The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is designed to ensure Vega Discover compliance with ADA, Section 508, and WCAG standards
EMERYVILLE, Calif. October 5, 2021 – Innovative, a ProQuest company and leading global provider of library software, today announced the release of its Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) for Vega Discover. Following the template, the assessment reviewed Vega Discover’s user interface for compliance with all Federal Accessibility Standards (ADA, Section 508, and WCAG 2.1). Vega Discover supports or partially supports all success criteria in the template.
“We increasingly hear from libraries that accessible software is crucial for serving all community members equitably,” said Toni Minick, Vice President of Product Management. “We are committed to our customers and their communities, and we believe that VPATs will become a mandatory requirement for discovery solutions in the future. Adopting compliance now means Innovative will be at the forefront of inclusive design for libraries.”
The Information Technology Industry Council’s (ITI) free VPAT is a tool for assisting buyers and sellers in identifying technology products and services with accessibility features. Innovative has committed to completing two assessments each year to ensure Vega Discover remains accessible even as it is continually developed.
Vega Discover is a modern discovery solution that works similarly to popular search engines consumers use daily. Discover combines all formats of a title into one roll-up for easy searching and less scrolling, and provides intelligent, linked data connections to related resources, contributors, topics, and other curated showcases. Discover encourages additional library exploration to patrons through enhanced discovery tools powered by Syndetics Unbound’s enrichment content, and lets patrons save favorite items, personalized lists, and custom searches on their patron Bookshelf. Vega Discover releases updates every two weeks, ensuring that the software is regularly adapting to libraries’ needs.
Innovative partnered with a third-party company to complete the VPAT, ensuring that customers can feel confident the answers are unbiased. Following each assessment, Innovative undertakes remediation steps to improve any functionality that did not conform to the criteria. With the recent assessment and remediation steps, Vega Discover has a very high degree of compliance with ADA criteria.
“We understand that it can be challenging for libraries to know if a website is accessible when they have no way to verify the information,” said Yariv Kursh, General Manager of Innovative. “We want to provide our libraries with demonstrable examples of how we’re pursuing and delivering accessible software for their communities.”
Innovative completes a VPAT for both the Vega Library Experience (LX) platform and the Polaris Leap web interface twice a year. Any customer can request a copy of the voluntary assessment by working with their Account Manager.
Vega Discover is available for Sierra and Polaris libraries. To learn more, visit our website or contact Innovative for a demo.
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ABOUT INNOVATIVE INTERFACES INC.
Innovative, a ProQuest company, provides leading technology solutions and services that empower libraries and enrich their users worldwide. Innovative offers one of the most comprehensive portfolios of library automation products on the market today, serving academic, public, national, corporate and special libraries and consortia. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, Innovative has a global presence—serving thousands of libraries in 66 countries and offices worldwide.