This accessibility statement applies to Solent University Library Catalogue (https://catalogue.solent.ac.uk). It does not apply to the many electronic resources that are discoverable and accessible from the Catalogue.
This website is run by Solent University. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. That means you should be able to:
- change colours and contrast levels using browser or device settings
- zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of Narrator, NVDA, and VoiceOver)
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know that some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- At magnifications higher than 200%, some content may spill off the screen or overlap.
- Sometimes the language of the text will not be identified. This applies to search results that contain elements (e.g., title, abstract, etc.) that are not in English.
- On the detailed item view page the Chat button is not accessible via a keyboard.
- Sometimes the keyboard focus is not clearly visible.
- The request form does not announce that it has been submitted, nor does it announce the result of the submission. The page giving the result of the submission can be deliberately read, but note that it can often take as much as 30 seconds for submission to complete.
Feedback and contact information
If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: library.loans@solent.ac.uk. Alternatively, you may go direct to James Clark, Library Systems and Discovery Manager, email: james.clark@solent.ac.uk, telephone via the Solent Library main desk: 023 8201 3681.
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, audio recording etc.:
We'll consider your request and get back to you within 5 working days.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical information about this website's accessibility
Solent University is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
This website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
- At the bottom of the brief results page, the "Newspaper search" spotlight is coded as part of the Search results Container, which has the role 'list', but itself it does not have an appropriate role (e.g., 'list item'). This could cause problems for assistive technologies, although our testing revealed none. this fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A). We have reported this problem to ExLibris (the system vendor). We do not currently have a date by which this will be fixed.
- When the page is resized (e.g., to a width of 320 pixels and a height of 256 pixels), there is some loss of functionality and some requirement to scroll in multiple directions. For example, in the brief results page the Next page and Previous page buttons are outside the viewport; in the homepage and brief results page the prefilters menu requires both horizontal and vertical scrolling to access it. This will make searching and navigating the results of a search more difficult at high magnification. This fails WCAG 1.4.10 reflow (AA). ExLibris (the system vendor) is aware of the problem. We do not currently have a date by which this will be fixed.
- The custom tooltips that appear when hover or focus is on a button can sometimes obscure other content (especially at magnification) and are not dismissible without moving hover or focus. In addition, the hover cannot be moved over the tooltip content. This behaviour could make it difficult for some users to perceive the page. This fails WCAG 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (AA). We have reported this problem to ExLibris (the system vendor). We do not currently have a date by which this will be fixed.
- In the detailed results page for an item (e.g., a book, an article, etc.) it is not possible to access the Chat widget via the keyboard. This means it is impossible for keyboard only users to access Chat from within these pages. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard (A). We aim to fix this by 28 February 2025.
- The ILL form page sometimes has no title element; at other times it retains the title of the page from which the ILL form was accessed. This will make it more difficult for users to be able to distinguish between different webpages when multiple pages are open, and it may be disorienting to users who rely on audio for perception when navigating. This fails 2.4.2 Page Titled (A). We have reported this problem to ExLibris (the system vendor). We do not currently have a date by which this will be fixed.
- Sometimes it is not clear where the keyboard focus is. For example, in the detailed results page for an item the focus after "Cited in this" or "On shelf" is not visible; in the brief results page, the focus after "Advanced search" is not visible; in the ILL request form, the focus on the Book/Article radio button is not visible. This can make it difficult for users to navigate. This fails WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible (AA). We aim to fix this by 28 February 2025.
- In the Collections page, the aria-label "loadMore" for the "Load more items" button is the name. This name is potentially a little confusing for some users. This fails WCAG 2.5.3 Label in Name (A). We have reported this problem to ExLibris (the system vendor). We do not currently have a date by which this will be fixed.
- Records for resources that are returned as a result of searches or browses may include metadata elements (e.g., title, abstract) in language other than English, and these languages will often not be programmatically identified. This can cause screen readers to mispronounce text. This fails WCAG 3.1.2 Language of Parts (AA). ExLibris (the system vendor) is aware of the problem. We do not currently have a date by which this will be fixed.
- Sometimes interactive tools are nested (e.g., in the detailed view of an item, the buttons under the "Send to" heading; the "Personalize" button on the brief results page). This can sometimes mean that they are not announced by screen readers or cause focus problems for assistive technologies, although this was not a problem in our testing. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A). We have reported this problem to ExLibris (the system vendor). We do not currently have a date by which this will be fixed.
- On completion of placing a request via the ILL request form, the "Request placed successfully" message is not announced. This can make it difficult for users to perceive if the request was placed. This fails WCAG 4.1.3 Status Messages (AA). We have reported this problem to ExLibris (the system vendor). We do not currently have a date by which this will be fixed.
Disproportionate burden
At this time, we are not making any disproportionate burden claims.
Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Please note that the electronic resources that this website makes discoverable and links to are not part of this website and so outside the scope of this statement. Accessibility of electronic resources is a factor when purchasing decisions are made, and in addition, the Library runs an Alternative Formats service, which you can register for via Access Solent.
What we're doing to improve accessibility
The items identified in the Non-accessible content section of this website contain a date by which we expect the issue to be fixed if it is entirely within our control. We will continue to engage with our supplies to try to resolve the issues that involve them promptly.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 20 September 2020. It was last reviewed and revised on 29 November 2024.
This last test of this website was completed on 21 November 2024.
The test was carried out internally. An audit of the site was carried out to the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. In this audit a sample of different types of pages were tested (the home page, a search results page, two detailed results pages, the ILL request form, the Research Hub Collections Gallery, and the My Account page).
