Library services provision to visually-impaired users in academic libraries: A gap in the literature

Abstract

The importance of providing library and information services to the visually-impaired students for educational pursuit in academic libraries cannot be ignored. This is because the students cannot use the normal facilities that their sighted counterparts uses, they require special facilities and services. This paper sought to provide a systematic review of theoretical and empirical literature about services provision for visually-impaired students in academic libraries. Reviewing the related literature focuses mainly on studies about availability of and accessibility to facilities for this category of students, perceptions about providing services for the students, training in visually-impaired services provision, accessibility to the services by the students, constraints to effective visually-impaired services provision in academic libraries as well as appraisal of reviewed literature. An in-depth account of the selected and related literature indicated that, many libraries in the university seldom provide services for the students who are visually-impaired due to limited financial and human resources, insufficient assistive technology, inadequacy of funding and absence of trained personnel among others. This category of students have limited access to many of the major required facilities and services. Furthermore, the article contributes to the growing body of knowledge and builds on existing literature in this area of study.