Accessibility statement for LibrarySearch

This accessibility statement applies to LibrarySearch, the library catalogue for Cardiff University libraries https://librarysearch.cardiff.ac.uk. The library catalogue is provided by Ex Libris.

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
  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.


How accessible this website is

We know some parts of the library catalogue are not fully accessible:

  • some keyboard focus has insufficient contrast against the background colour
  • there is no inbuilt option to change the colours, font or text sizes
  • there is no inbuilt option to modify the line height or spacing of text
  • we have not tested navigation by speech recognition

You can read Ex Libris' accessibility information for this product (Primo).


What to do if you cannot access parts of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format (accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille) please contact the Library Service:


Email: library@cardiff.ac.uk

Phone: 029 2087 4818


We will consider your request and respond within five working days.


Reporting accessibility problems with this website

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the Library Service:


Email: library@cardiff.ac.uk

Phone: 029 2087 4818


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're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).


Technical information about this website's accessibility

Cardiff University is committed to making its website 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 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.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Keyboard focus

There are some pages where keyboard focus isn't always clear due to lack of colour contrast. There are also pages (including the inter-library loan form) where the keyboard focus isn't always visible. These issues fail WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible).

We are working with the software supplier, Ex Libris, to fix these issues.

Missing headings and labels

The inter-library loan form is missing headings and labels. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion Headings and labels (2.4.6).

We are working with the software supplier, Ex Libris, to fix these issues.

Disproportionate burden

At present there are no accessibility problems on LibrarySearch that we consider to be a disproportionate burden to resolve.

Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Third-party content

LibrarySearch provides access to our online collections of e-journals, e-books and other resources, which are provided by third party publishers and vendors and hosted on their platforms. We do not have control over and are not responsible for the accessibility of this content, but we make best endeavours to work with the third party to improve its accessibility. To help accessibility compliance across the sector, Cardiff University Library Service supports searchBOX, a centralised, independent directory of third-party accessibility information.

searchBOX catalogues the contact information and accessibility statements of third-party suppliers, enables the sharing of community-generated accessibility statements, and allows users to map their supplier ecosystem.

Users can access third-party accessibility statements using the free searchBOX Finder service.

If you find that a statement does not exist or does not meet that standards expected by the WCAG 2.1 AA standard, you can get in touch by contacting us:


Email: library@cardiff.ac.uk

Phone: 029 2087 4818


Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 3 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 8 March 2023.

This website was last tested on 8 March 2023. The test was carried out by Vicky Stallard, Cardiff University IT.

We tested a sample of the functionality of each section of the library catalogue using keyboard navigation, NVDA screenreader and automated testing tools WAVE and axe.