Q. How do I find a book using Library Search with a screenreader?

The URL wmich.edu/library will take you directly to the library’s homepage. To search for information through the WMU library’s webpage use Library Search. Library search has a big advantage in that it allows the user to search across many different academic disciplines at once. 

To perform a library search using a screenreader:

1. Open a web browser window.
2. Type the URL wmich.edu/library.
3. Press Enter. You are now on the University Libraries homepage. On this page is the Library Search bar.  You can use this bar as your entry point into Library Search. From Library Search you can search for “Everything,” “Books and Media,” and “Articles.”  The Everything search is the default and will show both articles and ebooks. The Books and Media search will show books, including ebooks. The Articles search will show articles.  While you can use the Everything search, it is recommended to use the Books and Media search for ebooks and the Articles search for articles, as you will get more targeted lists of results each time. 
4. Press E twice to find the Library Search Field. Let’s search for an ebook. For example, let’s assume that you are studying the public health effects of vaccines. While this search would involve searching multiple terms, we will use the term “vaccines.”  
5. Type v a c c i n * which will also capture vaccinate, vaccine, etc.  
6. Press A to navigate to the Books and media radio button.
7. Press Enter to select the Books and media radio button.
8. Press B to find the Submit form button for your search
9. Press Enter. Once you search for something here, you will be taken to your search results page.
10. Select Insert + F7 to open the Links list on the Search Results page.
11. Listen for Vaccines Preventing Disease and Protecting Health. 
12. Press Enter. This opens a new page for that selection.
13. Press B to find the “online” button.  
14. Press Enter. That takes you to the record for the ebook, where I have the option to access it through Consumer Health Complete and EBSCOhost Ebooks.  
15. Press Enter to choose Consumer Health Complete. 
16. If you have not logged in, you are asked to log in with your Bronco Net ID and Password. 
17. Select Insert + F7 to open the Links list. 
18. Listen for +2004. This date is after All Issues and Articles. 
19. Select +2004 and the link expands.
20. Click the new 2004 link which opens a new window.
21. This provides a list of items that can be read as PDF files. Sometimes Ebooks are available as a single file as well. Select the PDF link under the record for the first chapter, “Vaccines and the challenge of emerging and re-emerging diseases: from HIV/AIDS to bioterrorism,” by Anthony S. Fauci. This takes you to the text of the chapter.

Comments (0)