Assessment Information
eResource Title |
Vendor |
Overall Grade |
Historical Newspapers: Globe and Mail |
ProQuest |
B+ |
Assessment for Historical Newspapers: Globe and Mail by Durham - Module 1: Interface Appearance | Status: Complete | Grade: A
Images
Positioning of Images
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find? |
Always |
|
|
Functional images embedded in the background
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are there functional images embedded in the background? |
Never |
|
|
Presence of Icons
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are there icons where appropriate, such as icons to indicate PDF Full Text, Download, Folder, Citation, etc? |
Always |
|
|
Alt Text
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Always |
|
|
Do functional images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Always |
|
|
Do images used as text contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Always |
|
|
Content Scaling
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
When zoomed in at 200%, is text intact, readable, and not cut off? |
Always |
|
|
Are images clear and unpixelated at 200%? |
Always |
|
|
Is horizontal scrolling minimized at 200%? |
Always |
|
|
Colour and Contrast
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do text and images have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1? |
Sometimes |
Both the Basic and Advanced search screens have good contrast ratios. On the Results page, there are two errors (one of which is our own Library's Ask a Librarian link). The actual database error appears to be a logo image. |
|
Colour
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do colour coded graphs have text equivalents? |
Always |
|
|
Are blocks of content separated from one another using visual separation (such as whitespace or borders)? |
Always |
|
|
Are text alternatives provided where colour is used to indicate an action? |
Always |
|
|
Text to speech
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Is there a choice embedded within the database that offers text to speech or read aloud options? |
Never |
Relatively few articles are available in HTML full text (most are PDF). No text to speech option available for those HTML documents that were found and checked. |
|
Clustered Links
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Using your mouse, is the clickable area around links and buttons large enough for users to see and activate easily? |
Always |
|
|
Using your mouse to test links, are links and buttons far enough apart for users to accurately activate? |
Always |
|
|
Using any method to test links, are all links and buttons functional (i.e., not dead)? |
Always |
|
|
Are links or buttons accessible via keyboard navigation? |
Always |
|
|
Dynamic content
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Can users pause carousel movement? |
Not Applicable |
No carousels in this database. |
|
Is all functionality, including navigating between carousel items, operable by keyboard? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Liquid layout
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Is the order of the text preserved at all screen resolutions, without overlap? |
Always |
|
|
Do images avoid overlapping at all screen resolutions? |
Always |
|
|
Is the overall reading experience preserved at all screen resolutions? |
Always |
|
|
Assessment for Historical Newspapers: Globe and Mail by Durham - Module 2: Interface Navigation | Status: Complete | Grade: A+
Labels and Instructions for Interactive Elements
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are user input fields accompanied by clear instructions on what the user needs to do to successfully complete the form? |
Always |
Fields requiring user input include instructions above or below the field. In the Email form (to send fulltext), Wave did show a missing form label but that didn't appear to be on the Email popup itself but on the window behind. |
|
Do user input fields contain labels in addition to overall instructions mentioned above? |
Always |
|
|
Are descriptions for fields and boxes easy to understand? |
Always |
|
|
Are labels placed above the user input fields and clearly associated with each field? |
Always |
Labels may be above or beside the input field, and it is obvious which field they are associated with. |
|
Are text cues for coloured form control labels available? |
Not Applicable |
Don't see any instances where a required field is shown in a different colour. Instead they are marked with an asterisk. |
|
Are other visual indicators provided consistently, such as an asterisk for required form fields? |
Always |
|
|
Error Prevention
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are user input fields either reversible, checked, or confirmed? One of the three is acceptable. |
Always |
|
|
Error Reports
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are alert messages clearly visible to the user, either at the top of the form field, inline, or through a dialog box? |
Always |
|
|
Do alert messages clearly indicate the field in which the error has occurred and a description of the error and the fix? |
Always |
|
|
Is the user able to easily access the user input field to correct the error? |
Always |
|
|
Is the user able to resubmit the form and re-validate their submission? |
Always |
|
|
Do error reports follow a logical reading and navigation order? |
Always |
|
|
Search function spell-check
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
When a user spells a word incorrectly, does the search function offer spelling suggestions or synonyms? |
Always |
There was no autocomplete as part of the initial search page, but on the results list the search had autocorrected the spelling (cornavirus to coronavirus and cristmas to christmas). A line appeared under the search box on the results page asking 'Did you mean XXX?'. |
|
Functionality of Interactive Elements
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are icons such as to save, download, or print consistent across the site? |
Always |
|
|
Is alternative text clear and consistent for each icon type? |
Always |
|
|
Are actions consistently labelled across the site? For example, the “search” button is always labeled “search”. |
Always |
|
|
Are icons that have adjacent links consistent? |
Always |
|
|
Can the purpose of each link be determined from the link text alone? |
Always |
|
|
Consistent Navigation
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the eresource have a consistent layout and navigation across all pages? |
Always |
|
|
Are search fields located in the same places throughout the website? |
Always |
|
|
Do other features occur in the same place throughout the website? |
Always |
|
|
Are links, buttons, images, and other components that are used repeatedly throughout a website labeled consistently? |
Always |
|
|
Pop-up windows/Interruptions
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the electronic resource avoid the use of pop-up windows which open automatically in a new tab if a user clicks on a button? |
Sometimes |
Many of the database features such as Email, Cite, Print, etc, open in a pop-up window. |
|
Does the database avoid launching pop-up windows automatically when the database is loaded? |
Always |
|
|
Where pop-ups occur, are users able to postpone or suppress any pop-ups? |
Never |
Pop-ups for features like Print, Email, Cite open when the relevant button is selected. |
|
Does the database avoid launching pages in a new browser window with the usual browser controls missing? |
Always |
|
|
Headers
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Is page content subdivided hierarchically into appropriate headings and tagged appropriately? |
Always |
|
|
Are headings concise and clear, and accurately reflect the content under that heading? |
Always |
|
|
Menus
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do database page menus have a reasonable number of navigation items and drop-down options? |
Always |
|
|
Does the main navigation and drop-downs contain a reasonable number of menu items? |
Always |
|
|
Can all menus and submenus be accessed with screen readers and via keyboard navigation? |
Always |
|
|
Change of context
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the “results” page or item record view avoid opening in a new tab without a warning? |
Always |
Results page and item records open in the same window (do not open in a new tab). |
|
Is there an "update now" button that requests a refresh of content rather than automatically updating the content? |
Always |
|
|
Does the database avoid automatic redirection? |
Always |
|
|
Change of Context: Focus
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the form refrain from submitting automatically when a component receives focus? |
Always |
|
|
Does the database avoid launching new windows when a component receives focus? |
Always |
|
|
Does the database avoid change of focus when a component receives focus? |
Always |
|
|
Are you able to tab through a page using keyboard navigation without the keyboard focus moving away from the control? |
Always |
|
|
Assessment for Historical Newspapers: Globe and Mail by Durham - Module 3: Interface Structure | Status: Complete | Grade: A+
Navigation Links
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Can the purpose of each link can be determined from the link text, or from the link text together with its surrounding context? |
Always |
|
|
Keyboard Navigation
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Can keyboard focus be moved to all page elements? |
Always |
|
|
If moving keyboard focus away from a component requires more than arrow or tab keys, is this clearly indicated on the page? |
Not Applicable |
Didn't find an instance where more than an arrow or tab key was required to shift focus from a specific component. |
|
Is default keyboard navigation order logical and intuitive, following the visual flow of the page as described above? |
Always |
|
|
When using a keyboard to navigate the interface, is the keyboard focus indicator visible? |
Always |
|
|
Does all interactive functionality work via keyboard, and does it behave consistently and as expected? |
Always |
|
|
Does focus order move sequentially across form fields? |
Always |
|
|
Skip Links
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are there skip links (either visible or invisible)? |
Always |
Invisible skip links are present using Chrome. Tested Basic search, Advanced search and Results pages. |
|
Are skip links visible or invisible? |
Always |
Invisible. |
|
Are skip links (visible or invisible) positioned prominently near the beginning of the page? |
Always |
|
|
Are skip links labelled properly? |
Always |
|
|
Are skip links accessible via keyboard? |
Always |
|
|
Do anchors (link destinations) appear at the beginning of the relevant content? |
Always |
|
|
Do skip navigation controls appear in the same place on every page? |
Always |
|
|
Tables
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the reader capture accurate information as it appears in the table and the columns and rows? |
Not Applicable |
All documents in this database are in image-only PDFs so any tables within the full text are inaccessible to a screen reader. |
|
Frames
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the screen reader successfully navigate from one frame to another? |
Not Applicable |
No frames used on the search, results and full text pages (used NVDA to check). |
|
Does each frame have a meaningful title that tells the user the purpose of the frame? |
Not Applicable |
No frames used. |
|
When navigating the page using keyboard navigation, is the user able to navigate effectively from one frame to the next? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Assessment for Historical Newspapers: Globe and Mail by Durham - Module 4: Content | Status: Complete | Grade: F
PDFs
Searchable PDFs
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are the sampled PDFs image-only? |
Always |
Five articles were checked for this question, with dates from 1863, 1927, 1962, 2008 and 2020. None of the 5 were searchable but were extractable in a limited manner (was able to 'copy' or 'copy image'). |
|
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)? |
Never |
None of the five articles checked were searchable. |
|
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable? |
Never |
None of the five articles checked were searchable. |
|
Tagged PDFs
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are alternative descriptions provided? |
Never |
None of the five articles checked have alternative next (none were searchable or tagged). |
|
Is primary language specified? |
Never |
None of the five articles checked had a primary language specified (none were searchable). |
|
Is reliable character encoding provided? |
Always |
All five articles passed the Character Encoding test (although none were searchable). Possibly just checking the article page header? |
|
Are all page elements tagged? |
Never |
All five articles failed the Tagged Contest section. |
|
Are list and table structure correct? |
Never |
All five articles failed in both the Tables and Lists sections |
|
Structure: Reading Order
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the Read Out Loud function read the PDF in a logical way, preserving the order of the text and various sections? |
Never |
Five articles checked. Only the header and footer are read - the actual text of the article is skipped. |
|
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”? |
Never |
Only the header and footer are read - the actual full text of each of the five articles checked was skipped completely. |
|
Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document? |
Never |
Only the header and footer sections are 'visible' when navigating around the screens. In all five articles checked, the actual full text was skipped. |
|
Magnification
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
When zooming in to 250%, does all text, images, tables, and other elements appear clear and easy to read? |
Always |
Original text, particularly of the documents from the 1800s and early/mid 1900s, is often not completely crisp to begin with. It is still legible once zoomed in though. |
|
Images
Positioning of Images
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find? |
Always |
|
|
Alternative Description
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Never |
In addition to the five articles checked for the first series of questions in this module, an additional four were checked for this series of questions. None of the text or pictorial content in the 9 PDFs checked would read - all image only (4 were all text, 5 had accompanying images). |
|
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Never |
All PDF content was image only. |
|
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Never |
All PDF content was image only. |
|
Tables
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate? |
Never |
All PDFs were image only. |
|
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers? |
Never |
All PDF content was image only. |
|
Additional Navigational Aids
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks? |
Never |
|
|
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document? |
Not Applicable |
No bookmarks present in any of the articles checked. |
|
Video Captions
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are videos captioned? |
Not Applicable |
No videos in database. |
|
If captions are closed, and need to be turned on by the user, is that process straightforward and intuitive? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Are captions typo-free and grammatically correct (unless slang and grammatical errors are intentionally used in the video)? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Are the captions in sync with spoken words? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Described Video
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do videos include described video, or if not, is there a text equivalent of the video provided on the same page or via a link? |
Not Applicable |
No videos in database. |
|
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents? |
Not Applicable |
|
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Audio Accessibility
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Is a link to a text transcript provided in reasonable proximity to the audio clip? |
Not Applicable |
No audio present in database. |
|
If a transcript is provided, does it accurately capture the content of the audio? |
Not Applicable |
|
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