For questions or comments,
please contact us at edref@uflib.ufl.edu

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Services for Users with Disabilities

Disabled Access Elevator Use Policy

The Education Library has a disabled access Elevator available during all the hours the library is open. The elevator is accessible from the Ground (G) Level of the New Norman building (Bldg.103), down the hallway directly across from the AT Norman G514 computer lab. Any patron of the library who is in need of assistance with accessing the building, for whatever reason, may request use of the elevator.

Instructions for elevator use

The person requesting the elevator picks up the intercom phone to the right of the elevator door on the ground floor. This rings a buzzer at the Circulation Desk upstairs. The attendant there picks up the phone and the patron then requests assistance at the ground floor level.

The attendant is required to respond within 1-2 minutes to this request. If the patron needs assistance entering the elevator, the attendant can lock the elevator door open. After assisting the patron into the elevator, if needed, the attendant takes the patron to the requested floor of the library and waits until the patron has exited the elevator successfully. The Circulation Desk and the Reference Desk are on the first floor. The Education Library circulating collections are on the second floor.

Patrons needing assistance while inside the library, e.g. to exit or go to the upper level, need to ask at the Circulation Desk for assistance, and again the attendant is to respond within 1-2 minutes.

Note: In the unlikely event that there is only one staff member at the Circulation Desk, the staff member needs to convey to the caller that he/she is alone and needs to call a backup person to the Circulation Desk before he/she can leave the desk to go to the elevator. For security reasons, the Circulation Desk or the Education Library may not be left unattended. This is the only case that there may be a delay beyond the response time of 1 to 2 minutes.

Other Services for Users with Disabilities

The University of Florida's libraries provide a number of special services to ensure access to library collections and services for individuals with physical disabilities.

  • To take advantage of these services, register at the Circulation Desk at Library West, the Health Science Center Library, or the Legal Information Center.
  • It is library policy to respond to requests for assistance and to provide equipment needed in a timely manner.  If what you need is not available, please ask at the circulation desk in any library.

Electronic Library Access

  • Many UF Libraries' resources and services are available electronically outside the libraries.  For more information, consult the UF Libraries' Home Page at http://www.uflib.ufl.edu. The homepage is available 7 days per week, 24 hours per day anywhere there is access to the Internet.

Borrowing

  • Proxy Borrower Authorization:  Please apply at Library West for a Proxy Borrower Card.  This authorizes another individual to serve as a proxy and check out library materials on behalf of a user with disabilities.

Reference Services

  • All library reference desks provide assistance in locating and using library resources.  Limited reference service is available by telephone.
  • In-depth research consultation and database searches are available on request in some libraries or by scheduled appointment in others.
  • Submit reference questions via electronic mail or interactive chat by clicking "Ask a Librarian" on the UF Libraries' Home Page and then selecting the desired service.
  • Handouts explaining how to use library resources are available in most libraries and through the UF Libraries' Home Page.

Retrieval Services

  • Items listed as in storage are housed off campus.  To request them, go to the library catalog from the UF Libraries' Home Page and sign in, then search for the items needed.  If a "request" button appears in the catalog record, click on it and follow the instructions.  If it does not appear, click on the "Online Requests " tab and complete the form.  Materials will be delivered to the Library West Circulation Desk for pick up within 24 hours
  • Registered disabled users may request that a specific item be retrieved by phoning the appropriate circulation desk. Generally, available items will be retrieved within two hours and held for pickup by the user or his/her proxy at the relevant circulation desk. More time may be required for retrieval during evening and weekends because fewer staff are available. Please call before coming to the library to verify that the item is available.

Renewals

  • Renew items you have checked out by going to the UF Libraries Homepage and clicking on the "My Accounts" bar.
  • Choose the link for "Renwals/Holds".
  • Log in with your GatorLink userid and password.
  • Choose the link for "View Loans/Renewals."
  • You will see a list of things that you have checked out.  At this point, you can select the "renew all UF items" button at the top of the list or renew items individually by clicking on the "Renew" button in front of each title.

Assistance and Accessibility

Emergency Evacuation Procedures for People with Disabilities

Photocopy Assistance

  • Library photocopier/printer is self-service and uses the patron's Gator-1 card (The patron must activate and add money to their Vending Account at Gator 1 Central) to make copies. Copies are $.10 each.
  • Staff will assist in making copies if materials are brought to the circulation desk with the patron's Gator-1 card that has sufficient value in the Vending Account to make the copies. Cash will not be accepted. Copies and print jobs will be completed as soon as possible, depending on staff availability, and generally will require no more than two hours for 20 pages or fewer. While care will be taken to make good copies, the library will not accept responsibility for any bad copies. The library reserves the right to refuse requests that would take an unreasonable amount of staff time to accomplish or which would, in the opinion of staff, be in violation of United States copyright law.

Large Type Printing

  • Upon request, library staff will print this and other handouts in large type for individuals with print-related disabilities.

Access Equipment

  • The Education Library offers access to a tabletop Topaz Video Magnifier and a Sapphire Portable Magnifier that is available for 3-day checkout.
  • The Education Library Group Study Room(1510 NRN) also has a keyboard with extra large buttons, a Trackball mouse and a scanner available for use.
  • All campus libraries have computers accessible to persons in wheelchairs.
  • Library West group studies 335 and 336 have special accessibility hardware and software.  They may be reserved at the third floor Research Assistance Desk.
  • Fonts may be enlarged on library workstations by clicking "text size "  then "increase" under View on the toolbar.
  • Contact the Disability Resource Center at 392-8565 for additional help.

Further Assistance

Contact and Location Information: 1500 Norman Hall - POB 117016 - University of Florida - Gainesville, FL - 32611-7016 - PH:352-273-2780 - FAX:352-392-4789

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