Library Accessibility Resources and Services

Assistance in retrieving books and other items for those with special needs is provided primarily by Check Out Desk staff. Reference librarians can provide assistance with research, either at the Reference Desk or by appointment. It is helpful for patrons needing assistance to make an appointment with the Check Out Desk staff or Reference staff prior to arrival, especially on nights or weekends. Virtual options are also available. Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Jackson Library has multiple floors across its two connected buildings. Any assistance needed with retrieving materials can be requested at the Check Out Desk. The library tower is now closed for the duration for the library renovation.

Access to Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) is through a small elevator that gives ready access from the main (first) floor lobby area to the second and third floor areas. In our experience, while there are some wheelchairs that will fit into this elevator, this is not the case for all models. Therefore, upon request to the SCUA staff, archival material will be made available to patrons by either providing the documents physically on the library’s main floor for review, or by scanning the items so that a person with visual impairment can use adaptive technology to review, and/or by holding classes in alternative locations on the main floor when the elevator does not provide sufficient access to SCUA or the upper floors.

In 2024, the US Department of Justice published new ADA Title II rules regarding digital accessibility. This rule requires all digital systems and content at public universities to proactively comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA by April 24, 2026. 

UNCG University Libraries is prioritizing its Title II efforts by evaluating and improving the digital accessibility of third-party digital content/platforms licensed or purchased by University Libraries. 

For third-party content/platforms purchased or licensed by University Libraries, we have been actively requesting accessibility license language, collecting accessibility documentation, and encouraging vendors to improve their accessibility. By April 2026 we aim to: 

• Collect accessibility documentation/information from third-party vendors and ask distributors or publishers and distributors or aggregators to submit and keep current a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). In a VPAT, the distributor or publisher explains how their technology, content, and documentation satisfy federal standards for accessibility. 

• Ask that distributors or publishers work quickly to resolve any complaints about accessibility and provide us with accessible versions of materials on demand once issues are resolved. 

As part of our ongoing commitment to accessibility, we will require all distributors and publishers to warrant in their license agreements that their products and services comply with applicable Federal and state accessibility laws and satisfy Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards. This requirement applies to all new licenses and renewals going forward. 

If you experience a barrier that affects your ability to access any digital library content, let us know via the form on the campus Report an Accessibility Issue page, and the request will be routed to us.  

Please refer to our Electronic Resources Accessibility Status document for information about the accessibility status of vendors of UNCG Libraries collections. 

Event announcements will indicate within the RSVP to notify the event organizer if accommodations are needed within the libraries. It is the responsibility of the event organizer to notify library staff of the requested accommodations so that we may provide them for requesting participants.

CC readers that enlarge text are available in Jackson Library. Please ask at the Check Out Desk for locations and availability.

The North Carolina Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped circulates — via mail — books and magazines especially made for persons who cannot use regular printed materials because of a visual or physical disability.