Tracy MacMath, Digital Accessibility and Design Manager, Beinecke Library

For more than a decade, Tracy MacMath has brought together her expertise in technology, accessibility, design, and user engagement to shape digital experiences at Yale Library. As the Digital Accessibility and Design Manager at Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, she supports the library’s collections and community through thoughtful digital storytelling and inclusive design practices.

Championing digital scholarship and student success

Tracy joined the Beinecke in 2019 after several years in Library IT, but her Yale Library journey spans 11 years. In her current role, she collaborates with curators and with the Exhibitions and Publications Program Director to develop videos and interactive and web-based content for exhibitions, translating complex material into engaging digital experiences. She also serves as the product owner for Omeka, the library’s open-source digital exhibition platform. In this capacity, she advises faculty, students, and staff on building custom exhibits, often serving as a partner for classroom instruction and independent research projects.

Tracy’s impact is especially felt through her mentorship. One of her most rewarding recent experiences involved supporting Yale undergraduate Nithya Guthikonda ’26 in creating a digital exhibit for a course project—work that later led to Guthikonda being selected as the library’s Senior Exhibit Fellow for 2026, an achievement Tracy speaks about with pride. “Working with students reminds me why I’m here,” she said. “It’s not just about designing interfaces or writing code. Seeing the impact of our work on students makes everything worthwhile.”

Designing for equity and access

Tracy’s work is guided by a strong belief in the power of design to advance accessibility. Beyond digital design, she leads efforts that ensure that users of all abilities can navigate the library’s public-facing systems. “We want to design environments where nobody is an afterthought,” she said. “Inclusive design benefits everyone.” Her recent research explores how AI tools, such as automatic transcription and gesture-based navigation, can enhance access for blind and low-vision users. She views AI as a resource that can augment, rather than replace, human creativity and capability.

Her commitment to accessibility extends far beyond her formal role. Tracy is a founding steering committee member of the Disability Alliance at Yale (DAY) and she served as co-chair from 2018 to 2020. She helped launch the campus-wide Disability Awareness banner initiative, which highlights the presence and contributions of Yale community members with visible and invisible disabilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she also launched a DAY subcommittee focused on supporting staff’s mental health needs.

Leading through collaboration

Tracy currently serves as co-chair of the Library Accessibility Advisory Group, which is working on an accessibility assessment of the library’s physical spaces and developing recommendations to improve experiences for staff and users with disabilities. The committee is preparing to share regular updates and will continue gathering input to help address barriers in the workplace.

In all her project work, Tracy is motivated by a desire to foster community and empower others to get involved. Whether through DAY, on advisory committees, or interacting with students, she emphasizes that accessibility and inclusion require collective effort. She encourages anyone—staff, faculty, and students—to reach out, share their experiences, or participate. “If you want to participate, we openly encourage it. This work doesn’t have to stay hidden behind stigma. We each have a voice, and together we can strengthen the community.”

DAY will continue its programming this spring, including with a spring social, and welcomes new members to its mailing list. The group already includes strong representation from Yale Library staff, which Tracy hopes will continue to grow.

Looking forward

As Tracy reflects on her journey at Yale Library, she continually returns to a central theme: community. “It’s not just me or any one person,” she said. “It’s all of us together. We each bring strengths, and when we collaborate, we can have a positive impact on the library and the broader Yale community.”

Spanning digital innovation, accessibility advocacy, student mentorship, and community engagement, her work illustrates the powerful role that library staff can play in shaping more inclusive academic environments. Through her leadership and dedication, Tracy continues to help Yale Library evolve not only as a place of research and discovery, but also as a community grounded in empathy, equity, and connection.

—Nicholas Wantsala and Risë Nelson