Starting a Centralized Captioning Service at Harvard Library
By Sara Price
Why Captioning Services Are Important
Captions enable people with disabilities to understand all the content in your videos. A centralized captioning service encourages a culture of accessibility at a large organization. It can also support compliance with accessibility policy requirements.
A clear, streamlined process for staff stakeholders to follow allows them to receive captions easily. The presence of this simple process makes following through with captioning more likely.
Videos made more accessible with captions show that an organization values inclusion. Captions are a great example of Universal Design that benefits everyone equitably. Students both with and without disabilities consider captions to be useful as learning aids. Captioned content is able to be shared with as broad an audience as possible, while also fulfilling legal obligations.
Central Captioning Process at Harvard Library
I have piloted a single, central captioning service for videos across Harvard Library. The captioned content is focused on events, teaching, and outreach. Staff members interested in using the service can fill out a form. This initial information will start a conversation via email about their captioning needs.
Staff stakeholders upload their videos to a Google Drive folder that I create for them. Then I send the videos in to be captioned through the accessibility vendor 3Play Media. Within 1 to 2 weeks, I receive the caption files from 3Play and upload them to Google Drive. Finally, I send another email email sharing the link to the folder containing the caption files.
A centralized captioning process has many benefits. I coordinate the process and am able to serve as a point of contact with our vendor 3Play, which saves staff time. The centralized workflow also simplifies budgeting. I am able to order all captions from a single account.
Lessons Learned from Piloting a Service
This streamlined process is a key part of building a workflow that supports large scale captioning in a reasonable amount of time. Staff stakeholders can send several videos in to the service once they know that they have a reliable captioning method.
I have learned that building relationships with staff who request videos helps to encourage repeated use of the service. Prompt, friendly communication and openness to questions solidify connections.
I also realized the importance of clear information sharing about the process. I received several questions that required clarification. Inquiries commonly focused on turnaround time, captioning accuracy rate, and the steps in the process. This need led me to create a Q&A page on our website as a resource to current and potential requesters.
The process was well received and encouraged positive conversations about accessibility. The User Research Center plans on moving the captioning service from a pilot to a regular part of what we do at Harvard Library.