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 6,400 active individual patrons and 475 organizations.
As part of an ongoing effort by CTBL to evaluate its services, the Library Research Service (LRS) developed and administered a patron survey in the fall of 2014. The survey was designed to help CTBL identify possible strengths and weaknesses and to plan for future services. LRS has conducted 6 surveys over the last 10 years for CTBL. The survey was a combination of an outcome-based evaluation and a customer satisfaction questionnaire.
As in 2012, the 2014 survey was distributed to CTBL patrons in Braille and audio formats in addition to the traditional paper-based, large-print format. Patrons also had the option of completing the survey online. In a further effort 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.
Of the 1,733 patrons in the sample, 983 received the survey on paper. In addition, 388 received audio notification of the survey, either on audio cassette or through the digital playback format, and 37 received survey notification in Braille, asking them to complete the survey online or by phone. The remaining patrons in the sample received the survey electronically. Assistance filling out the survey was available at CTBL or by telephone for any patron who requested it.
Surveys were completed by 454 patrons, representing a response rate of 26%. This is a decrease of just 4% from the 2012 survey, which had a response rate of 27%.
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