Access and Service: Assisting Visually Impaired Students in Academic Libraries

Academic librarians can use access and service, two of the American Library Association’s (ALA) core values, to guide interactions with and to create proactive offerings for VIS. Firstly, this article addresses the importance of empathetic behaviors when providing reference services. Secondly, it posits that academic libraries should consider how VIS interact with physical library spaces and consider the role of assistive technologies vis-à-vis website or database design. Finally, the concepts of service and accessibility are discussed as a collective necessity for assisting VIS. Academic librarians should use access and service in tandem to develop proactive, thoughtful academic library offerings for VIS.