Accessibility Statement

CCPL is committed to making services available to everyone. Persons requiring assistance at any of our locations or events are encouraged to discuss needs with the librarian.

Every effort has been made to make this website accessible to everyone. If you find something has been missed, please notify us immediately.

Building Accessibility

All library buildings meet the standards of accessibility outlined in ANSI 117.1, 1980 edition. Improvements to these buildings are included in the Carroll County Government's plan to bring all county-owned facilities into compliance with the ADA. Updates to areas that have specific ADA requirements, like restrooms, are always made according to current law when a building is renovated. New construction is always built to current ADA laws and requirements.

Citizens who have questions about the accessibility of any library branch are encouraged to call ahead to that branch with their questions before visiting.

Materials

Carroll County Public Library purchases materials to provide information to or about people with disabilities.

Materials available in large print include large-print books and digital eBooks and eMagazines that allow the reader to change the font size and other display settings. Audiobooks are available on CD and Playaways as well as eAudiobooks.

Although the library does not have a Braille collection or try to duplicate the recorded book collection in the State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, librarians refer library users to the facility. Applications are available at each branch library. They may also be obtained from the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at 1-800-964-9209 (Text Telephone: 1-800-934-2541) between 8 AM and 5 PM Monday-Friday and the second Saturday of each month 10 AM and 2 PM. Library staff can provide assistance in filling out the forms.

Information

All citizens may access the information services of the Carroll County Public Library by visiting our locations, completing our online form, and/or calling us. Information service is provided by librarians at the Adult and Children's Information Desks. Every citizen is encouraged to approach the Information Desk to ensure that their needs will be fully addressed. Service provision for citizens with disabilities is available in person, virtually, or over the phone. Telephone service is provided by regular telephones and the statewide telephone relay service by dialing 711 in Maryland or 1-800-735-2258 from anywhere in Maryland.

Information staff will assist patrons in accessing and retrieving materials and information available in branches. They will assist patrons in using available print and electronic resources. If the information and materials needed by the patron are not available in that location or are not in the appropriate format, librarians will identify where the material is located and institute procedures for securing the material within a reasonable time frame, or will refer the patron to an agency or organization that can best respond to the request. This includes contact with and referrals to the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

Programs and Events

Programs are offered by the library in order to promote library use and introduce the public to library resources for information and materials. All events at CCPL locations are handicapped accessible.

This statement is printed in the library's monthly publication, Currents, which lists the programs being offered at all library branches: "The Library is committed to making services available to everyone. Persons requiring special assistance are encouraged to discuss needs with the librarian." Sign interpretation can be provided at individual programs upon request and with sufficient notice to engage an interpreter.

Employment

The Carroll County Public Library supports and is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity. It is the library's policy to recruit, hire, train and promote individuals, as well as administer all employment practices without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national or ancestral origin, marital status, veteran's status, physical or mental disability (unrelated in nature and extent to an individual's ability to perform the job with reasonable accommodation), in accordance with applicable laws.

TDD Services

CCPL will assist hearing impaired, blind and speech disabled people through cooperation in the Maryland Relay Service. The web page address is www.mdrelay.org. Maryland Relay, a public service offered by the State of Maryland, enables standard telephone users to communicate with deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled people who use a TDD.

Either a TDD user or a person using a standard phone may initiate a call through Maryland Relay. After dialing Maryland Relay, the person initiating the call gives the phone number of the person or business being called to the Maryland Relay Operator, who then dials that number. The Relay Operator types the standard phone user's spoken words to the person using the TDD and voices the TDD user's text.

Maryland Relay is a public service. Users pay no set-up charges or fees for local calls, and there is no limit on the number or length of calls a user may make. Maryland Relay accepts direct dial, collect, person-to-person, Maryland telephone company calling cards, and any participating long distance company calls.

Maryland Relay can be reached by dialing 711 in Maryland or 1-800-735-2258 from anywhere in Maryland, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Complaints/Concern Process

County residents wishing to complain or express concern about the library's policies and procedures regarding ADA are welcome to speak with or write to the Branch Librarian in any of our branches or with the library's ADA Coordinator. Bob Kuntz, Director of Operations and Innovation, serves as the library's ADA Coordinator. He can be contacted online or at 443-293-3181.

Complaints or concerns about the library's personnel policies/practices and ADA compliance are best discussed with Karen Gonsman, Director of Human Resources. Contact Karen online or at 443-293-3127.

A complaint or concern should contain the name, address and if possible the phone or TT number of the person filing the complaint. It should describe the alleged violations of the regulations.