Australian public libraries. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/124 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/124 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation to offences and infringements relating to copyright material. Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Website Accessibility Issues in Western Australian Public Libraries A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours) by Vivienne Louise Conway Student# 10013007 Faculty of Computing, Health and Science Edith Cowan University Principal Supervisor: Dr. Justin Brown Date of submission: October 15,2010 USE OF THESIS The Use of Thesis statement is not included in this version of the thesis. Copyright and Access Declaration I cerlify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: (i) Incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher degree or diploma in any institution of higher education; (ii) Contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text of this thesis; or (iii) Contain any defamatory material. (iv) Contain any data that has not been collected in a manner consistent with ethics approval. The Ethics Committee may refer any incidents involving requests for ethics approval after data collection to the relevant Faculty for action. Sig Date: 27 October, 2010 iii Website Accessibility in Western Australian Public Libraries Abstract Website accessibility is a very real and pressing issue for public libraries internationally. Tim Berners-Lee credited with founding the Web, states 11The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect." (Henry & McGee, 2010} There is wide-spread support for adherence to the Web Content Advisory Guidelines Version 1.0 and 2.0 (WCAG} throughout Federal, State and Local levels of government in Australia. The Guidelines have also been affirmed by the Australian Human Rights Commission, disability advocacy groups such as Vision Australia, and the Australian Library and Information Association. The Australian Government issued a press release in February 2010 which mandates conformance with WCAG 2.0 by 2015 for all government sites. In order to accommodate this, a new transition strategy has been provided by the Australian Government. While adherence to the Guidelines is clearly mandated, the level of adherence within the public libraries in Western Australia has not been tested until now. Public libraries, by their very nature, should be providing an equality of access to their collections and services. This research assesses the level of adherence to the Web Content Advisory Guidelines (Version 1.0 and 2.0) of public libraries within Western Australia. Through on-line website accessibility evaluation tools, manual checklists, surveys and interviews, this research identifies the level of compliance to these Guidelines as well as the implementation barriers and level of understanding within Western Australia. The assessment of the website accessibility of public libraries in Western Australia operated as a case study methodology incorporating both quantitative and qualitative assessment tools. An analysis of the research methods and findings is provided in this dissertation. The findings of the research demonstrate that at present no public library website in Western Australia with an on-line catalogue link, other than the State Library of Western Australia, conforms to the WCAG Version 1.0 or 2.0 at any level of compliance. Libraries identify a number of barriers to implementation of the guidelines including lack of understanding of the necessity of compliance, lack of understanding of the benefits of compliance, time and cost. The theoretical framework suggested in this research suggests that with increased understanding of the issues and increased support, libraries should be in a better position to work toward website accessibility. iv Website Accessibility ip Western Australian Public Libraries Table of Contents Chapter 11ntroduction .............................................................................................................................. 1-2 1.1 The Background to the Study ..................................................................................................... 1-2 1.2 The Significance of the Study ..................................................................................................... 1-2 1.3 The Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................... 1-3 1.4 Research Questions ................................................................................................................... 1-4 1.4.1 Principal Question .............................................................................................................. 1-4 1.4.2 Supporting Questions .................................................." ...................................................... 1-4 1.5 Definitions of Terms or Operational Definitions ........................................................................ 1-5 Chapter 2 Literature Review ...................................................................................................................... 2-6 2.1 Introduction ............................................ , .................................................................................. 2-6 2.2 Australian Context ..................................................................................................................... 2-7 2.3 Comparable Studies ................................................................................................................. 2-10 2.4 Guidelines: WCAG 1.0 or 2.0? .................................................................................................. 2-12 2.4.1 Key points of difference between WCAG 1.0 and 2.0 ..................................................... 2-14 2.5 Barriers to Guideline Compliance ............................................................................................ 2-15 2.5.1 Cost of Compliance .......................................................................................................... 2-15 2.5.2 Technical Knowledge and Ability ..................................................................................... 2-16 2.5.3 Time and Effort ................................................................................................................ 2-16 2.5.4 Awareness of Guidelines and Legal Requirements .......................................................... 2-16 2.5.5 Corporate Attitudes ......................................................................................................... 2-17 2.5.6 Lack of Control of Website by Library .............................................................................. 2-17 Chapter 3 Theoretical framework ............................................................................................................ 3-18 Chapter 4 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................................... 4-19 4.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 4-19 4.2 Methods and Methodology .................................................. : .................................................. 4-19 4.3 Research Design ....................................................................................................................... 4-21 4.3.1 Website Audit .................................................................................................................. 4-21 4.3.2 Surveys ............................................................................................................................. 4-21 4.3.3 lnterviews ......................................................................................................................... 4-23 4.4 Instruments or Materials or Apparatus or Equipment ............................................................ 4-23 V Website Accessibility in" Western Australian Public Libraries 4.5 Procedure ................................................................................................................................