Accessibility Statement

Effective Date: April 1, 2026

Literary Reserve LLC is committed to making ShelfMatch accessible to all users, including people with disabilities. We strive to ensure that our book recommendation service is usable by everyone, regardless of ability or assistive technology.

1. Our Commitment

We are working to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. These guidelines provide a framework for making web content more accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments.

Accessibility is an ongoing effort. We regularly review and test our interface to identify and address barriers, and we incorporate accessibility best practices into our development process.

2. Accessibility Features

ShelfMatch currently includes the following accessibility features:

Dark Mode Interface

ShelfMatch uses a dark color scheme designed to reduce eye strain and improve readability in low-light environments. Text colors are selected to maintain sufficient contrast ratios against dark backgrounds in accordance with WCAG 2.1 AA requirements (minimum 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text).

Keyboard Navigation

All interactive elements, including buttons, links, form fields, and navigation menus, are accessible via keyboard. You can navigate through the application using the Tab key, activate elements with Enter or Space, and use arrow keys within components such as dropdowns and rating selectors. Focus indicators are visible on all interactive elements.

Screen Reader Compatibility

We use semantic HTML elements, ARIA labels, and descriptive alt text to ensure compatibility with popular screen readers including NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver. Book cards include accessible labels for titles, authors, and ratings. Interactive controls are properly labeled with their purpose and state.

Zoom and Text Scaling

ShelfMatch supports browser zoom up to 200% without loss of content or functionality. The layout is responsive and adapts to different screen sizes and zoom levels. Text can be resized using browser settings without breaking the interface.

Additional Features

• Logical heading hierarchy (h1 through h3) for easy document navigation.
• Descriptive link text that conveys purpose without relying on surrounding context.
• Form inputs with associated labels and clear error messages.
• No content that flashes more than three times per second.
• Consistent navigation patterns across all pages.

3. Known Limitations

While we strive for full accessibility, the following limitations are currently known:

• Book Cover Images: Book cover images are sourced from the Google Books API and other external providers. While we add the book title as alt text for every cover image, the visual details of cover artwork (colors, illustrations, design elements) are not described. We are exploring solutions to improve cover image descriptions.
• Third-Party Content: Some content accessed through external links (such as Bookshop.org purchase pages) is outside our control and may not meet the same accessibility standards.
• PDF Exports: If we introduce downloadable reading lists or reports in the future, PDF accessibility will be addressed at that time.

4. Feedback and Reporting

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of ShelfMatch. If you encounter any accessibility barriers, have difficulty using any feature, or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us. We take all accessibility reports seriously and will work to address issues as quickly as possible.

When reporting an issue, it is helpful to include:

• A description of the problem you encountered.
• The page or feature where the issue occurred.
• Your browser, operating system, and any assistive technology you were using.
• Any steps to reproduce the issue.

5. Contact Us

We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within 5 business days and to resolve reported issues within 30 days where feasible.