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Services for Persons with Disabilities
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Library Policy


Library Assistance for Persons with Disabilities

The Yale University Library serves as an important research and educational resource for the students, faculty, and staff of the Yale community. In order to ensure all users equitable access to the library's collections, public services, and web resources, the library has developed a program of services that enable users with disabilities to take full advantage of its offerings.

The following services will be available to persons with disabilities upon request:

Finding and Using Library Materials

  • Assistance to facilitate the use of finding aids (online and physical)
  • Paging of books from stacks and shelf areas (may be on a delayed basis)
  • Assistance in ascertaining the availability of books and periodicals housed in Yale libraries
  • Extension of reserves or loan periods or modification of other lending rules on an individual basis when possible
  • Telephone assistance with finding out the status of an item on Orbis, the online catalog. On an individual basis, library staff will check to see if an item is on the shelf (may be on a delayed basis)
  • Ensuring of access to microform readers, computers, and other pieces of information technology
  • Assistance with photocopying of a limited number of pages from books and journals (may be on a delayed basis)

Reference Assistance

  • Advice about access to specialized online information sources
  • Explanations and descriptions of sources of specialized information
  • Help with numerous bibliographic citations
  • Instruction on how to use available library technologies located at adaptive workstations

Proxy Cards

Users with disabilities are eligible to obtain a proxy borrower's card from the Privileges Office for a specified friend or attendant to borrow library materials on their behalf. Proxy cards for non-students/staff will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on an applicant's particular circumstances.

Public services representatives from each of the Yale libraries should be contacted with any questions you may have regarding these services. For more information on university-level assistance for Yale students and staff with disabilities, contact the The Office for Equal Opportunity Programs.

Public Service Representatives [from each of the Yale libraries]

Access Services/Circulation [Sterling Memorial Library/Cross Campus Library]
Cindy Greenspun, Access Services Supervisor , Access Services
Tel. 436-4672

Area Studies [African, East Asian, Judaica, Latin American, Near East, Slavic & East European, and Southeast Asia collections]
Temporarily Vacant

Arts Library [including Arts of the Book Collection, Classics Library, Drama Library, and Visual Resources Collection]
Temporarily Vacant
Tel. 436-2645

Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Doreen Powers, Manager of Administrative Services
Tel. 436-4946

Divinity Library
Susan Burdick, Circulation Manager
Tel. 432-5288

Law Library
Martha Clark - Information Access Manager
Tel. 432-1609 (Weekdays Contact)
Cesar Zapata - Collections & Access Coordinator
Tel. 432-7294 (Weekends Contact)

Library Administration Services/Human Resources
Temporarily Vacant

Manuscripts & Archives
Temporarily Vacent

Medical Library [including Epidemiology and Public Health Library]
Daniel Dollar, Associate Director, Collection Development and Management, Medical Library
Tel. 785-2883

Music Library
Richard Boursy, Archivist
Tel. 432-7883

Research Services & Collections [Sterling Memorial Library/Cross Campus Library]
Lucille Houde, Library Service Assistant
Tel. 432-1783

Science libraries [Kline Science, Engineering & Applied Science, Geology, Sterling Chemistry, Forestry, and Mathematics libraries]
Lori Bronars, Science Reference Librarian
Tel. 432-6213

Social Science libraries [including Government Documents and Information Center, Seeley G. Mudd Library, Statistics Library]
Judith Carnes, Social Sciences Librarian and Coordinator of Instruction/Training
Tel. 432-3306

Library Systems Office
George Ouellette, Senior Programmer Analyst
Tel. 432-1847

Available Adaptive Technology

Arts Library
Adjustable table
PC with a large screen, large print keyboard, and trackball

Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Currently testing screen reader software that will translate Beinecke's manuscript finding aids into voice output (software could be made available on demand)

Cross Campus Library
Classrooms available on a scheduled basis for persons with reading assistants
Sound-proof carrel located on the lower level for persons requiring space to play audiotapes, take oral examinations, etc.
Tape player with Braille controls available at Closed Reserve office
Two wheelchair-accessible public workstations (one with large screen)
Wheelchair-accessible carrel (may not suit all wheelchairs)
Wheelchair-accessible photocopy machine located on the men's room side of the upper level, past the display cases

Divinity Library
Adjustable table in the reference room
PC with large print keyboard, glare screen, and trackball

Engineering & Applied Science Library
PC with large screen, large letter keyboard, Zoom Text magnification, and headphones

Forestry and Environmental Studies Library
Hand-held print magnifier available from the circulation desk.

Government Documents & Information Center
Adjustable table
PC with large print keyboard, large screen monitor, and trackball

Kline Science Library
Adjustable table
Hand-held print magnifier
PC with large print keyboard, large screen, trackball, and headphones
Wheelchair-accessible photocopier
Zoom Text Magnification with text speech Instructions

Manuscripts & Archives
PC (NT 4.0; 21" Monitor; 32 MB Graphics Card)
Wheelchair-accessible workstation

Medical Library
Microsoft accessiblity options (e.g., for increasing the font size display of web pages) available on PC workstations
Wheelchair-accessible photocopier in the photocopy room

Mudd Library
Adjustable table
PC with large print keyboard, large screen monitor, and trackball

Social Science Library
Adjustable table in the reference room
PC with large print keyboard, large screen monitor, and trackball

Sterling Memorial Library
PC with CCTV [magnifies printed text] in the Linonia & Brothers (L&B) Reading Room
Wheelchair-accessible photocopy machine located across from the Privileges Office

Physical Accessibility Information

Arts of the Book
The collection is wheelchair-accessible.

Arts Library
People in wheelchairs must call the circulation desk (432-2645) to be let in the building, at the side entrance on Chapel Street.

Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
The building is wheelchair-accessible via the doorway on its south side. The guards, who are on duty during library hours at the desk on the street-floor level, will assist anyone needing to use the elevator to reach the exhibition floor or readers' services on the court level. The restrooms, on the court level, are wheelchair-accessible according to current codes.

Chemistry Library
The building and one floor of the library are wheelchair-accessible (through elevator in the BASS building and connection on 4th floor).

Classics Library
Persons with wheelchairs must call the desk (432-8054); the elevator goes to the fifth floor only with a key.

Cross Campus Library
The building is wheelchair-accessible. An outside elevator (located near the bicycle racks) will take the reader directly to the Cross Campus Library. Yale-affiliates may be eligible to procure a key for long-term use from the Office for Equal Opportunity Programs to the exterior elevator door on Rose Walk. Once inside the button-operated elevator, library security staff will monitor the reader's progress via a camera. Readers not directly affiliated with Yale should use the blue phone located at the bottom of the ramp leading to the Sterling Memorial Library and dial 2-1869 to contact Cross Campus Library staff. Staff are available to assist visitors between 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.

To get to the Sterling Memorial Library from the Cross Campus Library, readers with wheelchairs can either take the elevator up to Rose Walk and enter the Sterling Memorial Library through the main entrance, or make arrangements in advance with Access Services staff to be guided to Machine City.

Drama Library
The library is not wheelchair-accessible. Persons with wheelchairs may call the circulation desk (432-1554) to page books or books can be delivered to other libraries via Eli Express. Special accommodations can be made for students in the Drama School or others who need reserve or other materials not available through Eli Express.

Engineering & Applied Science Library
The building and one floor of library are wheelchair-accessible. A wheelchair-accessible restroom is located on the lower level of the building.

Geology Library
The building and one floor of library are wheelchair-accessible. A wheelchair-accessible restroom is availble on the 1st floor of the building.

Government Documents & Information Center
Ramps for wheelchair accessibility are located at the main entrance.
The building has an elevator and wheelchair-accessible restrooms.

Kline Science Library
The building and one floor of library are wheelchair-accessible. Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are available in the library.

Mathematics Library
One of the 3 rooms of the Mathematics Library (LOM 223) is wheelchair-accessible. Library readers can use an elevator in Dunham Lab and take it to the 4th floor, proceed down the corridor, and over the bridge to reach the Math Library.

Medical Library
The library is wheelchair-accessible via the entrance on 333 Cedar Street. Elevator access to the basement collections is available.

Mudd Library
Ramps for wheelchair accessibility are located at the main entrance.
The building has an elevator and wheelchair-accessible restrooms.

Social Science Library
The building is wheelchair-accessible. The building has no elevator nor wheelchair-accessible restrooms.

Sterling Memorial Library
The building is wheelchair-accessible via the High Street entrance. Readers who require assistance to get into the Sterling Memorial Library should ring the doorbell (located to the right of the right-most door). A security book monitor will open the door and assist the reader into the library.

To get to the Cross Campus Library from the Sterling Memorial Library, readers with wheelchairs can either exit the library and take the outside elevator down to the Cross Campus Library, or make arrangements in advance with Access Services staff to be guided to the Cross Campus Library through Machine City.

Visual Resources Collection
The library is not wheelchair-accessible.

Other Resources Available on Campus

Accessibility Maps of Yale University
The Advisory Committee on Resources for Students and Employees with Disabilities
Office for Equal Opportunity Programs
Resource Office on Disabilities
Wheelchair-Accessible Rooms at Yale University

Library Policy

Policy Statement, Library Services for Persons with Disabilities
Report of the Task Force on Services for Persons with Disabilities


© 2007 Yale University Library
This file last modified 10/04/07
Send comments to libweb@www.library.yale.edu

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