Accessibility Statement for Library Search at Southampton
This accessibility statement applies to content on the https://southampton.on.worldcat.org domain.
This website is run by the University of Southampton.
Library Search is the University of Southampton’s online library resource searching platform. It uses the software, WorldCat Discovery. This is managed by the Library and Learning Services and developed and hosted by OCLC.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
- zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
On this page
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- there may be issues in navigating with screen readers.
- there may be issues with the Set/Rest Password page used by guests
- there may be issues with contrast not being high enough on some pages
- error pages may give limited details in some cases
Feedback and contact information
Please contact Library and Learning Services if you have an accessibility query including:
- if you are experiencing issues with accessing information or using the website
- if you find an accessibility issue not listed in this statement
- if you have positive feedback on the accessibility considerations made.
For more information on accessible library services, please view our accessibility and support pages.
Support with searching
If accessibility problems are stopping you from using Library Search, please contact for support. Contact us by email libenqs@soton.ac.uk, Live Chat or call in to one of our libraries during staffed hours.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical Information about the website's accessibility
The University of Southampton Library and Learning Services is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018).
Compliance Status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-Accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
(a) non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
- Non-text Content (1.1.1) - WorldCat Discovery’s Search Result page uses a <svg> tag to act as an image with a text alternative, but is missing an explicit role="img”
- Info and Relationships (1.3.1) - accessibility testing revealed some issues with programmatic determination of information, structure, and relationships conveyed through presentation.
- Meaningful Sequence (1.3.2) - accessibility testing revealed issues with programmatic determination of meaningful reading sequences.
- Identify Input Purpose (1.3.5) - accessibility testing revealed issue with the Set/Rest Password page offering complete autofill capabilities.
- Contrast - accessibility testing revealed some issues with text contrast 1.4.3) and non-text contrast (1.4.11).
- Page Titled (2.4.2) - accessibility testing revealed issues regarding pages having meaningful, unique page titles. Occasional issues where page titles are repeated or are not specific enough.
- Link Purpose, In Context (2.4.4) - accessibility testing revealed partial support for a link's purpose being determined from the link text. On pages where links are repeated multiple times, it becomes necessary to provide some additional level information to allows users to easily distinguish one link from another.
- Label in Name (2.5.3) - accessibility testing revealed issues regarding accessible names matching or beginning the visual name on screen.
- Target Size (2.5.8) - accessibility testing revealed issues regarding page components matching exact sizing requirements or overlap.
- On Input (3.2.2) - accessibility testing revealed partial support for causing a change of context if a component's setting is changed. Most pages pass; on the search pages that may be refined by library locations, the page automatically submits when a checkbox is selected.
- Error Identification (3.3.1) - WorldCat Discovery accessibility testing revealed issues regarding the 404 Error page providing enough information for identification and recovery.
- Name, Role, Value (4.1.2) - WorldCat Discovery accessibility testing revealed some issues with the programmatic specification of names and roles for user interface components or the states, properties and values of those that can be set by the user. Some issues previously noted in WCAG 1.3.1
(b) disproportionate burden
N/A.
(c) the content is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
At present we do not have any content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations. However, this may change in future.
What we are doing to improve accessibility
The accessibility issues with this site can only be fixed by OCLC updating the software and deploying this to all their customers worldwide.
OCLC is committed to enabling use of the WorldCat Discovery service by all users. Accessibility is an important consideration during our product development. Future enhancements to WorldCat Discovery include considerations for building new features that comply with accessibility guidelines. We aim to provide compliance within all newly modernized pages going forward, focusing on improving the ability to bypass blocks and the clarity of headings, labels, and page titles.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 25th July 2024. It was last reviewed on 22th November 2025.
This website was last tested on October 2025 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.
The test was carried out, by OCLC who audited using the following tools:
- keyboard-only navigation
- browser zoom
- automated axe-core tests integrated into OCLC development processes
- a variety of browser plug-ins and bookmarklets
- manual review with screen readers prior to production release.
- Mobile apps are tested on iOS devices using VoiceOver and on Android devices with TalkBack.
