One of my biggest projects as the Digital Manager at Ooligan Press was to make a plan to remediate our backlist. A new EU law, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) has direct language about accessibility requirements for frontlist and backlist ebooks, with due dates for each. Thankfully, our frontlist is already compliant; every book from our fall 2024 release of The Pacific Northwest Disaster Guide and onward is good to go.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II is not as direct and specific about ebooks but does address materials used in educational settings, and some of our Ooligan titles are taught in classes.
So, the first order of business was to survey the existing backlist. In doing so, I made this spreadsheet to collect the info in one place. I looked at the existing EPUB files and assessed accessibility, catalogued the amount and nature of alt text needed for each backlist book, took note of special formatting needs (poetry, tables, and the like), and categorized the complexity of each ebook.
The spreadsheet was meant to serve as a resource for planning with the Publisher and as a tracking and organizing document. The Publisher and I have used this to select the first book for remediation: Cataclysms on the Columbia. It’s one of Ooligan Press’s best-selling titles, and it’s one of our most directly educational titles as it’s used as a textbook for geology courses. Next will likely be The Portland Red Guide, which is getting a reprint as well.
Chrys Buckley 