Reduced Inequalities
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Economic growth should be a positive force for the whole planet. This is why we must make sure that financial progress creates decent and fulfilling jobs while not harming the environment. Goal 10 is all about addressing income inequality, social, economic and political inclusion and creating policies that promote equality.
Stories
Enhancing the learning experience for students through a lens on reducing inequalities and improving accessibility
York U librarians and archivists partnered on a new faculty collaboration to provide expertise to fourth-year History students on new ways of learning and engaging with sources for Wikipedia and Wikidata. In 2023, a new collaboration between York U Libraries and a fourth-year public history course in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), provided students with a hands-on opportunity to conduct well-sourced research to produce web profiles via Wikimedia platforms in an effort to change the way Black histories are being shared online.
The new placement of two students from HIST4840, taught by Jennifer Bonnell, associate professor in the Department of History at York University, allowed the students to work as research assistants at the libraries as well as during the Black Histories Wikipedia and Wikidata Edit-a-thon, a collaboration between York University, University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University and the Toronto Public Library.
Read our full story: Student placement collaboration between faculty and YUL is empowering student contributions on Black Histories
Librarian, York University Libraries.
Growing up in Canada our education system for Black history stops at the Underground Railroad and there’s so much more to Black history than that, it includes stories of Black excellence, Black agency, and Black joy, so I find that joining this placement is very important in the sense that I’m helping to bring more information to Black history that’s outside of Black struggle and enslavement.
—Alanna Brown, fourth-year History student, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), York University.
For us at York University Libraries, our librarians and archivists are able to share our deep knowledge of our collections and resources with our students and communities. We also bring our vast experience with working with primary, secondary, and tertiary sources and how to use those sources for citations in Wikipedia and Wikidata to create a better system where the sum of all knowledge is well sourced.
—Alexandra Wong, Data Visualization and Analytics Librarian, Open Scholarship Department, York University.
Making Learning Universally Accessible
FOR DECADES NOW, Library Accessibility Services (LAS) and the Adaptive Lab at York University’s Scott Library has continually enhanced its service for students with print disabilities. In 2020-23, Library Accessibility Services and the Adaptive Lab continued to see increasing demand for its services while introducing innovative service excellence solutions to meet the demand. In 2011, the LAS team spearheaded the creation of Papyrus, a database software created in-house by the Library Digital Systems and Initiatives Department at York University Libraries to more efficiently manage and track legally obtained and produced adapted content to support students. This database is used to seamlessly deliver electronic files to students once they are processed or secured from publishers. LAS archives the in-house scans and can make these available to multiple students when necessary. Papyrus allows for efficient file delivery as well as archiving of all secured and in-house processed material.
LAS is set up as a dedicated unit to offer accessible document support and acts as the production house for processing accessible scans of sources that cannot be obtained via publishers or other electronic text repositories.
The LAS team can procure new hard copies via the Acquisitions department if required and scan items within a short turnaround time which is critical for students enrolled in their multiple courses for their degree programs. Registered users are assigned to transcription assistants who typically work with the student throughout their entire academic experience.
The Adaptive Lab also features computer programs such as Kurzweil, Dragon Naturally Speaking and ZoomText. These technologies can read text out loud, create written documents using dictation and zoom or enlarge everything on a computer screen. The various software makes text accessible for people who have print disabilities and otherwise would not be able to access print scholarship.
York University Libraries globally recognized for its accessibility services for students and faculty with disabilities
The Dean of Libraries, Joy Kirchner was invited to participate in the Joint ARL (Association of Research Libraries) CARL (Canadian Association of Research Libraries) Task Force on Marrakesh Treaty Implementation. York University Libraries quickly became a recognized as a leading partner on the international task group to advance the implementation of the Treaty between the United States and Canada in the first pilot. It became clear through this work that York’s Libraries’ Accessibility Services are regarded as an international leader in library services for those needing alternate formats of texts and those who require access to the Libraries’ adaptive lab to utilize assistive spaces and technologies to conduct research, course work or to study. The task force, representing all major University libraries in Canada and the United States, is working through several pilot collaborations to inform the implementation of global sharing of content to support students and faculty who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or have a print disability. In 2023, York University Libraries led focus groups with York students who make use of the Libraries’ Accessbility Services, leading the Task Group to consider an advocacy plan to advance global sharing of content to support those with print disabilities.
Teaching & Learning Librarian helps create a structured exercise in public authorship with English Class
In 2020, our Digital Scholarship Librarian partnered with course instructor Matthew Dunleavy for EN 4573, a course on Victorian Ghosts. This collaboration with one of our Teaching & Learning Librarians helped to create an open-access anthology with the scholars enrolled in the course. With the help of the Libraries, students successfully navigated a new software and assignment structure in a completely remote learning environment. For more on this project, visit: https://scalar.library.yorku.ca/victorian-ghosts/index
YUL Globally recognized for its accessibility services for students and faculty with disabilities
York University Libraries has become the recognized leading partner on an international task group to advance the Joint ARL (Association of Research Libraries) CARL (Canadian Association of Research Libraries) Task Force on Marrakesh Treaty Implementation. York’s Library Accessibility Services is regarded as an international leader in library services for those needing alternate formats of texts or those who require access to the Libraries adaptive lab to utilize assistive spaces and technologies to conduct research, course work or to study. The task group, representing all major University libraries in Canada and the United States, is working through several pilot collaborations to inform the implementation of global sharing of content to support students and faculty who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled. In 2023, York University Libraries led focus groups with York students who make use of the Libraries Accessibility Services, leading to the Task Group to lead the development of an advocacy plan to advance global sharing of content to support those with print disabilities.
In 2023, 400 users requested alternate formats for their course readings and research, representing 20,769 items.
By the numbers:
As of 2023, there are 698 active users at York (receiving alternate formats of texts and/or requiring access to the adaptive lab in Scott). In 2023, 400 users requested alternate formats for their course readings and research. Since the launch of Papyrus over a decade ago, close to 3000 students or faculty have been referred to the service and to date, the database contains 20,769 items.
698
current active users at York University receiving alternate texts/requiring access to Adaptive Lab
400+
Requested alternate formats for course readings in 2023
20,269
Number of items now in Papyrus database
2986
Students and faculty referred to York Library Accessibilty services since launch in 2011
Excellent experience overall! It's been a God-send because my vision disability keeps me from reading print books.
—York University student user
This one-on-one model offers referred students more personalized assistance if required, as well as continuity with the support. The unit liaises closely with counsellors from Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and staff from the Assistive Technology Lab, in the Dahdaleh building and offering specific training on assistive software and hardware.
—Claudio Iacoe, Transcription Coordinator, Library Accessibility Services (LAS), York University
Facts
YUL is leading the Co-Creando (Sharing and Developing Expertise) Subcommittee which is working on a project that aims to bring together librarians in an open forum to share their institutional resources and best practices in the development of Open Educational Resources (OER) within a specific HUC context.