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Database Accessibility: About Database Accessibility

Accessibility

Bakersfield College requires that our courses meet current accessibility standards but we can't control what our databases do.  Fortunately, our database vendors have made great strides in assuring their content meets current accessibility standards.

However the databases, by virtue of being content aggregators rather than creators, can't always control the content they provide.

In the boxes below, you will find accessibility information for our three largest databases and links to the statements of our smaller databases.

If you have any questions about the accessibility of a particular database, please contact a BC librarian.

 

EBSCO

  • Newer PDFs in EBSCO are ADA compliant.
    • EBSCO Publishing began providing its scanned PDFs with an Optical Character Reader (OCR) text layer in September 2004.
  • All EBSCOhost databases provide a text to speech option for HTML Full Text articles, though many articles are not available in HTML.
    • When you have located an article, check to see if there is a link for HTML Full Text to find the option to listen. You can also download these audio files in MP3 format.

JSTOR

  • JSTOR allows you resize text by adjusting browser settings
  • Use both landscape and portrait to read content
  • Listen to and use JSTOR with a screen reader
  • Access alt text for images (ARTStor)

JSTOR Accessibility policies

GALE

  • Gale databases provide a Listen function for full-text articles.
  • Wherever the Listen icon is present, there is the option to have the document read aloud.
  • The Listen tool also allows you to download the audio file as a MP3.