The Colorado Talking Book Library (CTBL) provides free library services to Coloradans of all ages who are unable to read standard print materials because of physical, visual, or learning disabilities. CTBL provides recorded books and magazines, Braille materials, large print books, and a small collection of descriptive videos. CTBL serves more than 6,000 active individual patrons and 339 organizations.
As part of an ongoing effort by CTBL to evaluate its services, the Library Research Service developed and administered a patron survey in the fall of 2012. The survey was designed to help CTBL identify possible strengths and weaknesses and to plan for future services. Since 2004, LRS has commissioned a survey for CTBL 5 times (approximately every 18 months). The survey was a combination of an outcome-based evaluation and a customer satisfaction questionnaire (see Appendix A).
As in 2010, the 2012 survey was distributed to CTBL patrons in Braille and audio formats in addition to the traditional paper-based format. To ensure the sample was representative of CTBL’s patrons, administrators again used a sample stratified by age group. This proved to be effective as the responses received by each age group fairly closely reflected the CTBL patron population (see Chart 1).
Of the 2,054 patrons in the sample, 1,290 received the survey on paper. A total of 698 received audio notification of the survey, through the digital playback format, and 66 received survey notification in Braille, asking them to complete the survey online or by phone. Assistance filling out the survey was available at CTBL or by telephone for any patron who requested it.
Surveys were completed by 549 patrons, representing a response rate of 27 percent. This figure was down slightly from the 33 percent response rate of the 2010 survey, and consistent with the 2008 survey’s response rate of 28 percent.