Miller Nichols Library Accessibility

Book Retrieval

While library stacks have been configured to be accessible, library personnel can retrieve materials upon request. If requesting many items, advanced notice is preferable. Books from UMKC requested directly through the library catalog are usually ready for pick up by the next afternoon (excluding weekends).

Assistance in Obtaining Your Borrowed Materials

A Proxy Account will allow you to grant any other person temporary access to your library account on your behalf:

1. Contact Roo Wellness Student Accessibility Services at (816) 235-5612 to establish an accommodation plan.
2. Register for a library Proxy Account.

Scanning & Printing

Students can scan materials using the scanners on the ground and first floors of Miller Nichols Library. Scanners are accessible, but may not meet all needs. If students wish to copy print materials, they must first scan and save or email them. Students may print from library computers using their student print quota. For more complete information, please visit the Printing in the Libraries Guide.

Can the library create accessible documents?

No, library staff does not provide a service to create accessible documents, but library users can do so using library technology. Users can scan documents using one of the public scanners at Health Sciences Library or Miller Nichols Library. Choose to save the file as a “searchable PDF.” This will save the PDF with OCR (Optical Character Recognition), making the text accessible to screen reader technology.

You can also apply OCR to an existing PDF with Adobe Acrobat Pro. After making the text machine readable, you should also apply other accessibility elements like tags, alt text for images, and headings to your document. For more detailed instructions, consult this Creating Accessible PDFs guide from Missouri Online.

UMKC users have free access to Adobe Creative Cloud (which includes Acrobat Pro) in designated campus computer labs, free online access with Remote Labs (for staff and faculty), and the option to purchase discounted licenses. UMKC Information Services provides details for all of these Adobe access options. Contact the UMKC Information Services department with questions about Adobe Acrobat Pro.

EBSCO can offer a DRM-free copy of an eBook or a remediated article upon request if you find that it lacks adequate accessibility assistance. The item must be within an EBSCO collection and must be owned by your institution, UMKC Libraries. The accessibility remediation request form can be accessed when viewing an EBSCO item by clicking on an icon in the toolbar of the article and eBook viewers.

Silent Study

The second floor of the library is reserved for silent study. Consult the Miller Nichols Library page for information on noise levels, study locations, technology and services by floor.

Study Areas

The Miller Nichols Library has several study rooms on the first floor which can be reserved by UMKC students. In addition, study tables, carrels, and lounge areas are available on all floors of the library.

Research Assistance

You can get help using the library from the Circulation Service Desk in person, or via phone or email. Reference staff can assist patrons in using the library catalog, online databases, the Internet, and other research materials. Basic reference assistance is available whenever the library is open; however, in-depth research questions may require a longer consultation that will be provided by appointment. Consult our Meet with a Librarian page for more information.

Online Databases and Catalog

The University Libraries’ databases and catalog, like some websites, do not always work well with screen readers and adaptive technology. If you are unable to or unsure of how to use the databases or catalog, we can assist you in your research with:

• Instruction in how to use a database or catalog.
• A research consultation in which we facilitate your use of the database.
• Librarians searching the databases and providing results and articles for your review.

Need to listen to a PDF?

Watch this video to learn how to use Adobe Reader’s Read Out Loud feature on your computer. We also recommend NaturalReader, which can be installed on your computer or downloaded as an app to your mobile device.

Library Instruction Sessions

In addition to individual instruction and research consultations, the Library offers instruction sessions to entire classes. Miller Nichols Library’s main classroom Room 121, has a workstation with an adjustable table to accommodate students who use wheelchairs. If you are coming to the library with your class and have specific needs, please feel free to contact the library or ask your instructor to contact the librarian teaching your class.