~ Recognized for Commitment to Improving the Accessibility of Digital Platforms ~

IPSWICH, Mass. — November 19, 2018 — EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) has been ranked the number one e-book platform provider out of 54 e-book platforms audited in the 2018 Jisc ASPIRE Accessibility National Audit. This honor recognizes organizations committed to improving the accessibility of digital platforms and the information provided to end users, librarians and disability services groups.

The ASPIRE (Accessibility Statements Promoting Improved Reading Experience) project works to improve the accessibility of digital products by encouraging publishers and platform providers to provide clear and centralized guidance to users and to continually improve the user experience of their products. One of the biggest studies of its kind, this large-scale project has helped drive discussion among publishers and platform providers to account for accessibility in all aspects of their e-book processes. Data for the 2018 ASPIRE project was compiled with assessments submitted by librarians, publishers, disability services teams, providers and other stakeholders in the library industry.

EBSCO Information Services Senior Director of Product Management John Brennan says this ranking reflects EBSCO’s significant commitment to improving the user experience with EBSCO eBooks™. “We were delighted to learn that our focused commitment to accessibility over the last few years has been recognized in the community. Participation in the ASPIRE project helped our eBooks team to continue the ongoing conversation around accessibility at EBSCO, and the outcome of the evaluation underscores the importance of continued investment in the accessibility of the EBSCO eBooks experience.”

Alistair McNaught, the ASPIRE Coordinator for Jisc, said that, "One of the best outcomes of this project has been the positive collaboration with suppliers. EBSCO's 'can do' attitude has been exemplary with benefits for all readers, particularly those with print disabilities."

In addition to participating in the ASPIRE project, EBSCO recently released several software changes to enhance the e-book experience, improving navigation options, and continues its commitment to working with publisher partners to evaluate their content and educate them on the importance of building in accessibility features into their files. The e-book download workflow has also been redesigned, and the recent release of DRM-free EBSCO eBooks offers improvements for accessibility. DRM-free e-books can be opened and read with any software that supports the file type, so DRM-free e-books are far more compatible with assistive technology like screen readers and text-to-speech tools than DRM-protected e-books which are limited to programs that support Adobe DRM.

EBSCO eBooks offers access to the world’s finest collection of e-book content and is fully integrated with EBSCOhost® and EBSCO Discovery Service™. In addition to thousands of DRM-free titles, EBSCO eBooks offers more than one million high-quality e-books and 100,000 audiobooks from more than 1,500 major academic publishers and University Presses from around the world.

For more information about EBSCO eBooks, please visit: https://www.ebscohost.com/ebooks.

About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide with more than 11,000 discovery customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering unparalleled relevance ranking quality and extensive customization. EBSCO is also the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, point-of-care medical reference, and corporate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions. EBSCO is the leading provider of electronic journals & books for libraries, with subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than 57,000 e-journals, as well as online access to more than 1,000,000 e-books. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a family-owned company since 1944.
###
For more information, please contact:
Jessica Holmes
Communications Director
978-356-6500 ext. 3485
jmholmes@ebsco.com