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Licensing

UT Knoxville Libraries' license agreements are managed by Acquisitions and Continuing Resources. We work with APCS, the local Knoxville contracts office, the UT System contracts office, Procurement, and other UT campuses to manage our agreements.

Our preferred agreement is a Master Agreement for the entire UT System. These are zero dollar contracts. The format of our standard master is the university's terms as the master agreement and the vendors' product terms as individual schedules. These master agreements have no end date and are managed by our UT System contracts office. Master Agreements make purchasing across all campuses much smoother.

Local Knoxville agreements are payable contracts and typically have an end date. The local Knoxville contracts office is separate from the system office and has different requirements.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact the E-Resources team at elicense@utk.edu.

Accessibility and Licensing

Our University of Tennessee System Master Agreements and licenses include accessibility language. The Licensor must ensure that they are conforming to WCAG 2.1 guidelines at conformance levels A and AA.

Any submitted system agreement is considered by General Counsel to already be reviewed for accessibility.

If you have any questions about accessibility and licenses, please contact the E-Resources team at elicense@utk.edu.

Accessibility of Purchased Electronic Resources

Accessibility and licensing of our electronic resources is facilitated by Acquisitions and Continuing Resources. UT Libraries requires accessibility documentation for new agreements with vendors. This is a UT System request to ensure accessibility of purchased resources.

We require vendors to provide a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT. A VPAT is a voluntary document used to describe level of compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. If the vendor cannot provide a VPAT, we cannot pursue an agreement. We hold these purchase requests and continue advocating with the vendor until the vendor can supply the required VPAT.

 

ACR's Accessibility Coordinator tests the resource against the VPAT to determine areas of non-conformance or concern. Areas that need improvement are recorded on a UT Accessibility Roadmap. The Accessibility Roadmap form requires the vendor to provide their plans for remediation.

If a vendor is not compliant with WCAG 2.1 levels A and AA, we will work with the vendor on remediation. This may include:

  • Discuss possible accommodations with Student Disability Services
  • UT Accessibility Roadmap
  • Remediation Timeline
  • Submit a year to year payable contract for liability purposes
  • Decide on Alternative Access measures

Please see ProQuest's Accessibility Directory for examples of VPATs and other accessibility documentation. ProQuest Accessibility Directory

In summary, prior to licensing, the university requires:

  • A VPAT; and
  • A completed UT Accessibility Roadmap

Why is Accessibility Important?

As an institution that receives federal and state funds, we are required to provide electronic resources that are accessible to all users. National and international accessibility standards exist to guide the understanding of accessibility for electronic resources. Generally, the guidelines help insure that content is easily read with screen reader technology, platforms are easily navigated by keyboard, and media content includes captions. 

See the resources below for more context.

Alternative Access

If an individual needs alternative access to an electronic resource, we can work with Student Disability Services to provide the individual with means of access. Please see their website here: https://sds.utk.edu/

More Contextual Information

Section 504: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in all postsecondary institutions that receive federal funding, including schools that accept federal financial aid.

Section 508: Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires federal agencies to make their Information and Communication Technology (ICT's) such as technology, online training and websites accessible for everyone.

Americans with Disabilities Act: Title II Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in all public entities, including public colleges and universities, regardless of whether they receive federal funding. Title III Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in places of public accommodation.

W3C WCAG 2.1: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible. When acquiring electronic resources, we look for resources that are WCAG 2.1 compliant. We have standard language in our master agreements and licenses to ensure that the Licensor is meeting W3C WCAG 2.1 guidelines at conformance levels A and AA.

Library Accessibility Alliance: In 2019, The Big 10 Alliance and ASERL partnered to create the Library Accessibility Alliance. They fund third-party accessibility evaluations of select vendor e-resources as requested by member libraries. The evaluations are made publicly available on the LAA website.

Universal Design for Higher Education: UDL provides a wonderful overview of legal obligations, alternative access plans, etc.