Bibliotecas digitais acessíveis: promovendo o acesso à informação com recursos da informática

Abstract

The accessibility of computer systems is essential to the quality of life for all people, regardless of physical, sensory or cognitive condition. The application of this concept, along with the principles of Universal Design, throughout the process of software development is extremely important for ensuring that the system is usable by everyone. Digital on-line libraries are used for providing several materials and they are essential in distance learning for which the Brazilian "Decree Nº. 5622" states it must be offered appropriate libraries with an on-line collection that meets their students needs. However, in a preliminary evaluation it was found that on-line digital libraries of Brazilian Public Universities do not fully meet accessibility regarding Federal Government guidelines. There are several Free Software solutions for web digital repositories to support the deployment of on-line digital libraries. Among the objectives of this research are to investigate, evaluate and propose solutions for digital libraries according to the needs of the Federal University of Pampa. Our pursuit is to support the development and the maintenance of a system which meets the demands of publishing materials for distance learning and research projects, taking into consideration the different characteristics among people who will access it. A requirement elicitation was conducted using an on-line questionnaire and a face-to-face meetings including representative stakeholders: librarians, teachers, students and administrative staff of the University, aiming at meeting their needs regarding to the system and the features they wanted. Five systems were evaluated in accordance to the elicited requirements and some technical criteria. This evaluation was verified by NTIC and the Library Coordinator. After the choice of the system, an activity for creating a prototype for an on-line digital library was performed and it was assessed regarding its accessibility. With the experience of adapting this system recommendations were developed aiming at supporting the deployment and the maintenance of an on-line digital library to the University as well as its accessibility.