Accessibility statement for Nottingham ePrints
This accessibility statement applies to http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk, which hosts several repository collections using the repository software ePrints.
The collections are the Nottingham ePrints, Nottingham eTheses and Nottingham eDissertations.
This website is run by University of Nottingham Libraries in partnership with our supplier Eprints Services, a subsidiary of The University of Southampton.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- Our repository contents are not all accessible. If you find an item you wish to access in an accessible format please email library-helpline@nottingham.ac.uk, requesting an accessible version and describing the resource you wish to access e.g. by providing a link to the relevant repository page. We’ll consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.
- You may find scrolling to see all content difficult if using a small screen (such as a mobile device). We recommend using a larger display to access the site.
- You may encounter challenges in navigating through information in the site when using a keyboard or assistive technology due to issues with sequencing page information and page elements which are not well labelled.
- You may find it difficult to see some parts of NUsearch if visually impaired due to low contrast text – you may wish to use a browser plug-in or other assistive technology to enhance contrast.
- The ‘Statistics’ page contains a large amount of automatically generated content that you may find tricky to access. Please contact us if you would like help with accessing the information on this page.
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
We’ll consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact University of Nottingham Libraries via library-helpline@nottingham.ac.uk.
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).
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
Find out how to contact us www.nottingham.ac.uk/Library/help
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
University of Nottingham 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 is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
You may find it difficult to navigate through elements of the webpage in sequence, for example when using a keyboard or assistive technology. We are reporting these issues to Eprints Services and will work with them to address.
Sequencing
You may find it difficult to interpret some elements of the page when using assistive technology due to an absence of text description. We are reporting these issues to Atmire and will work with them to address.
- There are site-wide issues with page linearisation, which means tables with multiple columns cannot be read in sequence. There are also site-wide issues with CSS positioning, meaning that content at the top of the page cannot be read in sequence when using a keyboard or assistive technology. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.2 (meaningful sequence).
- Headings are always not used as intended: empty headings are used to create blank space and heading levels are sometimes skipped. The ‘Statistics’ page is missing form labels. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.6 (heading and labels).
- Heading 1 displays smaller on-screen than Heading 2 and Heading 3 by default. The ‘Nottingham ePrints’ and ‘Portal’ links in the second bar on all pages have poor contrast. The ‘Statistics’ page is missing labels on input elements including ‘Authors’ and date filters. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
Navigation and accessing information
You may find it difficult to navigate to or access some information. We are reporting these issues to Eprints Services and will work with them to address. The website does not deliver a mobile dedicated design.
- The ‘Skip to content’ link is hidden from view unless selected e.g. by tabbing to it. The ‘Nottingham ePrints’ and ‘Portal’ links in the second bar on all pages and the filter headers on the ‘Statistics’ page all have poor contrast. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 (contrast).
- When the site is presented at a width of 320 pixels, it is necessary to scroll both horizontally and vertically to view content. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.10 (reflow).
- On the ‘Statistics’ page it is not possible to select a filter without using a mouse. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (keyboard).
Missing and duplicate attributes
You may find it difficult to interpret some elements of the page when using assistive technology due to a lack of assigned language, alternative text, descriptions, labels, ARIA attributes, and duplicate IDs. We are reporting these issues to Eprints Services and will work with them to address.
- The page does not have a language assigned. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.1.1 (language of page).
- The University of Nottingham logo and a non-displayed lightbox image are missing alternative text on all pages. On the ‘Statistics’ page headings are images with no description. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
- There is no link description on the previous link and next link options on the non-displayed lightbox, the link on the filter image or the link on the University of Nottingham logo. The ‘More’ (search results) link needs a more informative description. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 (link purpose).
- The ‘Portal’ link on all pages has no accessible name. The ‘Statistics’ page input tags lack associated labels and ARIA attributes. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.1 (name, role, value).
- The ‘Statistics’ page lacks description on input fields such as the date filter. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.2 (labels or instructions).
- There are duplicate IDs, particularly on the ‘Statistics’ page. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.1 (parsing).
Disproportionate burden
PDFs and the contents of other in-scope active collections
The PDFs and the contents of other in-scope active collections in ePrints have not historically been created with accessibility in mind and some collections are out of scope, as described below.
We have assessed the overall workload which would be needed to convert all PDFs and the contents of other in-scope active collections (such as research data) hosted in our portfolio of repositories which includes the Nottingham Research Repository, Nottingham ePrints and Dspace. We considered both retroactively converting legacy repository contents and converting new deposits to an accessible form on receipt within UoN Libraries to be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
We have reviewed ePrints as a service provided by University of Nottingham Libraries, but none of the collections it hosts are in scope.
The core Nottingham ePrints collection contains open access records for University of Nottingham Ningbo China and University of Nottingham Malaysia. Legacy open access records for University of Nottingham UK redirect to the Nottingham Research Repository. This collection therefore no longer relates to a UK service provider and is not in scope.
Nottingham eTheses and Nottingham eDissertations are produced by students and hence constitute third party content. They are also therefore not in scope.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are actively reviewing content and have introduced new working practices with a focus on user needs and providing inclusive content to our diverse audiences.
We are improving our communications and advocacy with the communities who deposit contents in our repositories to improve the accessibility of deposited items going forward.
We encourage requests for accessible versions of repository contents.
We are engaging with EPrints Services to highlight and develop accessibility requirements. We will be considering accessibility as a key requirement when reviewing our repository software portfolio in 2021.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 22 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 22 September 2020.
This website was last tested in September 2020. The test was carried out by University Nottingham Libraries.
We used this approach to deciding on a sample of pages: testing by stratified sampling.
We sampled example pages within the page types ePrints generates: the home page, browse, statistics and support.