Madeleine Clark Wallace Library

Library Accessibility

The Wallace Library is committed to providing access to all collections, services, and programs to all members of the Wheaton community. Library staff make all reasonable efforts to accommodate individuals with disabilities.

On this page

Physical Access to the Library

View the Campus Map for information about specific locations. View our Floor Plans for more information about areas in the library.

Parking

The nearest accessible parking spaces to the Library are located:

  • behind Balfour-Hood Campus Center (1 space, van accessible)
  • in Lot 8 (several spaces, van accessible, located adjacent to Haas Athletic Center)

Accessible Entrances

The primary accessible entrance to the library faces the Discovery Center. From the Dimple, take the ramp on the right side of the library and follow the sidewalk towards the Discovery Center. If you park in Lot 8, an accessible entrance at the rear of the Discovery Center provides access to the library stacks just past classroom 1349.

Inside the Library

Access the Stacks, Periodicals, and Main Levels and First and Second Mezzanines using the public elevator, found in the stair tower on the south side of the building. For elevator access to:

  • Archives & Special Collections, call Taylor McNeilly, College Archivist, at (508) 286-3713 or inquire at the Information and Circulation Desk.
  • Second Level (Merrill Room, Clark Room, Fine Arts Oversize, or Writing Associates), inquire at the Information and Circulation Desk.

The Cole Room is inaccessible by elevator.

Restrooms

Accessible, gender-neutral restrooms are available in the stair tower, across from the elevator on each level.

Service Dogs

Service dogs are welcomed into the library in accordance with campus policy and law.

Evacuation

In the event of an emergency requiring evacuation of the building without use of the elevators, the Periodicals Level and the Stacks Level have emergency doors at ground level for immediate exit. If you are unable to evacuate the building on your own, you should wait in a designated rescue area, located by staircases, and away from any smoke and fire. While firefighters will check the building for those needing assistance, you can notify library staff as you are en route to a rescue area. This allows library staff to quickly inform firefighters where patrons needing assistance are. If you have a cell phone, you may also call (508) 285-5380 to alert emergency personnel of your location through the Norton Fire Department’s emergency system.

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Library Materials

Finding Library Materials

For assistance finding library materials, chat with us from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM EST, schedule an appointment with a librarian, search our FAQ, or submit a ticket.

Obtaining Library Materials

Through the Library Catalog

Most physical library materials in Wheaton's collection may be placed on hold through the library catalog. Materials will be pulled by library staff and held at the Information and Circulation Desk on the Main Level for pickup. After you identify a title in the library catalog, choose “Place Hold” and log in using your Wheaton credentials. Retrieval happens regularly through the day and materials are often available within a few hours. You will receive an email when the item is ready for pickup. For speedier access, visit the Information and Circulation Desk or call (508) 286-8224.

In Person

If you are an individual with a disability who would like to receive materials from the library stacks more quickly than requesting them through the catalog, you can go to the Information and Circulation Desk on the Main Level or call (508) 286-8224 during hours of operation with the titles you want and library staff will retrieve the items. At certain times there may be a short wait for book retrieval, based on location of the item or quantity of materials requested.

Archives and Special Collections

Archives and Special Collections staff are available to assist with using materials in the collection. Call Taylor McNeilly, College Archivist, at (508) 286-3713 for assistance.

Journal Articles

A document delivery service is available to Wheaton students, faculty, and staff. The service provides scanned PDFs of articles from journals and chapters from books that Wheaton owns. Place these requests through Interlibrary Loan (opens in a new tab).

Interlibrary Loan

Borrow books, videos, CD's, and obtain journal articles from (almost) anywhere through WorldCat (opens in a new tab). To ensure scanned items are of a quality adequate for screen readers, please note this when you request the item. Library staff will attempt to locate and borrow large print, Braille, and audio editions of books if you request them.

Databases

The library subscribes to a wide variety of electronic books, journals, and media resources from a range of vendors. Most of their platforms have assistive features. The VPAT Repository (opens in a new tab), a volunteer-run effort by librarians, collects Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates indicating vendor compliance with Section 508 accessibility guidelines.

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Computing Equipment: Software and Hardware

Digital Magnifier

The library's Optelec digital magnifier is located in the Atrium on the Main Level near the front desk.

Scanner 

The library has a Zeta scanner capable of using optical character recognition to convert printed text into accessible PDFs, and a microform scanner capable of converting microforms with printed text into accessible PDFs. Both are located in the Atrium on the Main Level near the front desk.

Public Computers

The library has public Mac computers located in the Woolley Electronic Classroom on the Main Level. These computers have standard Mac accessibility features (opens in a new tab). The library has public Windows computers located in the Stacks Level Electronic Classroom on the Stacks Level. These computers have standard Windows accessibility features (opens in a new tab).

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