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Accessibility in the Library: Find Materials

Library support for persons with disabilities

OneSearch

The library provides many options for searching for information. OneSearch is often the best place to start;  here you can find a wide variety of resources including books, newspapers, magazines, journal articles, digitized collections, movies and more all from a single search.  OneSearch connect you to resources owned by the Mansfield Library and 15 other Montana academic libraries. 

Try it out

by  following this link to open OneSearch in a new window

 

Print Resources

Borrowing Print Materials

Eligibility

The Mansfield Library lends materials in accordance with its check out policies. Questions and requests for accommodations should be directed to Information Center staff.

Proxy Borrower Cards

Users with disabilities may designate a proxy borrower to enable someone else to check out items for them. The user, not the proxy borrower, remains responsible for all items checked out via the proxy. Use our online authorization form or stop by the Information Center and a circulation supervisor will assist you with setting up a proxy borrower account.

Retrieving Print Materials

Holds may be placed on items found in the library catalog and users will be notified via email when the item is available for pickup at the Information Center Level 3 counter. Users with campus mailboxes may request delivery of items.

Library staff at the Information Center & Circulation Desk, Level 3, are available to retrieve library materials for users who need assistance. Library staff will make every effort to immediately retrieve the needed material within the limitations of staff availability. When planning extensive library research that requires the retrieval of multiple volumes, contact Office for Disability Equity for assistance.

Alternative Formats for Print Materials

Scanning

No-cost, self-service book scanners are available for all library visitors. They are located on level 3 of the Mansfield Library near the Paw Print and allow easy copying of most library materials converting them to multiple file types, including screen-readable PDFs. Please note that these machines do not have text-to-speech capability.  Fee based scanning services are available at the Paw Print

Getting Assistance for Scanning Documents

 Tech support staff at the  Information Center can help with small amounts of scanning. For larger scanning projects please contact a supervisor in the circulation department at the Information Center in advance to make arrangements to discuss your disability-related needs and to request assistance. 

Readers

Print material that cannot be made accessible using assistive technology may require the aid of a reader. Students requiring a reader should first contact Office for Disability Equity.

Rare and fragile materials

Rare and fragile materials often cannot withstand use on specialized equipment, and rare materials cannot be removed from the library. Users should arrange access to these materials by contacting Archives and Special Collection.

Digital Collections, Articles, Journals and Databases

Browse the library's digital collections

The library's digital collections consist of rare or unique materials in a variety of formats.  Many of these include transcripts or alternative formats that can be used with text-to-speech functionality. Contact the library if you are experiencing difficulties accessing this collection.

 

Find published and unpublished works by University of Montana faculty, students, and staff in ScholarWorks

UM's institutional repository, ScholarWorks, centralizes, preserves, and provides free, online access to the valuable research, creative scholarship, and unique resources produced and curated by UM faculty, students, and staff. Many of these include transcripts or alternative formats that can be used with text-to-speech functionality. Contact the library if you are experiencing difficulties accessing this collection.

 

Search for electronic journals by title, category and ISBN 

Electronic journals are provided by a variety of domestic and international companies.  Articles are commonly provided in either PDF or HTML format. Text-to-speech functionality varies depending on the access platform, the format, and when the article or journal was created. Please contact the library if you are experiencing difficulties with an electric journal.

 

Search or browse all databases by title and subject.

Library databases come from a variety of domestic and international companies.  Many of the databases are fully accessible and provide full text articles in both HTML and PDF formats.  Text-to-speech functionality varies depending on the access platform, the format, and when the document was created. For specific accessibility related information click on the small blue "vendor accessibility resources" icon Vendor accessibility resources icon next to the database name. Please contact the library if you are experiencing difficulties with a database.

Some of our most popular databases are listed below:

Audio-Visual and Other Media Materials

The library owns a large collection of media in a variety of formats.  Many of our videorecordings contain closed captions; and audio recordings, such as those found in our oral history collections, have accompanying transcripts.  If you need assistance with media materials please ask at the Information Center, a tech support staff or a circulation supervisor will work with you to provide alternative formats of audio-visual materials on an as-needed basis.

Faculty and instructors at UM are committed to making course-related audio-visual materials accessible to all students by arranging for closed captioning, decoding or interpretive services. Please let your professor know if this will affect you.  Visit the UM Solutions center to find out more about campus wide captioning  services and how copyright policies may affect captioning and media conversion. Reference and Instruction Librarians at the Mansfield Library are happy to assist faculty with locating captioned or transcribed copies of audio-visual materials for use in their classes. 

Electronic Resources

Workstation accessibility

Wheelchair accessible workstations and workstations with reading and speech recognition software are available on Levels 2 & 3; and on the main floor at Missoula College.

Public Work Stations  

A link on the login page opens the Windows Ease of Access Center and includes a magnifier, on-screen keyboard, narrator, Windows speech recognition, and a range of options to optimize settings.

Databases, electronic journals, electronic  books and other electronic resources

Access to electronic resources includes access to content created by outside vendors.  Many of these resources are fully accessible, however some older material may vary in level of accessibility and usability.  If you are experiencing difficulties using any of these resources please request assistance at the Information Center or contact Teressa Keenan  / (406) 243-4592

Off-Campus Access

The UM NetID and password provide access to the library’s catalog, electronic databases, full-text of electronic journals, and a growing collection of electronic books.

Document Delivery

Users may request electronic delivery of articles and book chapters regardless of whether the library owns the print material or not. Electronic delivery will be provided in screen readable PDF format.