Stop making it difficult for patrons with ADHD and Cognitive disorders!

Libraries are supposed to be the gold standard for information access. We are told they are “quiet spaces” for focus and learning. But the moment you visit a library’s website, that promise is broken.

So why are our library websites so “loud”?

Look at almost any library websites today and you’ll find them: auto-playing banners, book carousels, scrolling news, and “bouncing” titles or logos. Most of the time, there is no pause button in sight.

Accessibility Requirements: The Bare Minimum
Since 2008, the standard for web accessibility has been WCAG 2.0 (Success Criterion 2.2.2: Pause, Stop, Hide). This is a Level A requirement, the most basic level of accessibility. It isn’t a “nice-to-have” feature or a suggestion; it is a requirement for any site wanting or claiming to be accessible.

The rule is simple: For any moving, blinking, or scrolling information that starts automatically and lasts longer than five seconds, the user must have a way to pause, stop, or hide it.

Movement is “Visual Noise”
In a library website, “loud” isn’t just about decibels. For someone with ADHD or a cognitive disability, movement is noise. When a banner auto-rotates or a logo bounces, it triggers “pre-attentive processing.” The human eye is evolutionarily wired to track movement. For a neurotypical user, this is a minor blip. For a patron with an attention deficit, it’s a cognitive hijack. While the patron is trying to focus on the search bar or navigate a research database, that moving element is “screaming” for their attention. It’s the digital equivalent of someone standing over your shoulder in a reading room and tapping on your book every five seconds.

A Race Against the Clock
Beyond the distraction, there is a fundamental functional failure: Patrons can’t even finish reading the content before it moves. For people with dyslexia, processing disorders, or cognitive disabilities, reading takes a little longer. When a library uses an auto-playing slider, they are essentially putting a timer on a patron’s ability to access information. Just as the patron begins to process a title or an event date—WHOOSH—the slide vanishes, replaced by something else.

It is frustrating, it is exhausting, and it is entirely preventable.

The Hypocrisy of the “Quiet” Library
If a library wouldn’t allow a blinking neon sign or a person shouting in the reference section, why do they allow their websites to flash and scroll without an “off” switch?

Accessibility isn’t just about screen readers; it’s also about cognitive dignity.

• If it moves: Give us a button to pause it.
• If it scrolls: Give us a button to stop it.
• If it distracts: Give us a button to hide it.

Stop prioritizing “flashy” web design over the actual needs of your patrons. It’s time to follow the rules, or ask your vendor to finally learn the web accessibility standards that have been in place for nearly two decades.