Accessibility Services

The Vanderbilt University Libraries are committed to providing equal access to library services and collections for all patrons. If you need special assistance, ask for help at any library service desk. Some services may require advance notice to ensure staff availability. We work in conjunction with the Vanderbilt offices of Student Access Services and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO): Disability Services (faculty & staff) in order to provide assistance. For more information, please contact a specific library for advice on access and assistance.

Research Assistance

Upon request, staff can assist you with:

Using the library catalog to get started with your research.
Determining library holdings and locations.
Reading call numbers.
Oral or written directions to help you locate library materials.
For more in-depth research assistance, contact a subject specialist or use Ask a Librarian to schedule a research consultation.

Access to Print or Online Materials

Request assistance with retrieving print materials (books, journals, scores, etc.) from the stacks at the library's service desk.
Use InterLibrary Loan to:
- request books (print or electronic) from other libraries.
- request electronic copies of articles or book excerpts from other libraries.
Scan documents to email using networked library photocopiers. Use these scanners to send a PDF copy of documents to email and then use software with optical character recognition to convert the images to text for reading.
By working with Student Access Services or EEO Disability Services, individuals with print and/or mobility disabilities may request an accommodation that will allow the library to:
- deliver materials to the library of your choice (undergraduates) or your department (graduate/professional students and staff - all faculty have access to Faculty Delivery).
- authorize those with print disabilities for access to all ~14,000,000 HathiTrust materials - even those still within copyright.
- for either of these options, contact the appropriate office and have them send confirmation of your eligibility to Robyn Weisman at ill.library@vanderbilt.edu or call 615-343-3653.

Adaptive Technology

Basic assistive technology is available on all library public PCs and laptops available for check-out. This includes:

Text Magnification (Magnifier (Microsoft Accessibility)
Screen Readers (JAWS, NVDA, Narrator (Microsoft Accessibility)
Speech Recognition (Windows speech recognition (Windows Ease of Use)
Word Prediction and Completion (On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) in Windows)

For information regarding adaptive technology available at individual libraries, please see our list of adaptive/assistive equipment.

Facility Accessibility

Our buildings have accessible:

study spaces
collections
restrooms (some gender neutral/family/single-use)
- Central Library (Floor 4: one accessible all-gender restroom; one all-gender restroom; Floor 6: two accessible restrooms)
- Divinity Library (Floor 2: two accessible restrooms)
- Eskind Biomedical Library (Lower Level - two accessible all-gender restrooms, Floor 1 - two accessible all-gender restrooms)
- Peabody Library (Floor 1 - 1-Cafe - one accessible all-gender restroom; Floor 3 – one all-gender restroom)
- Owen Management Library (Floor 2 - two accessible all-gender restrooms)
- All Vanderbilt all-gender restroom locations
entrance/exit equipped with automatic doors
lactation rooms
- Central Library (Floor 4: ask for key at main service desk)
- All Vanderbilt lactation room locations

Visit Peabody Library for additional information about library accessibility.

Handicapped Parking

Handicapped parking is located near several libraries. Refer to Visitor Parking or Disability Parking (employee permits) for more information.

Handicapped Parking near Vanderbilt Libraries

Lot 6A (off 21^st Ave.; near the Law Library and Management Library)

Lots 95 and 96 (spaces on Magnolia Circle, near Peabody Library)

South Garage (off Children’s Way, near Blair School and the Music Library)