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Library Disability Services

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The Pacifica Library offers a number of resources and assistive technologies for those with learning or mobility challenges. This page outlines the general services we offer, though we encourage anyone with specialized needs to contact staff members for personal assistance.

Accessible Stations

The Lambert Library provides a wheelchair-accessible computer and learning station. From this terminal, all library resources may be accessed including the library catalog, the library’s subscription databases, productivity software, etc. Additional components include speech recognition software, specialized screen-reading software, headphones, microphone and accessible keyboard. This station is located in an accessible room that can be closed from the rest of the library for those with attention sensitivities, requiring reduced audio-visual stimulation. This station is available exclusively to our patrons requiring additional accessibility features. A similar workstation is available in the Ladera campus computer lab, adjacent to the Ladera library.

Screen readers – listening to ebooks and articles

Many of our library research databases have built-in screen readers that allow you to listen to ebooks and/or download MP3 files! For example, journal articles in EBSCO databases available in HTML format can be listened-to online and/or saved in MP3 format (these features are not available for articles and ebooks only in PDF). The following are links to help guides or databases that discuss these features:

  • ProQuest Ebook Central Accessibility Mode for Screen Readers (PDF). This is for ebooks in the Ebook Central database.
  • EBSCO text-to-speech – works for EBSCO’s eBook Collection, and for articles in HTML format, including those from APA’s PsycARTICLES. Documents from the PEP Archive generally have this feature. Also includes instructions for downloading MP3 files. The Listen icon and link are available under the Tools menu on the right side of individual search results.
  • Gale eBooks. To hear a document read aloud in Gale eBooks, click or tap Listen to expand the player and begin playback.
    • To change the settings: on the Listen player, you can adjust the reading speed and customize other Settings. By default, the text is highlighted as it is being read.
    • To Download the Document as an Audio File: use the Download MP3 tool on the Listen player.
    • To listen to part of a document: first, select the text that you want to hear read (ignore the Highlight pop-up). Second, click or tap Listen.
    • Tip: to reset the player, close the player (click or tap the Close Player arrows) or refresh the page. You can then select a different portion of the text or listen to the entire document. The amount of selected text that the audio player will read aloud depends on your web browser and operating system.

To read PDFs or other documents not included in the readers listed above, we recommend Apple’s text-to-speech feature, which is available on iPhones, as well as iPads. You could try the NVDA screen reader, available for download from nvacces.org (please note that this screen reader is from an external site, not affiliated with Pacifica Graduate Institute).

Special Services

Library staff are available to attend to any patron in need of individualized assistance, as best as possible. Special requests related to issues of access may be submitted in advance to the Circulation Department, or to any library staff member onsite during a visit. Requests for special services made while visiting the library will be accommodated as best as possible.