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Library Accessibility

This guide provides information about accessibility in the ELAC Libraries.

About ELAC Library Databases

  • The ELAC Libraries provide students, faculty, and staff with access to 80+ online research databases. Visit our A-Z Database list to access individual databases. You will be asked login with your LACCD account before a database loads. Review off-campus login directions here.
  • Most ELAC Library database access is provided by three major database companies: EBSCO, Gale and ProQuest.
  • Below find vendor accessibility statements and accessible database features.

Database Accessibility Information

  • If you cannot fully access the databases or resources within the databases, please contact the ELAC Libraries by email at library@elac.edu or by phone (323) 415-4134. Please include the nature of the accessibility issue, the database with which you are having difficulty, and your contact information. A library staff member will contact you within 2-3 business days.
  • Please see the Equally Effective Alternate Access Plan (EEAAP) Guide for each of our electronic library databases: EEAAP Guide
  • For additional services and accommodations contact or visit the High Tech Center located in the Student Services Building (E1-160): Voice: (323) 265-8787 | Email: dsps@elac.edu | Online Chat

EBSCO

All EBSCOhost databases provide a text to speech option for HTML Full Text articles. However, many articles are not available in HTML. When you have located an article, click on HTML Full Text and there will be an option to listen. You can also download these audio files in MP3 format.

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. For assistance with older PDFs, contact the ELAC librarians at library@elac.edu.

Gale

Gale Databases (such as Academic OneFile or the New York Times) 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.

ProQuest

ProQuest databases contain many accessible PDFs documents. However, older content was created from scanned images of original text that is not accessible to screen readers. This content is identified throughout ProQuest with the label 'Scanned image PDF.' For assistance with older PDFs, contact the Library at library@elac.edu.

Other ELAC Databases

The following databases provide policies or statements regarding accessibility and ADA compliance.

This material was adapted from the research guide ‘Accessibility at the Healey Library’ with permission from the Reference, Outreach and Instruction Department, Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston.