Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abstract
Elimination of all barriers is a critical determinant to accessibility and utilization of library resources. The study investigated library facilities in selected libraries in Lagos State, Nigeria to determine their relative accessibility by wheelchair library users. It employed personal observation in which requisite facilities were digitally photographed and this approach was complemented by secondary data. The study found inter alia that all the respondent libraries had no ramps or functional elevators, hence not accessible by wheelchair users; other facilities such as catalogues, circulation desks, shelves, toilets were also designed in a manner that excludes the wheelchair users from access. The paper recommended that regulatory authorities should make provision of facilities for the disabled a compulsory parameter for accreditation. It also called for a national legislation forbidding such discrimination as well as encouraged strategic renovation of library buildings to accommodate persons with disability.