Assessment for Academic Search Premier by Mohawk - Module 4: Content

Submitted by april.speare@m… on
Are the sampled PDFs image-only?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Image only PDFs tend to be older (pre - 1990) and tend to be primarily medical titles

Since our patrons tend to search for the most current information I wouldn't let this stop me from using this database
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Tend to be older titles (pre - 1990)

Since our patrons tend to search for the most current information I wouldn't let this stop me from using this database
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: I would say approximately 80 to 90 % of the content is searchable. I tested 20 different PDFs on a variety of subjects and dates (1970s - current). The items not searchable were older titles and tended to be medical in nature.

Since our patrons tend to search for the most current information I wouldn't let this stop me from using this database
Are alternative descriptions provided?
Answer: Never
Score: 0
Notes:
Is primary language specified?
Answer: Never
Score: 0
Notes:
Is reliable character encoding provided?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes:
Are all page elements tagged?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes:
Are list and table structure correct?
Answer: Never
Score: 0
Notes:
Does the Read Out Loud function read the PDF in a logical way, preserving the order of the text and various sections?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Article formatting within the PDF can create issues with this function, for instance placement of advertisements.
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
When zooming in to 250%, does all text, images, tables, and other elements appear clear and easy to read?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?
Answer: Never
Score: 0
Notes:
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?
Answer: Never
Score: 0
Notes:
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?
Answer: Never
Score: 0
Notes:
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes:
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers?
Answer: Never
Score: 0
Notes:
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes:
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are videos captioned?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Appears anything from the early 2000s back are not closed captioned at all. From my sampling of 2014 and newer it was sporadic. The close captioning did not always start right at the beginning of whatever the speaker so a user could miss valuable information.


If captions are closed, and need to be turned on by the user, is that process straightforward and intuitive?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are captions typo-free and grammatically correct (unless slang and grammatical errors are intentionally used in the video)?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are the captions in sync with spoken words?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Some close captioning doesn't start immediately, In a few cases the user would miss the first few words of the speaker. It is otherwise synced.
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
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?
Answer: Never
Score: 0
Notes:
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes:
Is a link to a text transcript provided in reasonable proximity to the audio clip?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes:
If a transcript is provided, does it accurately capture the content of the audio?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes:
eResource: Academic Search Premier
eResource Type: Database
Vendor: EBSCO
Institution: Mohawk
Score: D

PDFs

Searchable PDFs

Question Answer Notes Images
Are the sampled PDFs image-only? Sometimes Image only PDFs tend to be older (pre - 1990) and tend to be primarily medical titles Since our patrons tend to search for the most current information I wouldn't let this stop me from using this database
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)? Sometimes Tend to be older titles (pre - 1990) Since our patrons tend to search for the most current information I wouldn't let this stop me from using this database
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable? Sometimes I would say approximately 80 to 90 % of the content is searchable. I tested 20 different PDFs on a variety of subjects and dates (1970s - current). The items not searchable were older titles and tended to be medical in nature. Since our patrons tend to search for the most current information I wouldn't let this stop me from using this database

Tagged PDFs

Question Answer Notes Images
Are alternative descriptions provided? Never
Is primary language specified? Never
Is reliable character encoding provided? Sometimes
Are all page elements tagged? Sometimes
Are list and table structure correct? Never

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? Sometimes Article formatting within the PDF can create issues with this function, for instance placement of advertisements.
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”? Always
Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document? Always

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

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
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Never
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Never

Tables

Question Answer Notes Images
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate? Sometimes
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers? Never

Additional Navigational Aids

Question Answer Notes Images
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks? Sometimes
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document? Always

Video Captions

Question Answer Notes Images
Are videos captioned? Sometimes Appears anything from the early 2000s back are not closed captioned at all. From my sampling of 2014 and newer it was sporadic. The close captioning did not always start right at the beginning of whatever the speaker so a user could miss valuable information.
If captions are closed, and need to be turned on by the user, is that process straightforward and intuitive? Always
Are captions typo-free and grammatically correct (unless slang and grammatical errors are intentionally used in the video)? Always
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video? Always
Are the captions in sync with spoken words? Sometimes Some close captioning doesn't start immediately, In a few cases the user would miss the first few words of the speaker. It is otherwise synced.
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided? Always
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided? Always

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? Never
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents? Not Applicable

Audio Accessibility

Question Answer Notes Images
Is a link to a text transcript provided in reasonable proximity to the audio clip? Not Applicable
If a transcript is provided, does it accurately capture the content of the audio? Not Applicable
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