Future Directions in Digital Information Predictions, Practice, Participation Chandos Digital Information Review: Chapter 5 - The power of accessible knowledge: Universities, suppliers, and transparency in the information age

Digital ecosystems evolve organically. Like any ecosystem, this can result in unplanned complexity. In a typical university setting, reading lists encompass e-books from different publishers, delivered through a wide range of platforms. Each e-book on the list may offer different permutations of seven key factors: source format; accessibility markup; platform interface; download options; technical protection measures; interoperability with assistive technologies; and reading tools available to the user. For a disabled user, the right format, from the right publisher, delivered through the right platform to the right tools, enables efficient independent access. The key is knowing what to expect so appropriate choices can be made. The ASPIRE project used librarian-based crowdsourcing to audit the accessibility information available from publishers and platform providers. This chapter explores how a group of volunteers with no budget and limited influence created a credible data source that positively influenced the practices of major suppliers.