UK university libraries come under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 [opens in a new window]. This means your websites can be audited by Government Digital Services (GDS) at any time to ensure they are compliant. If this happens, they will send you a link to a report, which lists any issues they have found. They will give you a deadline of 12 weeks to respond, fix the issues, and publish an updated accessibility statement. 

If your institution is audited by GDS, you may want to consider: 

• That the report is formatted in such a way that it is quite overwhelming to interpret. Multiple pages are tested, and if there is a common issue, this is flagged at every instance where it occurs, even though it is one issue that requires one fix. Translating the report into a spreadsheet makes it possible to evaluate the issues clearly. For more detail about the testing and report, read the GDS guidance Accessibility monitoring: how we test [opens in a new window].
  
• Creating a working group with colleagues in other areas of your institution to ensure that your approach is in line with policies and processes. 
• Some fixes could require involvement from Ex Libris. It might be a good idea to meet with your account manager to discuss the audit and to impress upon them the importance of timely fixes. 
• Giving yourselves an internal deadline of two weeks earlier to create a buffer. 
• Holding weekly meetings with the relevant colleagues to assign work to the most appropriate individuals and keep progress going. 
• Sharing weekly summaries and remaining work. 

Some other key points to take away: 

• The first contact email from GDS looks very plain and could be easy to miss. Do not ignore it. Look our for emails that mention website accessibility auditing, and especially emails that come from the following address: accessibility-monitoring@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk.​
• Other libraries may also be audited at the same time. You could share insights with one another, which might help encourage Ex Libris to make timely fixes. 
• Open communication with your colleagues is very valuable. However, keep working groups to essential colleagues only. If other colleagues hear about your audit, they may have unrelated concerns that could distract the focus of the work. 

No matter how much work you have done to make your site compliant, it is likely that GDS may find issues. This doesn't mean your work has been in vain or that your site has been condemned. You get an opportunity to fix things and make your site even better for your users.