*Apologies for cross posting*
Am forwarding this to Lis Pub list as I suspect not all public librarians
are signed into Lis Link.
Lynn Osborne
Director, SWRLS
Email: [log in to unmask]
Website: www.swrls.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/swrlsdir
-----Original Message-----
From: A general Library and Information Science list for news and
discussion. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of CHARLES OPPENHEIM
Sent: 28 February 2013 09:50
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New EU Directive of relevance to public libraries
In December 2012, the EU proposed a draft Directive on the accessibility of
web sites operated by organisations in the public sector with public-facing
services. The purpose is to establish minimum standards of accessibility for
users with disabilities.
One specific sector identified in the draft Directive is public libraries'
catalogues and search tools.
Details of the draft Directive can be found
at: http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/news/proposal-directive-european-p
arliament-and-council-accessibility-public-sector-bodies-websites
I would stress that at the moment this is just a draft Directive and has not
yet been passed (and even if and when it does get passed, member states have
to implement it within two years, so the law won't change for at least three
years in the UK). Nonetheless, the standards are quite detailed and it is
possible that some public libraries' websites do not conform to the
standards, and they should plan to do so if necessary.
Charles
Professor Charles Oppenheim
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