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Workshop on Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion in Library Systems

The MIT Center for Research on Equitable and Open Scholarship (CREOS) is proud to host a Workshop on Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion in Library Systems – focusing on the role of library information systems and information architecture in supporting diverse communities to discover, access, create, and learn from library collections in support of library services in the United States.

This one-and-a-half-day event, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services will convene approximately 25 librarians, scholars, and technologists with the aim of identifying high-impact design principles and potential next steps for libraries that adopt and deploy these systems, and for the software architects that design them.

This event is not open to the public but is available by invitation or application only. Registration is closed at this time.

The forum event will take place on the campus of MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 11-12, 2019.

We seek to learn from and build on current ideas from those working and thinking in and around the topics of information systems design, accessibility, and inclusion – especially in the areas of:

  • principles of design for difference/universal design,
  • adaptations for users physical and cognitive disabilities and need,
  • adaptation for neurodiverse user communities,
  • accessibility by users in the global south,
  • and application of new technologies to enrich individual and social access to library collections both digital and tangible.

The workshop will be a small, active working event – focused on identifying principles, practices, standards, and research that will inform a draft report for public comment. The expected outcome is a white paper informed by this workshop that will:

  • characterize major barriers in design and systems implementation that inhibit inclusion and adaptation,
  • identify high-impact design principles for universal/adaptive information systems that are accepted or emerging in the broader community,
  • describe existing approaches and methods for applying these principles to library information systems for the architects and developers that create these systems, and for libraries that adopt, adapt, and deploy these systems.

We are working to create a culture of diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility throughout the duration of the project and especially during the forum event.

We look forward to input on the draft report from the public and especially from those who identify with traditionally underrepresented or marginalized populations.

Many thanks for visiting – the Program Committee