At the iSchool Help Desk, we are excited that we get to help the school as it prepares to meet updated federal standards about digital accessibility. Making education accessible and equitable is a huge task, and no one person can take it on alone. We want to recognize those who have been stepping up to become Accessibility Advocates at the iSchool.
Whether they have been educating others about accessibility for years, or they’ve recently made the commitment to jump in and try their best, we think it’s important to recognize the efforts being made and the amazing impact that we can make as an iSchool community if we all do our part!
We will be regularly spotlighting some of these advocates. This is a great chance to recognize and uplift these efforts, to encourage one another as a community to keep striving, and to help students get to know our instructors a little better!
Now, meet our first featured Accessibility Advocate: Steve Oberg!
iSchool Adjunct Lecturer
MS, Library and Information Science, Illinois
Currently teaching: Spring 2025 – Bibliographic Metadata (IS585OB); Summer 2025 – Reference and Info Services (IS501OB)
We recognize Steve as an Accessibility Advocate because of his positive attitude towards jumping into accessibility efforts! He recognized that his classes needed improvement, and took steps to utilize resources provided by the iSchool, including requesting an audit of his class by the Help Desk to help identify areas for improvement. His students also appreciated that “he communicated to [us] that he was requesting one and has been very transparent about his process, and is already updating his course materials in the class he is teaching, which is going above and beyond!”. Professor Oberg is a great example that you don’t have to be an expert to just get started and do your best!
Get to know more about Steve Oberg and what his motivation is to work on accessibility…
Q: Why is it important to you to work towards more accessible classes?
A: A core tenet of our profession is accessibility of information to all — accessibility in the broadest sense of the word — and I strongly believe in that. Although I’ve known for quite a while that my course materials were not truly accessible, a recent conversation with Cathy Blake was the prompt I needed to get going. I’m grateful to her for that.Q: What is a favorite thing that you’ve learned from an impactful professor?
A: Let me highlight Kathryn Luther Henderson as an incredibly impactful professor and mentor in my career, amazingly so. I miss her deeply. Equally impactful has been Linda Smith and I am honored by Linda’s and Kathie’s consistent support, kindness, and encouragement over several decades.. They taught me that the student comes first. They taught me that I could believe in myself when I really didn’t. They are giants in the whole history of the iSchool and in the profession at large, and I can never thank them enough for investing in me.
Q: What is your teaching style?
A: I have little use for the “sage on the stage” approach, honestly. In my approach to teaching, I strive to be collegial, to treat students as fellow explorers in the topics I’m teaching, and I depend to a great extent on interactivity in my class sessions. I aspire to always be open, curious, enthusiastic, and encouraging. Something Kathie Henderson taught me is the phrase “bridging the gaps.” I’ve never forgotten this. There are so many gaps in our profession (let alone in society at large), and I strive to bridge gaps in awareness and understanding rather than to indoctrinate or persuade students into a particular point of view. The way you approach issues and problems can be as important, or more so, than thinking you know the “right” answer, and it is extremely important to look for connections rather than chasms.
Q: What classes do you really love teaching?
A: I originally created and continue to teach IS 573 ERO: E-Resources Management, so I suppose I love that course best. I especially love the required presentations at the end of that class that give students the opportunity to highlight what they learned in writing their research paper. But I also love IS 593 TSO: Technical Services Functions and have taught that course the longest, since 2003. It is a love letter of sorts to the course’s original creator, Kathryn Luther Henderson. More recently, I’ve taught a section of IS 585: Bibliographic Metadata. After several years doing it, I am finally beginning to feel comfortable enough with the material to enjoy it and, I hope that enjoyment is contagious to my students.
Q: Do you have any advice for others who are working to learn more about course accessibility?
A: Just do it. Get started. Think about accessibility right from the start and in everything you put together, not as an afterthought. I am really thankful for and impressed by the resources that the iSchool and the broader Illinois campus community have put together. I am especially grateful for the willingness of the iSchool Help Desk to do an accessibility audit on request. So helpful!
Thank you so much to Steve for your hard work, open mind, and for sharing your experience! And thank you to everyone who is working towards a better and more inclusive iSchool. Let’s keep this up!
If you know someone who has been exemplifying this effort in some way, please reach out to us at ischool-support@illinois.edu to nominate them and tell us a little bit about what you want to celebrate!
– iSchool Help Desk