Accessibility Services

The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries offer services to support access for individuals with disabilities. If you need help accessing library materials or services, please contact the Accessibility Advisory Committee or complete the Accessibility Assistance form.

TECHNOLOGY

reference SERVICES

accessing library materials

Accessibility Services by Library

Floor plans

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

inclusive spaces (including sensory friendly spaces)

Technology

Software

Kurzweil 3000 is installed on all library computers. It supports reading (text-to-speech), writing (planning and playback), and studying (highlighting, note-taking, and vocabulary tools).

Students registered with the UF Disability Resource Center (DRC) have free access to assistive technology including:

Kurzweil 3000-firefly (literacy)
Fusion by Freedom Scientific
- JAWS (screen reader)
- ZoomTEXT (magnification)
- MAGic (magnification)
Dragon NaturallySpeaking (speech-to-text)

For details, visit the Assistive Technology page.

SensusAccess

SensusAccess is a document conversion system that converts documents into accessible formats, and is available to UF students, staff, and faculty. To access the service, please visit the UF Sensus Access page.

KIC Bookeye Scanners

KIC Bookeye Scanners can digitize books, magazines, and journals and are located in each library branch. It can capture 20 book pages per minute and can scan material as large as 24 x 17 inches. Images can be saved to KIC’s flash drive port or sent directly to any email address. The KIC Scanner is wheelchair-accessible.

Livescribe Echo Smartpens

Students registered with the UF Disability Resource Center (DRC) can borrow Livescribe Echo Smartpens from Library West. These pens record audio and sync it with handwritten notes, which can be reviewed digitally on your device. Library West has 50 pens available. For borrowing instructions and usage tips, visit our smartpens library guide.

Reference Services

All library service desks can help you find and use library resources. You can also reach us by chat, call, or email through Ask-A-Librarian. For more in-depth research support, contact a subject specialist librarian to schedule a consultation.

Accessing Library Materials

Online Materials

eResources

Many of UF Libraries’ resources and services are available electronically for UF students, faculty, and staff, including journals, databases, research guides and other electronic materials.

Off-Campus Access to eResources:

The Off-Campus Access page outlines procedures for access. Contact the UFIT Help Desk for help with Off-Campus Access at 352-392-HELP

HathiTrust: HathiTrust at UF connects to HathiTrust, an online collection of millions of books that are digitized by libraries around the world through partnerships between academic and research institutions. More than a quarter of these materials are in the public domain and free online, and the University of Florida also makes enhanced access available to students who are registered with the UF Disability Resource Center (DRC).

Physical Materials

To request that a specific physical item be retrieved, users registered with the UF Disability Resource Center (DRC) can call the library branch where the item is located to make the request. Generally, available items will be retrieved within two hours and held for pickup by the user or their proxy at the branch library’s circulation desk. More time may be required for retrieval during evenings and weekends because fewer staff are available.

Please call before coming to the library to verify that the item is ready for pick up.

Proxy Borrowing

Borrowing by Proxy allows someone else to check out library materials for you if you need accessibility support.

Eligible users include:

Students registered with the Disability Resource Center (DRC)
Current, Retired, and Emeritus UF faculty
Oak Hammock residents

To apply, pick up and return a proxy borrower card application at any UF Library.

The card will only be activated after the UF Libraries confirm the request with the main account holder. This can be done in person, by phone, or by email.

For more information, please view the Public Proxy Borrower Policy.

Requesting Off-Site Materials

Some UF Library items and all storage materials are currently housed off campus.

To request them:

Go to the library catalog from the UF Libraries’ Home Page and sign in
Search for the items
If a “request” button appears in the catalog record, click on it and follow the instructions
If it does not appear, click on the “Retrieval Help” tab and complete the form

Materials will be delivered to the Library West Circulation Desk for pick up within 24 hours.

Large Type Printing

Upon request, library staff will print items in large type for individuals with print-related disabilities.