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OCLC accessibility statement

Revised: 26 November 2025

OCLC is committed to inclusive design and ensuring that our products and services are accessible to all users. We maintain a global focus on conforming to WCAG 2.2 Level AA guidelines, and we have an ongoing program to support alignment with these modern standards, which includes:

  • Regular accessibility assessments 
  • Third-party audits
  • Enhanced training programs for employees
  • Increased accessibility awareness across product development teams
  • Systematic verification that our products are progressing toward more accessible design and technology

The landscape of accessibility and technology is constantly evolving, but by maintaining a systematic and proactive approach, OCLC continues to increase the accessibility of our platforms and consistently improve the user’s experience.

Features and known opportunities

Users of modernized interfaces should be able to:

  • Navigate using a keyboard alone, a screen reader, voice control, or other assistive technologies
  • Zoom up to 200% without losing content or functionality
  • Switch devices and orientation without losing content or functionality

Users of mature interfaces may experience gaps in functionality that would aid in making the interface perceivable, operable, or understandable when using assistive technologies. Known gaps are documented in our accessibility conformance reports and included in accessibility remediation roadmaps.

Customers subscribing to services with highly customizable interfaces such as WorldCat Discovery are encouraged to test their color selections using tools such as Accessibility Insights for Web.

Customer support

Current customers who are having difficulty using OCLC services with assistive or adaptive technology are encouraged to contact OCLC Support in their region.

Ongoing efforts to facilitate accessibility across metadata, platform, and content

As an organization committed to equitable access to information and library services, OCLC works to facilitate accessibility throughout our digital ecosystem. From content creation and platform development to service delivery and end-user experiences, we strive to ensure critical information and services can be received, processed, distributed, and accessed effectively by all users. This includes comprehensive efforts for technical implementation, platform design, and organizational practices that support accessibility:

  • Global compliance—ensuring our digital applications and user interfaces support our customers by aligning with accessibility regulations and guidelines, including for example,  the Americans with Disabilities Act (including the recent update to ADA Title II), Sections 504 and 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act, the UK Public Bodies Act, and the European Accessibility Act
  • Metadata integration—processing accessibility metadata within existing OCLC workflows, developing crosswalk capabilities between different metadata formats (ONIX to MARC), and implementing quality assurance processes to ensure accuracy and completeness
  • Accessible content creation—defining and identifying content types hosted and delivered across OCLC while building comprehensive best practices aligned with WCAG, EPUB Accessibility 1.1 and ATAG Part B standards for accessible content authoring and delivery workflows
  • Governance framework—establishing comprehensive accessibility processes—including audits, remediation planning, and ongoing maintenance of Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs) and Accessibility Remediation Roadmaps (ARRs)—that apply across platform development, experience design, content delivery, and metadata standards
  • Continuous improvement—embedding accessibility throughout the product lifecycle with cross-functional teams to maintain and enhance accessibility practices across all digital touchpoints
  • Independent evaluation and testing—OCLC has adopted recognized third-party testing tools and credentialed independent evaluators, invested in training sessions, and integrated automated tests into our development lifecycle

Conformance reports

Conformance reports indicate the impact on views or pages supporting key user workflows, as well as on the holistic service. The reports cover conformance with WCAG 2.2 Levels A and AA.

Conformance report audits use a range of tools, including but not limited to:

  • Keyboard-only navigation
  • Browser zoom
  • A variety of browser plug-ins and bookmarklets
  • Automated scanning tool
  • Manual review with screen readers
  • Code review and general product knowledge

Current and prospective customers may request conformance reports via the form below.

Request an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR)