Materials & Services

The library offers a variety of services and support to patrons as it relates to accessibility.  

Material Accessibility 

The Library provides access to two broad categories of digital materials through our website and search tools:

Licensed Resources refer to content obtained through agreements with publishers and information providers—these might include electronic journals, e-books, databases, datasets, or audiovisual materials. These products are created and maintained by third parties, and the Library functions as a provider of access rather than the creator or manager of the underlying technology platform.

Digitized Collections consist of items from our physical holdings that we have converted to digital formats and made available online. These include materials from our special collections, rare books, manuscripts, photographs, historical newspapers, archival media, and other unique items acquired through donation or purchase.

Our resource guide on integrating library resources into eLC provides additional information and specific guidance on linking to library materials. 

Retrieving Library Materials

Patrons with disabilities who would like help retrieving materials can submit requests in four different ways:

  • In person: Bring a list of items to be pulled to the Service Desk at any library
  • Online: Navigate to the GIL-Find library catalog and once you've found the item you need, click the “Sign-in for More Options” link. After signing in, click the “Request” link. Next, choose your preferred pick-up location. Then click the REQUEST button. Library staff will retrieve your book, notify you when it is available, and hold it for you at the circulation desk of the library that you selected as your pick-up location.
  • By telephone: call the User Services Department at the Main Library (706-542-3256) or the McBay Science Library (706-542-4535)
  • By e-mail: contact the Main Library at maincirc@uga.edu or McBay Science Library at science@uga.edu

Please provide call numbers for all items with your retrieval request. For help with identifying call numbers, ask at any service point, or call 706-542-3251, or use our Ask A Question services.

If time and staffing allow, library staff may be able to retrieve a few items immediately. Generally, available items will be retrieved within two hours. However, additional time will be necessary to retrieve an extensive list of titles. More time may be required for retrieval during evenings and weekends because fewer staff are available. 

After the items have been retrieved, they will be held for 10 days for pickup by the user or their emissary at the relevant circulation desk. You will be notified by email when requested items are available at the pick-up location.

Course Reserves & Accessibility 

The availability of accessible content varies across library resources, but in general, library staff will attempt to provide links to materials through our vendors when instructors request material via Course Reserves. Library staff may scan small portions of print materials in our collection and create PDFs on-demand to post in instructors eLCs. Scanned PDFs obtained from library resources will most likely not be accessible and need to go through a remediation process. 

During the Spring 2026 semester, library staff will be remediating PDFs posted via the Course Reserve service, prioritizing items currently in use that were created by the libraries.

Please note that any documents instructors use in their eLC that are not created by the library will not be remediated. This includes syllabi, assignment instructions, or personally scanned materials. 

For questions about the accessibility of items currently on Course Reserve, please contact mainresv@uga.edu. 

How do course reserves differ from InterLibrary Loan or document delivey requests?

Proxy Borrowing 

Library users with disabilities can authorize another individual to check out materials in their name by completing a Proxy Agreement Form. The user, not the proxy, is responsible for all items checked out on their account. 

If the individual acting as a proxy is not currently affiliated with the University, they must come to the Main Library services desk and present their photo ID.  The Proxy Agreement Form must be completed and received by the library in order for a card to be issued. 

Scanning and Photocopying

Library users with disabilities who need assistance with photocopying or with scanning to create accessible electronic versions of library materials may receive photocopying and scanning services at no charge.

To request scanning or photocopying of materials, please contact Eric Griffith, the Disabilities Services Coordinator for the Libraries, at ecg@uga.edu. At times when Eric is not available, such as nights or weekends, please ask staff at the Service Desk for assistance, and they may be able to provide a limited amount of scanning or photocopying on-demand. For larger requests, Eric will process the requests as soon as feasible during regular business hours.

Accessible Alternative Formats

Library materials in print format such as book chapters and journal articles can be converted to accessible digital formats by request. If you would like to request conversion of materials or encounter problems accessing electronic resources, please contact Eric Griffith, the Disabilities Services Coordinator for the Libraries, at ecg@uga.edu.

Many of the Libraries materials already exist in accessible electronic versions. You can check to see if there is an existing electronic copy of the material you need by searching the following resources:


Our e-book platforms from EBSCO, ProQuest, and Springer support the use of screen readers that read text aloud to users. Examples of compatible screen readers include JAWS, NVDA, and Voiceover. You can use screen readers if you are reading e-books in your browser online or if you download them to your computer.  

In addition to materials and resources owned by the University of Georgia Libraries, eligible patrons with print disabilities can receive special access to in-copyright materials through HathiTrust Digital Library. The UGA Libraries is a HathiTrust partner institution. Eric Griffith, the Disabilities Services Coordinator for the Libraries, is the Libraries Proxy for HathiTrust. If you would like to inquire about access to digital copies of library books through HathiTrust, contact Eric at ecg@uga.edu.

Special formats including audio, large-print, or Braille versions of books may be available through Interlibrary Loan.

Research Help

We can help patrons with disabilities by providing various types of research help including:

  • Ready reference assistance for quick answers to short questions
  • In-depth assistance with detailed research questions or projects
  • Assistance in using print materials, online databases, and other electronic resources
  • Help with citing sources and bibliographic verification

Library users may request help at the nearest service desk in any library building or by contacting the library in any of these ways:

For in-depth research assistance and other extensive services, library patrons with disabilities are encouraged to make an appointment with Eric Griffith, the Disabilities Services Coordinator for the Libraries, at ecg@uga.edu.