[WEB4LIB] RE: Standards for Web Page Submission

[Thomas Dowling]

At 12:08 PM 11/26/2002, Scritchfield, Larry wrote:

>What about vendors? Both in terms of Web-based catalogs and database
>vendors?

Most catalogs are world-accessible, so you can go in and see the gory 
details.  Between catalogs and database vendors, the markup I've seen is 
awful, and I've never seen much concern for, understanding of, or 
commitment to good markup.


>If we're looking to the future, shouldn't they be as well? Are
>there
>vendors who are doing a good job in these areas?

If there are, I hope they speak up.  It's a non-priority for most of the 
ones I work with, who mostly "test" by viewing their pages with one or two 
browsers and call it done.  (My all-time favorite is the vendor rep who 
explained that they didn't have to provide ALT text for their innumerable 
images because their contract didn't require them to support Lynx.)



>How can we as a community pressure them to comply with current standards?
>Other than simply setting an example of course.

Contract language and ominous mutterings about liability for accessibility 
problems might be good starting points.



Thomas Dowling
OhioLINK - Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu