Librarian training for accessibility and inclusion: challenges and impacts of the information regime in university librariesABSTRACT
Introduction: This article aims to investigate the interest and engagement of librarians in training focused on accessibility and the inclusion of people with disabilities (PwD) in university libraries.
Objective: The study is based on the premise that the training of these professionals is essential to ensure an inclusive informational environment. However, an analysis of curricula on the Lattes Platform and data from the Transparency Portal reveals low participation in courses and training on the topic. Methodology: To understand this scenario, the research adopts a quali-quantitative approach based on documentary analysis and the concept of the information regime.
Results: The results show that despite librarians' high level of academic qualification, accessibility and inclusion are still not priorities in professional training. Furthermore, the institutional policies of the analyzed universities (UFF, UNIRIO, UFRRJ, and UFRJ) do not include clear guidelines on mandatory accessibility training, contributing to the perpetuation of structural ableism in the academic environment.
Conclusion: The study concludes that, to promote effective inclusion, it is necessary to revise the curricula of Library and Information Science programs, include mandatory courses on accessibility, and encourage librarians' continuous education in this field. Additionally, the creation of institutional policies that make accessibility training a formal requirement for professionals working in university libraries is recommended.
KEYWORDS
University libraries; Information regimes; Accessibility; People with disabilities; Training of library teams.
RESUMO
Introdução: O artigo propõe investigar o interesse e o engajamento dos bibliotecários na formação voltada à acessibilidade e inclusão de pessoas com deficiência (PcD) em bibliotecas universitárias.
Objetivo: O estudo parte da premissa de que a capacitação desses profissionais é essencial para garantir um ambiente informacional inclusivo, porém, a análise de currículos na Plataforma Lattes e dados do Portal da Transparência revela uma baixa adesão a cursos e treinamentos sobre o tema. Metodologia: Para compreender esse cenário, a pesquisa adota uma abordagem quali-quantitativa, baseada na análise documental e no conceito de regime de informação.
Resultados: Os resultados demonstram que, apesar do alto nível de qualificação acadêmica dos bibliotecários, a acessibilidade e a inclusão ainda não é uma prioridade na formação profissional. Além disso, as políticas institucionais das universidades analisadas (UFF, UNIRIO, UFRRJ e UFRJ) não incluem diretrizes claras sobre capacitação obrigatória para acessibilidade, o que contribui para a perpetuação do capacitismo estrutural no ambiente acadêmico.
Conclusão: O estudo conclui que, para promover a inclusão efetiva, é necessário revisar os currículos dos cursos de Biblioteconomia, incluir disciplinas obrigatórias sobre acessibilidade e incentivar a formação continuada dos bibliotecários nessa área. Além disso, sugere-se a criação de políticas institucionais que tornem a capacitação em acessibilidade um requisito formal para os profissionais que atuam nas bibliotecas universitárias.
PALAVRAS-CHAVE
Bibliotecas universitárias; Regimes de informação; Acessibilidade; Pessoas com deficiência; Capacitação de equipes bibliotecárias.
1 INTRODUCTION
In Brazil, the first discussions on the rights of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) date back to the 1960s, focusing on the demand for the right to social coexistence (Guedes; Barbosa, 2020). However, the issue has gained greater visibility in the last three decades, driven by changes in human rights policies conducted by the United Nations (UN) and its agencies. These initiatives, associated with international treaties and declarations, have encouraged and supported local governments in formulating specific policies for socially vulnerable groups. In this context, the fundamental role of activists with disabilities stands out, whose demands were and continue to be decisive for the advancement of these policies.
The Brazilian Federation of Associations of Librarians, Information Scientists and Institutions (FEBAB) has been working towards this cause for over thirty years, mobilizing librarians and information professionals to become active agents in the defense of accessibility and inclusion. In 2012, in line with international movements, especially the actions of the American Library Association (ALA), FEBAB began to disseminate the concepts of advocacy within the library community - a term that, although it does not have a literal translation into Portuguese, refers to the defense, promotion and engagement around a cause. That same year, in partnership with the State System of Public Libraries of the State of São Paulo (SISEB), it held the first course on the subject, aimed at library professionals. Since then, FEBAB has developed campaigns and established partnerships in national and international projects to strengthen the defense of libraries. Among its initiatives, the translation of the Handbook for People Who Advocate for Libraries, originally published by ALA, stands out.
The concept of advocacy can be understood as a form of activism, and in this sense, every librarian must act as a defender of the cause of accessibility and inclusion. FEBAB has promoted this perspective, assuming the commitment to support the continuous development of professionals who work in libraries, documentation and memory centers, as well as in spaces dedicated to the promotion of reading, information and culture. Among its actions, the creation of Brazilian Working Groups and Commissions, composed of representatives of affiliated associations and invited members, stands out, whose purpose is to strengthen the associative movement and increase the impact of initiatives aimed at information accessibility.
The defense of the rights of people with disabilities must be seen as a priority by information professionals, with the creation of inclusive information policies being an essential step towards the realization of this right.
This article presents one of the results of the research developed in the author's doctoral thesis and aims to outline an overview of the interest and engagement of librarians in relation to accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities, considering their academic background and professional training in the university libraries investigated: Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ) and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). This research did not aim to explore the relationship between training and variables such as time of experience, academic level or institutional incentives, but rather to map the interest of librarians in the area of accessibility and inclusion. These aspects represent a gap to be explored in future studies on the training of librarians and the implementation of inclusive information policies.
Thus, the research is based on the following guiding question: do librarians demonstrate an interest in training in the area of accessibility and inclusion to offer more qualified services to people with disabilities?
To answer this question, documentary research was carried out, data was collected on the federal government's Transparency Portal, and a qualitative and quantitative analysis of resumes on the Lattes Platform was performed.
2 UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES AND SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
In Brazil, this articulation between general guidelines and local policies in specific fields, such as education, could be seen with the enactment of the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education (LGB). The LGB was influenced by documents produced at international conferences, such as the Jomtien Declaration (1990) and the Salamanca Declaration (1994), evidencing an option for inclusive public policies that guarantee not only access, but also the permanence of students with specific educational needs in schools, through pedagogical support, the use of differentiated methodologies and specialized educational services, in addition to investment in the training of teachers to work in special education. In this sense, government actions were developed to guarantee the right to education for People with Disabilities.
The Brazilian Inclusion Law defines accessibility as the “possibility and condition of access to use, safely and independently, spaces, furniture, urban equipment, buildings, transportation, information and communication”, including their systems and technologies, as well as other services and facilities open to the public, for public use or private for collective use, both in urban and rural areas, by people with disabilities or reduced mobility (Brazil, 2015, art. 3, inc. I). Meanwhile, Manzini and Corrêa (2014) warn us about the conceptual difference between access and accessibility. They explain that “access” refers to the ability to use something, while “accessibility” addresses the facilitation of this access, ensuring that it is equitable and available to all, regardless of their individual circumstances. Accessibility aims to eliminate barriers and promote social inclusion. In the case of libraries, it means making resources and services accessible to a diverse audience.
For libraries, laws are of fundamental importance, as they ensure that local governments are obliged to manage these institutions, defining services that they must offer to communities, such as: free internet access, special assistance (according to demand), among others. In recent years, Brazilian legislation has made considerable progress in this area, as exemplified by the Brazilian Inclusion Law (BIL, Law No. 13,146/2015) and Law No. 14,624/2023, which instituted the use of the sunflower string as a national symbol to identify people with hidden disabilities - those that are not immediately noticeable, such as deafness, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (Brasil, 2023a). Given this scenario, it is essential that librarians are attentive and trained to offer adequate service to this public.
Thus, social inclusion is a set of forces that aim to overcome social exclusion (Medeiros; Presser, 2020).
In this sense, Law No. 12,527/2011 - Access to Information Law (AIL) - is also an important tool for libraries to fulfill their mission, with regard to offering good information services to their audience, as well as Law No. 9,610/98 - Copyright Law (CL). It is through this law that libraries will be able to define their guidelines for supporting research and education, preserving and digitizing collections, loans, accessibility, etc.
In this way, the AIL and the CL, as well as the Marrakesh Treaty and BIL, expand and guarantee the right to accessible books and other bibliographic materials. This encourages professionals who handle documentation for later consultation or access to think about guidelines and policies that include people with disabilities in these information resources.
Regarding libraries in higher education institutions, Law No. 13,460/2017, which establishes general rules for the participation, protection and defense of the rights of users of public services provided by direct and indirect public administration and by public service concessionaires, provides guidelines for improving the services provided. It also requires the creation of a citizen service charter as one of the information and transparency mechanisms (Brazil, 2017).
The main objective of Law No. 13,460/2017 is to strengthen the relationship between the State and citizens, ensuring quality service, respecting users' rights and promoting social participation. The citizen service charter is one of the tools provided for in the law to provide clear and accessible information about public services, seeking to simplify access, guarantee equal treatment and promote efficiency in the provision of services (Brazil, 2017).
The University Libraries (UL) investigated here have not yet created their charters, with the exception of UNIRIO. UFRJ has a general charter that covers all services, the same goes for UFF (UFRJ, 2019a); (UFF. Services..., 2020c). At UFRRJ, there is a page where the institution presents its charter, focusing on informing its administrative structure, the responsibilities of the Units, sectors and services offered (UFRRJ, 2024). In the case of UNIRIO, there is the institution's charter, related to the Central Library, listing the services offered (UNIRIO. Service Charter, 2018b).
Law No. 13,460/2017 also addresses care for people with disabilities. It establishes that agencies and entities responsible for providing public services must adopt measures to ensure priority and appropriate care for people with disabilities, guaranteeing their accessibility and promoting social inclusion (Brazil, 2017). It emphasizes that care for people with disabilities must consider their specific needs, taking into account aspects such as communication, mobility, availability of resources and assistive technologies, in line with IFLA guidelines and LBI recommendations (Brazil, 2015). It is important to note that, although the documents ensure rights, we often observe situations in which these rights are not respected. In everyday life, we come across schools that, claiming a lack of structure, do not grant enrollment to students with disabilities. In this context, it is imperative to implement strict monitoring policies and apply severe sanctions in cases of non-compliance. In some situations, judicialization becomes necessary to ensure the implementation of social justice. Likewise, it is essential to consider that institutional policies should not be limited to their formulation on paper, but should also be translated into effective practices and actions.
It is important to emphasize that Law No. 13,460/2017 reinforces the right of people with disabilities to equal opportunities, accessibility and participation in society. Therefore, public bodies and entities are responsible for adopting the necessary measures to ensure full service and inclusion of people with disabilities in all services offered. This law applies to libraries and information units, since they are considered public services and, therefore, must follow the guidelines established by law regarding user service, transparency and social participation.
For Batista and Nascimento (2018), there is still a long way to go before people with disabilities are included in higher education. Although there are clear advances in the laws and pedagogical strategies implemented, there are still relevant issues to be discussed and debated. For the authors, it is necessary to move beyond the political-pedagogical aspects, with the “guarantee and promotion of inclusive practices that involve the entire society, as a way of guaranteeing citizenship training to the individuals that make it up” (Batista, 2018, p. 122). And, they also attribute responsibility to the State, in the sense of creating ways to combat prejudice and guarantee the consolidation of difference and diversity as a right. The authors also criticize the lack of professional training in the provision of services to people with disabilities, which, in addition to hindering the inclusion process, discredits the very concept of what it means to be inclusive, negatively affecting the success of the implementation of policies. The study by Wellichan, Lino and Manzini (2021) points out that the lack of an approach in the development of collections, in the creation of specialized services and in professional training for assistance can harm the university journey of students with disabilities.
In addition to raising awareness and seeking training and knowledge, means must be sought to develop actions that include people with disabilities in their planning. The study of users to identify who and where this key audience is and all actions and services that are created for these specific groups must be institutionalized through a policy or the Institutional Development Plan (IDP), so that measures and actions are strengthened and recognized as a construct of inclusive management.
Libraries must ensure priority and appropriate service to all users, including people with disabilities. This means that measures must be adopted to ensure physical, communicational, attitudinal and technological accessibility, providing adequate conditions for all people to use the services offered. This restriction of measures is justified by the fact that these dimensions are widely recognized in the literature and public policies on accessibility, such as the Statute of Persons with Disabilities (Brazil, 2015) and the guidelines of the United Nations (UN) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In addition, they cover the main challenges faced by people with disabilities in using services in information units, ranging from structural and informational barriers to social and technological aspects. This perspective facilitates the implementation of concrete and effective strategies, without excluding the possibility of future expansions and in-depth studies on the topic.
In addition, libraries must provide clear and accessible information about their services, opening hours, lending rules, among other relevant aspects. This information can be disseminated through the citizen service charter, or through other communication mechanisms, such as library websites, blogs and social networks (Brazil, 2017).
Below we will present the methodological aspects of the research.
3 METHODOLOGY
Taking as a framework the information regime and policies aimed at people with disabilities, and relating them to the legal and normative aspects of the fields of Education and Information - specifically those aimed at Brazilian higher education - each stage of this research is described below, in order to address the issue raised and the objective outlined.
To introduce the topic addressed, which focuses on accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities in accessing information in university libraries, it is essential to understand the perspective of scholars of the concept of Information Regime. For this purpose, the concept of Information Regime is defined by González de Gómez (2002, p. 34) as “a mode of production of information in a social formation”, and can be applied to social formations at national, regional and local levels, referring to a system or structure that shapes the way in which information is collected, organized, interpreted and shared in a society or in a specific context. Therefore, we can understand it based on the interest or lack thereof in training in accessibility and inclusion as an established social regime in which the lack of awareness or consciousness of the subject and the understanding of its importance to society weigh heavily.
In this sense, a survey of data was carried out on information actions of the formative type (thematic interests) carried out by librarians. González de Gómez (1999) categorizes this type of action as one in which “every formative action corresponds to an informational action. The social actor (scientist, researcher, technologist) whose formative action is the information action is called a gnoseological actor.”(González de Gómez, 1999, p. 24).
In this phase of the research, we sought to observe whether or not themes related to accessibility and social inclusion were present in the courses and complementary training provided by librarians at the universities under investigation. We sought to observe whether these themes have been raising awareness among professionals to the point of seeking more information on the subject in courses, including those provided at the postgraduate level.
To obtain data from these professionals, their CVs on the Lattes1. The Lattes Platform is a virtual CV system developed and maintained by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), which integrates information from CVs, research groups, and institutions into a single system dedicated to the areas of Science and Technology in the Brazilian context. The data contained in Lattes has been widely used by researchers due to its reputation as a reliable source, since it is entered and validated by the authors and researchers themselves (Brasil, 2023b). Lattes was selected due to the encouragement given to public servants to develop and maintain their Lattes CVs up to date. We consider this platform as a reasonable tool to gain an understanding of the thematic interests of librarians working at the federal universities investigated.
Initially, we accessed the transparency portal, where we selected the desired university and the “librarian” category. Once we had the list of librarians per institution, we individually accessed the Lattes CV of each librarian to assess the training topics. This survey was conducted from May to June 2022 and updated in November 2024.
For those whose CVs were not found on the Lattes CV, we searched for information (such as their degree) on the federal government's transparency portal. For individuals with outdated CVs, the evidence could be found both on the Transparency Portal and on the supervisor's CV. At this stage, we surveyed the total number of librarians at each university.
It is important to note that our objective is not to conduct a skills analysis, but rather to identify interest in topics related to accessibility and inclusion. These themes go beyond topics such as Braille and Libras (Brazilian Sign Language), also covering topics such as the creation of accessible documents, the promotion of non-discrimination against people with disabilities, inclusion in higher education and the creation of inclusive libraries, among others. Although this study contributed to mapping librarians' interest in accessibility and inclusion, it did not analyze the subjective reasons that lead to low participation in training.
Future studies can qualitatively explore librarians' perceptions of the challenges and motivations for seeking training in this area.
In this sense, the verification encompassed a variety of activities, such as courses, lectures, events, research associated with course completion projects, dissertations and theses, as well as the production of articles, among others. We consider this data important because it can indicate the interest of librarians in the topic of accessibility and inclusion. We understand that training is not equivalent to operational mastery, but rather to the provision of knowledge related to legislation, as well as technical skills, such as the creation of accessible documents and the elaboration of accessible content and attitudes, for example.
The interest of librarians in the topic of accessibility and inclusion in their training is essential in the elaboration of information policies aimed at people with disabilities, which is why we mapped the levels of knowledge and interest in the topic by librarians in this field. As we will demonstrate below in the results of this research.
4 RESULTS
In order for these actions to be implemented, staff training and commitment to knowledge of the laws are necessary. However, more important than the laws is inclusion awareness, so social awareness through attitudinal accessibility is essential. To this end, we will see below whether or not librarians are interested in training aimed at people with disabilities.
The data indicate that not all librarians are interested in training courses in the area or any other activity related to the topic of accessibility and inclusion, as shown in Chart 1 below.
Comparison of librarians’ training in accessibility and inclusion at the universities investigated
Chart 1 shows low training in accessibility and inclusion: In all universities, the majority of librarians did not undertake training in the area, ranging from 69% (UFRJ) to 78% (UFF).
Some specific training in Libras or Braille: Only a small portion of librarians have training in Libras or Braille, which limits communication and specialized service.
Absence of Lattes Curriculum: A significant number of librarians do not have an updated Lattes, which may indicate a lack of formal registration of their training or less involvement with academic training. Chart 1 shows that, in the survey conducted, of the 147 librarians at UFF, 78% have not completed any training courses in the area of accessibility and inclusion and only 9% have completed any course in the area (whether a short course or a master's degree or specialization in the research topic), 11% do not have a CV, some are young employees, recent graduates and others are already seniors at the end of their careers, 1% have training in Libras and 1% are assigned to another department.
UNIRIO has 24 active librarians on its staff. Of the universe surveyed, 71% have not completed any training courses in the area or any other activity related to the topic and only 8% have some type of training in the area - 4% of those trained have a Libras course and 17% do not have a CV, as shown in Chart 1.
UFRRJ has 17 active librarians on its staff, three of whom were hired in June 2023, in a recent competition held by the university. Of the universe surveyed, 70% did not take training courses in the area or any other activity related to the topic of accessibility and inclusion (only 6%, which within the quantity surveyed represents only 1 librarian trained in the area), 18% do not have a Lattes CV and 6% are located outside the library (See table 1).
UFRJ has 224 active librarians on its staff. Of these, 69% have no interest in the area of accessibility and inclusion, 9% have some training and of these, 1% also have training in Libras and Braille. 20% do not have Lattes. The lack of training may be one of the reasons why some accessibility actions occur in isolation in libraries, as few are in compliance with the Accessibility and Inclusion Law, even though the PDI highlights the importance of libraries in this process, as well as the need for spaces to be adapted, offering people with disabilities resources that help them access information (Santos, 2024).
Regarding the academic training of librarians, we present the following results:
In general, we can see that there is a high level of academic qualification in all the universities analyzed. Most librarians have more than just undergraduate degrees, with a high percentage of professionals holding specializations and master's degrees. However, accessibility and inclusion are not among their interests in terms of training and/or professional development.
This result is reflected in the absence of expanded forms in PDF format available on the libraries' websites, in integration rather than inclusion environments, and in the lack of an inclusion regime in the library systems of the universities analyzed.
Furthermore, the result may reflect a lack of interest in courses related to accessibility and inclusion, demonstrating the persistence of structural ableism in society and institutional policies. Ableism is structural and structuring, according to Gesser, Block and Mello (2020), as it exerts influence by conditioning, permeating and shaping individuals, organizations and institutions in the way we live and perceive others, contributing to the perpetuation of discrimination and social exclusion. We understand that changing this reality is an ongoing process, and we emphasize the importance of social awareness work in this context. As observed in the discussions presented by Batista and Nascimento (2018).
The basis for implementing an information policy for people with disabilities is prior knowledge of the types of accessibility, types of disabilities, legislation that supports people with disabilities and concepts related to inclusion with an understanding of universal design, as set out in the discussions of the narrative literature review of this research. We believe that one of the reasons for this finding is the relative newness of this field of knowledge, which results in the lack of Accessibility and Universal Design content in many university curricula, specifically in Library Science, Archives and Museology courses, as well as in Engineering, Architecture and Urban Planning and Design. The lack of this content, in addition to making professional training precarious, makes the knowledge of these professionals, who will work on accessibility projects and the provision of information services, shallow.
Furthermore, as warned by Wellichan, Lino and Manzini (2021), the lack of professional training to assist people with disabilities can compromise the university journey of these students.
Regarding training actions, González de Gómez (2003, p. 36) defines them as “[...] manifestation of the actions of heuristic or ‘experimenting’ social subjects [...] generated by subjects who transform cultural ways of acting and doing”. In the case of UNIRIO and UFF, there is little interest among librarians in training actions, such as training courses focused on topics such as accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities (table 1), despite the theme being present in the actions of the university itself, which even offers courses for employees, as observed in its PDI (Santos, 2024).
It is worth noting that the lack of professionals interested in accessibility and inclusion can lead to several negative consequences, such as the lack of adequate care for the needs of users with disabilities, adaptations of bibliographic materials, architectural and urban facilities, etc. Limiting access to information and knowledge implies the violation of the rights of users with disabilities and the perpetuation of social exclusion. In addition, the library can be the target of criticism and complaints from people with disabilities and society in general, which can affect its image and reputation, going against the university's motto, which is "[...] the promotion of inclusion in the university, especially for historically marginalized groups, such as people with disabilities and others” (UFF, 2023).
In the discussions in the previous sections, we have noted the importance of training in the area of accessibility and inclusion and how this result affects the situation of libraries in this scenario. Batista and Nascimento (2018) see a lack of professional training in providing services to people with disabilities. This lack of qualifications not only complicates the inclusion process, but also casts a shadow over the concept of inclusion itself, thus hindering the successful implementation of policies aimed at this group. More than ever, collaborative networks are a quick and effective option for libraries. Online training is also an option, considering courses offered remotely or even the creation of partnerships with other institutions such as UNIRIO, FEBAB, UFF, ENAP. However, it is noted that, unfortunately, few librarians seek out these courses.
The lack of training to work with specific social groups, such as people with disabilities, can harm user-librarian interactions, becoming an attitudinal barrier. In this sense, Wellichan and Manzini (2021, p. 173) highlight that, “[...] regardless of the issues involving empathy, professional training needs to be the focus of attention in any environment”, in order to minimize and perhaps overcome difficulties in initial access and accessibility to the services offered. Therefore, it is necessary to, “[...] look at the user from the beginning, to plan their space, adapt their policies and systems, develop and make their collections, products and services available” (Wellichan; Manzini, 2021, p. 175).
The discussion will be presented below.
5 DISCUSSION
Analyzing the information system of the libraries investigated, it can be said that these actions (courses, training, events, etc.) play an important role in building inclusive and accessible environments. These educational activities are not limited to the transmission of technical knowledge, but also address the complex institutional and sociocultural relationships that permeate the library environment, including the power dynamics that affect the availability and access to information, as discussed by González de Gómez (2003b).
In the context of the inclusion of people with disabilities, training actions include a variety of initiatives, including the production of scientific articles, seminars, and the sharing of good practices. These educational resources are designed to raise awareness among library professionals and other relevant actors about the importance of promoting inclusive and welcoming environments for people with disabilities.
An important aspect of training actions is the need to develop welcoming attitudes towards people with disabilities. This goes beyond simply implementing physical adaptations in library facilities; It is also about cultivating an inclusive mindset that recognizes and respects the diverse needs and experiences of people with disabilities. People with disabilities suffer a social death and the development of an inclusive culture within libraries is essential. It is worth saying that just because there is no disabled audience does not mean there is no need to create an inclusive environment. Rethinking this vision is essential for the library to be a network for the protection of human rights.
These educational initiatives aim to empower library professionals to adopt inclusive practices in their daily work, from providing user service to organizing events and programs. By promoting awareness and empowerment through educational actions, libraries can play a key role in building a more egalitarian and inclusive society, in which all people, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, have equal access to information and full participation in cultural and social life.
The concept of Information Regime, as proposed by González de Gómez (2002), refers to the set of norms, policies, practices and infrastructures that regulate the production, organization and circulation of information within a given social formation. In the context of the university libraries investigated (UFF, UNIRIO, UFRRJ and UFRJ), the information regime is manifested in institutional knowledge management policies, in the ongoing training of staff and in the structure of these libraries.
The analysis of the survey data reveals that the information regime of these universities has direct and indirect impacts on the training of librarians for accessibility and inclusion, such as the lack of clear guidelines on accessibility training. Although the universities have institutional policies focused on inclusion, the current information regime does not explicitly prioritize the training of librarians in accessibility. This gap is reflected, among other things, in the lack of formal requirements for librarians to acquire knowledge in the area.
UNIRIO, for example, includes accessibility in its service charter, but there is no formal structure to ensure that professionals acquire the necessary skills to operationalize this inclusion. UFF and UFRJ present general guidelines on accessibility, but their service charters are broad and do not detail specific commitments of libraries in this field. This indicates that, within the information regime of these universities, accessibility is still treated more as an abstract principle than as a practical component of the training and performance of librarians.
This scenario is in line with the concept of information stratification, discussed by González de Gómez (2003), in which different layers of knowledge and practice are valued unequally within an information regime. In the case of university libraries, topics such as cataloging and collection management are strongly incorporated into institutional routines, while accessibility and inclusion have not yet been fully assimilated as structural demands.
The absence of this topic in the curricula of university Librarianship courses contributes to this result, as even highly qualified librarians have not demonstrated interest in the topic in their master's and doctoral research. The lack of initial training in the area makes it difficult for librarians to spontaneously engage in subsequent training courses.
This situation is a reflection of the curricular structure of Library Science courses in Brazil, which has historically prioritized technical aspects of information management to the detriment of a more humanized and inclusive approach. As a result, the information regime of the universities investigated reproduces this gap in the training of librarians with regard to specific knowledge about accessibility.
6 CONCLUSION
When this issue is brought to the library scenario, which works with the organization and access to information, a concern arises: how will the librarian be the guarantor of the rights of people with disabilities if he or she does not have the minimum training to do so? Knowing the basic concepts of accessibility, the types of disabilities that exist, what an assistive technology tool is and what it is for are minimum requirements for this role, not to mention knowledge of the LBI, the main device supporting projects in the area of inclusion. Therefore, creating services and providing assistance without knowing these users is unfeasible. The librarian needs to have an inclusive stance, an accessible and open attitude to be a guarantor of rights, not only of people with disabilities, but of all those who need to be embraced by the Law, guaranteeing them their social and citizenship rights, such as having the conditions to remain and complete their learning. To this end, librarians must seek to train themselves and develop skills to make the library inclusive and welcoming. However, as observed throughout the research, the issue of training these professionals still needs to be addressed. In this sense, it is understood that collective and individual practices with regard to accessibility and inclusion, especially of information professionals in the creation of services and products for people with disabilities, are essential initiatives for the LBI to “leave the drawing board” and be experienced by the people who benefit from it, and for these actions to be reflected in library policies, both in technical terms and in the attitudinal terms of workers in this area.
As observed in the data collected in the research, there are trained librarians in libraries, who are sensitive to the topic and committed to giving back to society the contributions of their work, which has gradually led this group to approach the subject. However, this approach could be faster if the topic were also addressed in their training. Therefore, the librarian working in the library, even if they have a PhD in the area of information representation, ontology, or information architecture, if they do not have a minimum level of training in the area of accessibility and inclusion, will not be able to offer good service to users with disabilities, nor will they have the competence to create policies that benefit them. Therefore, we advocate that training in accessibility and inclusion should be part of the training of all librarians working in libraries, which implies a review of the curriculum of Schools of Library Science, with the offering of other subjects sensitive to the topic. At the moment, most courses only offer the subject Sign Language, generally as an elective.
Therefore, we recommend that universities review and update their curricula with the theme of accessibility, develop partnerships with institutions such as FEBAB, ENAP, university inclusion centers and create training policies, such as making it a mandatory course for newcomers to the university.
Availability of data and material:
Not applicable.
Acknowledgments:
Not applicable.
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ODS: 10.
Reduction of Inequalities
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JITA: CG.
People with disabilities
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Image:
Extracted from the Lattes platform.
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Ethical approval:
Not applicable.
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Funding:
Not applicable.
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1
With the exception of UFF, we were not successful in gathering individual contacts of librarians to conduct interviews or send questionnaires, so we decided to seek information about the completion of courses in their Lattes CVs.
References
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» https://www.redalyc.org/journal/4496/449657611001 -
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Edited by
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Editor:
Gildenir Carolino Santos
Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
01 Aug 2025 -
Date of issue
2025
History
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Received
14 Mar 2025 -
Accepted
01 Apr 2025 -
Published
17 Apr 2025
