We offer a variety of services to persons with disabilities designed to help you use the Libraries fully and independently. The information on this page will guide you in accessing the services and accommodations you may need.
Accessibility Statement
We are committed to providing equitable access to library resources and services, mindful of accessibility standards, user feedback, and support and accommodations for persons with disabilities. We advocate for equitable experiences to make the IUP Libraries more welcoming, accessible, and usable for all visitors.
Eligibility
All IUP students, faculty, and staff are eligible for these services.
Visitors who request library services who are not students, faculty, or staff at IUP will receive, if possible, the same services as university affiliates. Our goal is to facilitate access for all users, regardless of affiliation. Please contact the Disability Services coordinator to discuss service needs ahead of your visit.
Disability Services Coordinator
Carrie Bishop
Access Services Librarian
Stapleton 104
cbishop@iup.edu
724-357-6106
The Disability Services coordinator’s role is to
- Respond to all inquiries regarding library services to persons with disabilities
- Serve as a liaison to the Department for Disability Access and Advising
- Arrange or provide library orientations for persons with disabilities
- Coordinate requests for services with individual library departments
- Advocate for users in overcoming barriers encountered in the libraries
- Recommend facilities and services to meet the needs of users with disabilities
- Provide training and support for library faculty and staff in disability services
Library Instruction, Events, and Orientations
A library instruction session may be scheduled as a class meeting for courses at IUP. The librarian teaching the session will accommodate special needs if advance notice is provided. If you know who the librarian is, you may contact them directly. If not, ask your professor or contact the Disability Services coordinator.
The Libraries work to ensure that all library-sponsored events are accessible. If you need specific details of a library event and its accessibility, contact the Disability Services coordinator.
Individual and small-group orientations are available on request. Orientations include guided tours of library facilities and reviews of services offered.
Building and Space
The Stapleton-Stabley Library Complex was completed in 1981 and is not inherently accessible for all users. The entrance doors, restrooms, and other public spaces have been modified to improve accessibility.
A ramp along the Oakland Avenue side of Stapleton and automatic doors provide access to the building. There is elevator access to all public areas. The elevator is located on the right side of the building, when entering from the Oak Grove, across from the restrooms. Restrooms with accessible stalls are located on each floor of Stapleton Library.
Barrier-free routes on each floor of the library allow access to all public spaces. Study spaces throughout the library offer a variety of furniture heights and configurations to accommodate diverse user needs. Study and computer tables specifically provided for wheelchair users are designated with the universal access symbol.
Service animals are welcome and permitted in all areas of the Libraries. Service animals are defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act as "any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability." The "work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual's disability."
Dogs, or other animals, whose only function is to provide comfort or emotional support are not considered service animals under ADA. Emotional support animals, and all other animals, are not permitted in the library.
Visit Library Spaces for detailed descriptions of spaces in the library.
Research Assistance
We offer several services to assist you in your research and coursework.
Online reference chat and email services are available for you to ask questions and seek assistance from our faculty librarians. For in-depth assistance, make an appointment with a subject specialist librarian for an in-person or video consultation. Online research consultations through Zoom will include closed captioning and can be recorded.
We also provide online videos and tutorials, research guides, and an FAQ database to help you learn more about using the library and conducting research. Visit to get started.
If you’re in the Stapleton Library, head to the information desk, where the staff will help you with common questions about library services and the library building or they will connect you with a faculty librarian for research help.
Accessing Library Collections and Materials
Online Access to Materials
Many of our library materials are in electronic formats and are available online through the library catalog and article databases. Use the Discovery Search to search the Library Catalog and article databases at the same time. to learn more.
To ensure a high level of accessibility in our online materials, we request a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) from all database vendors before purchasing new resources and aim to acquire resources that are 2.1 AA compliant. Compliance includes options to access or download HTML format, text-to-speech, and audio files. We also review accessibility information on all electronic resources and provide it as needed for our discovery layer, catalog, databases, archive, and other research and information tools.
Physical Materials in the Library
Most of our physical book collection is held on large book stacks that are not 36 inches apart and are not easily accessible to all users. Instead, we recommend using our Get It service to request books straight from the catalog. Library staff will collect the book from the shelf and have it ready for you to pick up at the circulation desk.
Home delivery of materials is available for IUP users who live further than 15 miles from the Indiana campus.
We honor requests for the purchase of closed-captioned videos, audiobooks, large-print, and other formats, in our effort to provide accessible copies of materials. Libraries also have the right to request copyrighted materials in accessible formats through our InterLibrary Loan service. Requests for specific accessible materials can be sent to the Disability Services coordinator.