Accessibility services

Accessibility Support Room 201A in Elizabeth Dafoe Library is designated for use by those who require an accommodation for an accessible space. It is located on the second floor of Elizabeth Dafoe Library, accessible from the second-floor elevator. 

Book the accessibility room

The room is equipped with:

• A height-adjustable table
• A large table
• Anti-glare lamps
• Scanner
• Public workstation with monitor and internet access
• Ergonomically adjustable chair

Additional anti-glare lamps and headphone sets can be borrowed from the Dafoe Service Desk on the first floor and are available for a 2-hour loan period. 

How to use the Accessibility Support Room

1. Book the room online, in-person at the Dafoe Library Service Desk, by phone at 204-474-9844 or by email at dafoe@umanitoba.ca
2. You will receive an email when your booking is confirmed.
3. Check in at the Dafoe Library Service Desk at the start of your booking. To request an extension to your booking, check in at the Service Desk or call 204-474-9844.
4. At the end of your booking, let the staff at the Dafoe Library Service Desk know you are finished using the room. 

Room booking policy

• Students who wish to use the room must be referred by Student Accessibility Services.
• The room is booked on a first-come, first-serve basis for a maximum duration of 2 hours at a time.
• You can request a longer period if there is no apparent demand at the end of your initial booking, up to a maximum of 4 hours per day. Please check in at the Service Desk or call 204-474-9844 to request an extension to your booking.

Room usage rules

1. Do not consume food in the room due to food allergies of other users. Lidded beverages are permitted.
2. This is a scent-free zone.
3. Maintain the original condition of the room and location of furniture, equipment and window coverings.

• Use the Ask Us online chat (located in the bottom right corner of our website marked by the blue “Ask Us” button) to chat directly with library staff from anywhere. Ask Us is monitored live by library staff during these hours.
• For research help, contact your subject librarian. Librarians can answer your questions via email, meet you online, or meet you in person in an accessible library space.

Users who are unable to navigate through the shelves or find searching for materials in the library overwhelming can request that a book be placed in one of the library’s pickup lockers. A library staff member will find the item and place it in the locker for you.   

Request an item for pickup 
 

Users with a print disability can request library materials in alternate formats. To use this service, students must be registered with Student Accessibility Services.

All other users can register to use this service by completing the Print Disability Declaration Form.

Submit an alternate format request

Library materials that can be requested in alternate formats include, but are not limited to:

• An entire library book or print item
• A chapter of a print item or print journal article
• An item not available in the Libraries collections
• Inaccessible digital formats
• Any other library or instructional materials
• Textbooks in the Libraries collections

For alternate format requests of textbooks you have already purchased, or if you need materials in Braille, contact Student Accessibility Services.

How to request library materials in an alternate format

• Use the “Access for Users with Disabilities” link on any item in your Library Search results.
• Request an accessible scan of a chapter of a print item or a print journal article using the Scan on demand link on print items in the Library Search. Choose “Required for perceptual disability” in the Accessibility Requirements field to receive an accessible PDF.
• Request items not found in our collection using Request from another institution link in your Library Search results; or fill out the Document Delivery Request form. Choose "Required for perceptual disability" in the Accessibility Requirements field.

• Visit any library service desk to get help from staff to retrieve books you need from the shelves and get printing and copier support.
• Arrange a tour with library staff to familiarize yourself with a library’s layout. To arrange a tour, contact the specific library location.
   

Printers and scanners are available in most library locations. 

Learn more about printing, scanning and photocopying at the library.

For UM faculty, staff and students, any print library book or journal article can be scanned and emailed in a PDF format. 

Scan on demand
 

You can designate a proxy borrower to check out books on your behalf. To do this, your proxy borrower will need to provide:

• your University of Manitoba student or staff ID card
• a piece of their government-issued ID
• A letter of authorization indicating the name of the individual who is permitted to use the ID and the date(s) for which the consent is valid.