I am the subject librarian for Caribbean Studies, Human Biology and the Women and Gender Studies Institute. I am responsible for developing the DG Ivey Library collections to support student learning in these subject areas, as well as supporting students, faculty and instructors in these programs through reference and research instruction.

I have a passion for accessibility and removing barriers for individuals with varying abilities to create a universally accessible academic learning experience. My research and program development interests focus on ideas of social responsibility and equity, with a focus on accessibility in libraries and library services. I worked on re-vamping the Online Course Reader Services, which provides students access to their course readings, to proactively make all scanned readings accessible and meet international Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG 2.0) standards. I also led a project to acquire assistive technology for the DG Ivey Library and the New College Writing Centre computers, hosted workshops on creating accessible electronic documents for New College faculty and staff, and collaborated in the development of a three part workshop series on accessible practices for library instruction for the University of Toronto Library community. Most recently, I worked with Tara Goldstein (New College Vice Principal at the time), to develop the Closed Caption Editing Pilot through which work-study students edit the automatically generated closed captions on streaming platforms to ensure accurate captions for all students.

Peer Reviewed Publications

Kwak, A. (Forthcoming January 2025) Developing a training program for student library assistants to make scanned PDFs accessible: A case study. College & Research Libraries.

Kwak, A. and Jeff Newman (2018) An accessibility-first approach to online course reserves.  Reference Services Review, 46 (3), 340-349. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-04-2018-0046

Peer Reviewed Presentations

Kwak, A. (2022, October 26) Developing and Implementing a Closed Caption Editing Program: Success and Challenges. [Poster Presentation]. EDUCAUSE Annual Conference 2022, Denver, Colorado, United States of America. https://bit.ly/Kwak-EDUCASE2022

Shaw, A. Weiler, M., Kawula, B., Thomas, M.,  Kwak, A. (2022, October 13) PDF Pitstops in Library Platforms: An Essential Feature for Blind Users. [Conference Presentation]. Access 2022 Conference, Ottawa, Ontartio, Canada. https://youtu.be/0uC-arfXCmQ

Shaw, A., Weiler, M., Thomas, M, Kawula, B., Kwak, A. (2022, May 13) Marching towards a PDF pitstop: Improving Scholars Portal Journals for blind users across Ontario along the way. [Conference Lightening Talk]. Scholars Portal Day 2022: Currents of Change, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. https://nextcloud.scholarsportal.info/s/Nrn8P6sjmdNDNTP

Kwak, A. & Newman, J. (2021, May 6). Library Expertise, Accessibility, and the Pivot to Online Learning [Conference Lightening Talk]. Scholars Portal Day 2021: Unearthing Infrastructure, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. https://youtu.be/CO8e9colo-c?t=1742

Kwak, A. & Newman, J. (2020, December 8-9). Virtual Scavenger Hunt: Using Online Tools to Facilitate Collaboration and Social Engagement [Conference Showcase]. eLeraning in Libraries Symposium 2020, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Kwak, A. & Newman, J. (2020, May). Igniting the First-Year Library Orientation Experience [Conference Session]. TRY+ Library Conference 2020, Toronto, Ontartio, Canada. (Conference canceled)

Kwak, A. (2018, May). Accessible Online Course Reader Service: A Proactive Approach to Providing Accessible Texts. Presented at Accessibility Conference: Designing for Diversity, Guelph, ON.

Kwak, A., Rusnell, E., Schultz, K., & Walsh, B. (2018, May) Reflecting forward: Developing teaching abilities through collective practice. Presented at TRY+ Library Conference: Reflective Practice, Toronto, ON.

Kwak, A. (2017). Accessible Online Course Reader Service: A Proactive Approach to Providing Accessible Texts. Lightening Talk presented at the OCUL Scholars Portal Day 2017: Transforming Libraries, Toronto, ON

David, R. & Kwak, A. (2016, August). Adding a mentoring dimension to the training of iSchool students. Paper presented at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress Satellite Meeting, Toronto, ON

Additional Publications

Kwak, A., Jardim, M., & Weiler, M. (2018, October 8) Driving towards conformance: a WCAG 2.0 field trip. InsideOCULA. Retrieved from  http://open-shelf.ca/181001-ocula-wcag20-field-trip/

Kwak, A., Agostino, C., & Jardim, M. (2018, May 31) Global Accessibility Awareness Day in libraries: What is it and how to mark the day. Open Shelf. Retrieved from  http://open-shelf.ca/180604-global-accessibility-awareness-day-in-libraries-what-is-it-and-how-to-mark-the-day/