Information access preferences and behaviour of Blind Foundation Library clients

Abstract

Library services to blind and visually impaired readers are changing as computer technology makes it possible to deliver reading material in a variety of new media formats. The Blind Foundation of New Zealand surveyed its library clients to discover the reading formats they currently used and which ones they preferred. The survey also asked questions about their access to computer technology and their personal assessment of their technological competency. There was a particular focus in the survey on the DAISY format and on services offering books by download. Analysis of the survey data shows that access to computer technology roughly matches the national profile. Use of computers generally declines with age, with iPhones and iPads being the exception. The DAISY format is both the most used and the most preferred format for reading, though not so overwhelmingly as to suggest other formats can be dropped. Computer competency declines with age, but among the younger respondents there seemed to be both the ability and the confidence to download books, and some were already using that service provided by the library. The library will make further investigations into why relatively few clients currently use the download service, and how clients envisage using such a service in the future.

Keywords

Assistive technology use blind Blind Foundation (New Zealand)library services reading visual impairment

Introduction

The Blind Foundation is a non-government agency that is the main provider of practical and emotional support for 12,100 New Zealanders who are blind or who have low vision. The Foundation’s library provides books and magazines in a range of formats to its members. The wide range of formats is necessary because the library’s clients (that is, anyone entitled to use the Foundation’s services who registers with the library) have different levels of vision, varied preferences for reading and differing competencies in using the technology that is needed for reading some of the formats. The staff of the library conducted a survey of its clients in 2015 to get a better understanding of how its services were currently used and perceived. In the survey instrument, the team of researchers added some specific questions about reading formats and technology competence aimed at answering questions the Foundation library had about delivery of its book and magazine service and how that might be developed in the future.

Statistics on blind and visually impaired people

Blindness and visual impairment affects a very large number of people – 285 million people are estimated to be visually impaired worldwide: 39 million are blind and 246 have low vision (World Health Organization, 2014). Figures from the New Zealand Disability Survey of 2013 conducted by Statistics New Zealand (2014) show an estimated 168,000 people (4% of the national population) are affected by vision loss. Though this gives a useful recent general figure, the data in this survey are not based on a standard medical measure of sight loss. Data from 2009 research by Vision 2020 New Zealand (2012) show almost 125,000 New Zealanders had vision loss and around 12,000 were blind; this defined vision loss as being less than the threshold for driving, which in New Zealand is 6/12; blindness was defined as a visual acuity of 6/60 or a visual field of less than 10 degrees. By 2020, the number of people aged 40 years or over with vision loss is projected to rise to almost 174,000. The population of those who are blind is projected to rise to 18,300. The Blind Foundation (n.d.) has its own criteria for who can register as a member; for adults this means an optometrist or ophthalmologist must assess that they have a visual acuity not exceeding 6/24 in the better eye with corrective lenses, or serious limitations in the field of vision, generally not greater than 20 degrees in the widest diameter in the better eye.

Comparative figures from across the world vary, and may not be based on the same definitions of blindness and visual impairment. For example, in the United Kingdom in 2015, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) estimates that two million people are living with sight loss, around 3.3% of the population: a figure which is projected to double by 2050 (Royal National Institute of Blind People, 2015). Only around one in five of these are formally registered as being blind. In the United States of America, the figure for sight loss is lower, at around 2.3% (National Federation of the Blind, 2016), and in Australia, Vision Australia (2015) reports around 1.5% of the population are blind or have low vision.

Formats and technology change

There are several options for accessing leisure and information materials for the blind. Large print books and the use of magnifiers including closed-circuit television (CCTV) make print more accessible; Braille materials come in physical and digital formats; for audio access there has been a progression from cassette tapes of various types, through discs both magnetic and optical, digital electronic books (eBooks), and Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) books, to the downloading of audio books from server to device; even this list is not comprehensive (for a thorough description of technology facilitating the presentation of information for the visually impaired, see Lundh and Johnson, 2015; Power and Jurgensen, 2010). The rapid growth of eBook publishing is partly responsible for much more content being accessible to the blind; users of eBook readers such as the Kindle, Nook and Kobo can use options to enlarge the text or use text-to-speech readers. The DAISY format is an international standard, ANSI/NISO Z39.86-2002 (American National Standards Institute, 2002) that allows audio books to include features for the reader which go beyond those of a regular audio book, such as search, placing precise bookmarks, navigation line-by-line and regulation of the speaking speed. In the Netherlands the National Centre of Adapted Reading now offers a service for customers to stream DAISY books (Krikhaar, 2014). Experiments continue; in Serbia a web-based service has been developed that accesses the eBook holdings of multiple libraries then uses text-to-speech software to make the contents accessible to the blind (Tesendic and Boberic-Krsticev, 2015), though the impact of copyright on this service remains unclear. The simple conclusion of a literature review on the use of digital talking books by people with print disabilities is that ‘little research has been directed towards this area’ (Lundh and Johnson, 2015: 61.)

There is still a need to know more about how visually impaired readers wish to access reading materials. As Davies (2007: 793) concluded ‘More has to be discovered about people’s preferences for service delivery and information content and their perceptions and experiences of what is offered’. The literature is more focused on the physical rather than social or attitudinal aspects associated with disabilities (Hill, 2013: 141). Much research shows that blind and partially sighted people use multiple reading formats, which is in line with the wider population. It does, however, mean that providers are challenged to plan for multiple formats and the end-user might need to learn how to use different formats and devices (Epp, 2006: 415). A survey in the United Kingdom in 2012 found the two most used formats were DAISY and audiobooks on compact disc (CD) (71% and 66% respectively). The choice of format was related to personal preference, ease of navigation and convenience (Spacey et al., 2013: 275). The use of computers has risen over time, as would be expected; Bruce and Baker (2001) found that 11% of blind people in the UK were computer users, though shortly after their survey findings were published, Creaser et al. (2002) said 23% of their visually impaired respondents from the UK used computers to find information. Not surprisingly, both studies found computer use to be higher amongst the younger respondents.

The Blind Foundation

The Blind Foundation is a not-for-profit organization run by its members in accordance with Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act 2002 and its Constitution. It operates as a company and has a Chief Executive, Executive Directors of its four key portfolios and a Board of Directors. The National Office is in Auckland though there are regional centres spread around the country. The library provides a range of materials; it has over 10,000 DAISY audio books on CD or available for download, 4500 books in Braille and 1400 e-texts (Blind Foundation, 2016). While many clients currently prefer to have reading materials delivered to them through a door to mailbox service, the Foundation has a download service called BookLink available. It is promoting a BookLink app, which has been designed for Apple devices, including iPhones (4S and later), later-model iPads and the latest iPod Touch. For the Foundation, the cost of running a download service is significantly lower than costs required to handle and post materials, hence any shift in client preference to a download service will almost certainly be welcomed.

It has explored this topic before. Some years ago the Foundation ran a Digital Talking Book Trial, in which nearly 40 Foundation library members between the ages of 60 and 93 were loaned Internet-capable Digital Talking Book Players for four weeks and asked to read two books and two magazines per week. The results were, in the main, positive. The trial was complemented by a survey of library users and non-users that showed a readiness to embrace new technology. The conclusion of the trial and survey was that ‘If the reward is greater independence and a better service, and they are given appropriate support they will embrace the new technology and make it work for them’ (Naismith and Parkinson, 2008: 681). Since then the Foundation has adopted a steady evolutionary approach that allowed for the introduction of new technologies, such as the BookLink app, but one that did not make large demands upon some of its clients to use new technologies.

Questions

There are now several technologies that can be used to read electronic books intended for the visually impaired. A particular focus of this survey was an attempt to ascertain if the Foundation Library’s clients are ready for a shift to the digital downloading of reading materials, first mooted more than a decade ago by Morgan (2003). There is no simple answer to this question because it has several aspects to it; such as, do the end-users have access to the necessary technology, do they prefer to use digital formats for reading, do they have sufficient competency to download files to their own devices? The objectives of the research were to discover various factors that could help answer the two main research questions:

Which media formats do Blind Foundation members currently use for reading and which ones do they prefer?

What familiarity do Blind Foundation members have with computer technologies, and are they willing and able to use a downloadable books service?

The project as a whole focused on Foundation members, so all the major objectives were limited to that population, though the survey as a whole revealed some interesting data about how blind readers used other libraries. Kinnell and Creaser (2001) had found that public libraries in the United Kingdom fell short of providing a good service to blind and visually impaired people at that time, so it was interesting to see if New Zealand’s libraries in 2015 fared better.

The key questions addressed by this survey were:

What computers or other devices do members of the visually impaired population commonly use? A sub-objective was to find out whether this access was done directly by the respondent, or through family and friends, either in the home or elsewhere.

Is Internet access widespread amongst this population? Is the use of the Internet common, such as for using email?

Do visually impaired people have a preferred format for reading? This was not limited to reading materials provided by the Foundation. One aspect of this that was not asked was if preferred formats differed for purpose: Creaser et al. (2002) had found that audio was the preference when reading for pleasure, but for informational purposes magnifiers or having others reading aloud were the favourites. This may not have changed with time but it is a question that could be asked again in the future.

What is the level of technology competency amongst this population? In particular, what proportion would be ready to use a digital download service if it were offered? Related to that, is there any age correlation with technology competencies? And how many would seek assistance with using technology if the Foundation offered that service?

If more information could be uncovered about reading formats, for example, perhaps the Foundation could focus on providing the most preferred resources and save money on what is less used, though there is a need to take heed of the warning from Creaser et al. (2002) that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution,

The data required to answer the research questions needed to be behavioural, that is, based upon what Foundation clients were actually doing, plus some data about opinions, preferences and perceptions about their own competencies. The chosen method for the investigation was a quantitative survey because it could capture a large set of data that adequately represented the chosen population. The behavioural data were well suited to a survey, and the data needed about opinions and perceptions were simple enough for the respondents to make brief responses. It is recognized that some respondents would find a quick answer to a single statement about opinions and perceptions to be limiting, so the Foundation will follow the quantitative survey with a series of focus groups to expand on the data found through the survey.

Methodology

As a first step the intention was to gather the current attitudes and behaviours of as many Foundation clients as possible. The questions used in the survey were a mixture of some asked by the Foundation staff who wanted to know about client opinions of current library services, and some questions asked by the researchers who wished to uncover more about reading formats and computer competencies. This resulted in a quite lengthy survey of 64 questions, and there was certainly some drop-off in the number of responses to the questions asked later in the survey. The survey was constructed in Qualtrics. The Foundation sent an email message with the link to the survey to all those it had email addresses for; it also promoted the survey at the front of magazine discs, in Foundation promotional print magazines sent in hard copy and disc form to members, through weekly general communications sent via email, through the Foundation website and through promotion by contact centre staff when they were called by clients. The two methods of collecting responses were in the contact centre, with staff able to input client responses while they were on the phone, and by members independently completing the survey online.

Findings

Of the 568 respondents, 312 (55.5%) were female and 250 (44.5%) were male (six did not respond to this question). The number of respondents represents 4.69% of the Foundation’s total membership. The ages of respondents is illustrated in Table 1. The data map fairly closely with the Foundation’s age profile of its registered members (Blind Foundation, 2015), but there is no parallel data on the whole New Zealand population.

Table 1.

Age profile of respondents.

Age range	Responses	Percentage
18–24	12	2.1
25–34	19	3.3
35–44	35	6.2
45–54	74	13.0
55–64	102	18.0
65–74	95	16.7
75 and older	231	40.7
Total	568	100.0

Owing to the relatively low number of respondents in the three youngest age groups, these were combined for analysis in order to give sufficient data for valid statistical tests to be carried out. All analyses were conducted using SPSS ®, and tests used the χ² statistic to investigate differences between the groups. Numbers of respondents are reported for all analyses; these are generally less than the 568 who responded to the survey as a whole, as not all respondents answered every question.

Access to devices

There is clear evidence that younger respondents use computer technology more than their older peers. Only 2% of those aged under 45 do not have access to either a computer or a mobile device, compared to one quarter of those aged 75 and over (Figure 1). In the comments made in response to open-ended questions it was apparent that in some cases the client relied upon family members to help them use the computer.

Figure 1.

I don’t have access to a device.

When considering only mobile devices, the age effect is more marked, with over 44% of those aged 75 and over who have never used one, compared to just 6% of those aged under 45 years. Personal confidence in the ability to use mobile devices also declines with age.

Types of devices

The most common device that respondents (n=459) have access to in their own house was a Windows (PC) desktop (73.9%), followed by an iPad (22.9%) and iPhone (21.3%), followed by Android devices, and a very small number of Windows phone or tablet users. It should be noted that 14.8% of respondents said they did not have access to a device in their home (Figure 2). Older respondents are less likely to use any of the five most popular types of device when compared to younger respondents (Figure 3 shows a typical result, for Windows PCs), although in the case of the iPhone it was the 45–54 years age group that was the most likely to use one (Figure 4). The numbers of users particularly in the older age groups for tablet computers and Windows phones was too small for valid statistical testing, but the same general pattern was observed.

Figure 2.

Devices available to respondents.

Figure 3.

Windows (PC) desktop or laptop computer.

Figure 4.

iPhone.

Uses for a computer

To gauge the extent of computer use and confidence, some questions were asked about particular uses for a computer. Use of email is common (76.5%) among those who answered this question (n=459). Around 90% of working age respondents use email, though this drops sharply to below 60% for those 75 years and over (Figure 5).

Figure 5.

Do you currently use email?

Similarly, 70% of all respondents use the Internet, with broadband and Wi-Fi in the home both being common. Internet use also declines with age, though more gradually (Figure 6).

Figure 6.

Do you currently use the Internet?

The data suggest that many respondents have an Internet connection at home (87.5%). The national average for Internet access in the New Zealand home in 2012 was 80% (Statistics New Zealand, 2013). The data, however, point to more people having access to the Internet than are using it. Perhaps it is other family members who use it in the home. Of the 304 respondents who said they use the Internet, only three do not use it at home. The other location where the Internet was used is at a friend’s or family member’s house. The devices used to connect to the Internet correspond with the devices owned, as would be expected. Of those who do not currently use the Internet only 9% (12 out of 138) think they will use it in the future.

Preferred reading formats

The most popular reading format is DAISY, preferred by 56% or respondents and used most often by 58%. Large print is a fairly remote second, preferred by 11% and used most often by 9%. Downloaded books are preferred by 10% and used most often by 8% (n=493). Overall 87% of respondents use DAISY. Perhaps it is no surprise that the majority of them think it is very important that audiobooks be in that format; 56.3% say it is ‘very important’ that audiobooks be in DAISY format and 19.9% say it is ‘quite important’ (Figure 7).

Figure 7.

How important is it to you that audiobooks are in DAISY format?

More than half the DAISY book users say they do not need help (56% of those who prefer DAISY (n=351), and 54% of those who most often use DAISY (n=272)). Yet of those who say they need help, 39% of them are using DAISY (n=135). More than half the users of a DAISY player use it with the ‘mask’ on (the mask covers less frequently used buttons), leaving less than half who play it in the advanced mode with the mask off. The DAISY player is a source of concern for 41% of those who prefer DAISY (n=97) and 38% of those who most often use DAISY (n=107), who say they need help using it, though the differences here are not statistically significant.

Use of other libraries

The use of other libraries was quite extensive, with 55% of respondents saying they use them (n=472). Of those, 48% say they use public libraries. Reasons given for using public libraries generally involved the range of resources they provided that were not available from the Foundation’s library; access to eBooks for tablets was reported as a reason by several respondents, though other non-format-related reasons, such as access to a wider range of Christian material, also figured. The most popular reading format respondents say they use in public libraries is ‘other audio book CDs’ (56%), followed by digital downloads (22.6%); DAISY books were borrowed by 12.1% of respondents, although they are not widely available in public libraries, particularly the smaller ones. Of the responses to Q34 (n=223) ‘How easy is it for you to access other libraries via the Internet’, a total of 108 (48.4%) said either ‘very easy’ or ‘quite easy’. When asked if they had downloaded books or magazines from public libraries 65 of 257 responses said ‘yes’ (25.3%), and of those, 50% said it was ‘quite easy’, though nearly 40% said it was either ‘quite hard’ or ‘very hard’.

Computer competency

Asked how they would rate themselves as a mobile device user (Q52), 42.4% of respondents (n=402) rated themselves as basic and only 4% as expert (with 25.3% saying they had never used a mobile device).

Over 40% of respondents overall would like to improve their mobile device skills, with more than half of those with basic or competent skills wishing to become more proficient (Figure 8).

Figure 8.

Would you be interested in improving your mobile device skills?

When asked if they had downloaded and installed software that runs files, such as iTunes or an eBook reader (Q49), 140 respondents out of 399 (35%) said they had; a convincing number. Younger respondents were more likely to have downloaded such software than older respondents, though the drop off does not start until after the 45–54 age group (Figure 9).

Figure 9.

In the past year, have you downloaded and installed software that runs files, such as iTunes or an eBook reader?

Over 50% of respondents have downloaded an electronic book to a device. As might be expected, this is age related (Figure 10).

Figure 10.

Have you downloaded any books to a device?

Of those who have downloaded books (Q55), 61% said it was easy while 39% said it was hard, and again, this is age related, with those aged 45 to 54 years finding it the easiest, and those over 75 years the most difficult (Figure 11).

Figure 11.

How easy do you find it to download a book?

The Foundation was interested in how many clients were using its BookLink download website, and of 202 responses, 77 said they were (38.1%). Though the number of responses was small, 5% said it was ‘very hard’ to use BookLink, compared to 41% who said it was ‘very easy’ and 34.6% who said it was ‘quite easy’.

If the Blind Foundation were to produce an app to download books, 39.6% of respondents (n=444) said they would use it and 18.7% said ‘maybe’ they would. In a similar vein, if the Foundation provided access to other audiobook download sites, 51.6% said they would be interested in using them. Exactly half of the respondents to Q63 (n=450) said they would be interested in receiving training in downloading audiobooks to a device.

A total of 257 respondents are already downloading materials from the public library. Of the 132 respondents who answered both Q30 (What materials do you access at other libraries?) and Q57 (Have you ever used the Blind Foundation’s BookLink download software?), 17% use BookLink but do not download from other libraries, whereas 15% download from other libraries but do not use BookLink; 20% do both, and 48% do neither.

It was assumed that the ability to transfer files from one device to another was a sign of computer competence (or at least, confidence), and 52.2% of those who answered Q60 said they had (n=201). It is probably more relevant that this is more than half of those who had downloaded a book; 53% of the 195 respondents who answered this question (Q60) and Q54.

Conclusions and recommendations

The primary purpose of this survey was to inform the Blind Foundation of New Zealand about its library clients, their reading preferences and habits, and, in particular, their degree of experience with the range of technological devices available to facilitate reading for this group of readers. The discussion therefore focuses on these aspects and suggests aspects that the Blind Foundation Library may wish to take into account when considering future developments, and which are expected to have relevance in other countries seeking to improve library provision for visually impaired readers.

The most common computer device used is still the desktop computer or laptop. The number of mobile devices visually impaired people can access is quite high, however, so there is no clear evidence that the form factor makes a difference to their choice of device. There is a falling off in computer use with age. With 14.8% of all respondents and one quarter of the older clients having no access to a device in the home, the Foundation must allow that some sort of book delivery service in a physical format is still necessary, and will be for some years. Currently the BookLink app is only available for Apple devices, so with the evidence that a significant number of clients use Android devices, the need to develop an app for the Android operating system needs to be considered. Whether an app for the very small number of handheld Windows devices is cost-effective is a question that can probably be answered in the negative, at least for the present.

Internet access in the home is common, and appears to be at roughly the same level as the national average. Most respondents who use the Internet use it at home. Email use is high amongst the working age population of respondents, suggesting that the reasons for using the Internet by visually impaired people is close to that of the wider population. This gives assurance that any move by the Foundation to increase the provision of services provided over the Internet will not inconvenience a large number of its current members.

The DAISY format is the preferred reading format of more than half of the respondents, and used most by 58%, though perhaps this is not a complete surprise considering the large number of DAISY books available from the Foundation Library. More than half the DAISY users say they do not need help with the player, though there are enough who use DAISY but say they do need help for this to be a concern. Also, more than half the DAISY users prefer not to use the advanced features offered by the player. No other format was close to DAISY as either the preferred format or the most used format, but as several other formats all had responses over 5% to both questions, the Foundation still needs to remember the point made by Epp (2006) that multiple formats will be expected by visually impaired customers for some time yet. Downloadable books are, at present, only preferred by 10% of respondents; perhaps further investigation using a qualitative methodology could determine whether there was any particular reason why there were not more who said they preferred accessing reading material that way.

The answers to questions probing computer competency amongst Foundation members suggest that there is a fairly high level of competency amongst the younger age groups, declining with age as perhaps might be expected. Very few consider themselves ‘expert’ with a mobile device but as over 40% said they have a ‘basic’ ability it is sufficient to argue that services aimed at mobile devices (such as the BookLink app) will be usable by the majority provided they are sufficiently intuitive. More than half have already downloaded a book to a device and 61% of those who had said it was ‘easy’ and so posed them no threat. Many respondents were already downloading books from the public library. Over half the respondents had transferred a book from one device to another, which suggests they would not be intimidated by a library service built upon downloadable books. The number of respondents who said they had downloaded and installed software such as iTunes or an eBook reader would perhaps surprise many observers, with 35% saying they had. Again, the number is higher among younger people but there is no major drop-off until after the 45–54 age group. If readers are capable of downloading and installing such software, then downloading and running software to play DAISY books should be no problem. Nearly 40% said they would use an app for downloading books if the Foundation produced one, and while that figure is not overwhelming in its support for moving to downloadable books, there is clearly solid support for such a development.

Data on the supplementary question that asked how well public libraries were satisfying the needs of visually impaired clients showed quite a high number of respondents were already using digital downloads from the public library, so there is already a core of Foundation members familiar with downloading books.

Suggestions for further research

A survey is a very useful tool for gathering numerous responses to a set list of questions about behaviours, preferences and the like, but it cannot probe into the nuances of opinion and attitudes that lie behind the answers given. Qualitative research using interviews or focus groups would be able to probe into attitudes about reading formats and ask specific questions that arose from the survey analysis, such as; why do some users of the BookLink app say it is hard to use; and why a relatively small number of Foundation clients currently download books from the library. How current clients envisage using a download service would be of particular relevance to the Foundation, and would also be of great interest to similar library services for the visually impaired. Although the intuitive answer may well be the correct one, gathering empirical data always boosts confidence in our assumptions. Further research could also ask questions that were not posed in the survey, such as attitudes to synthetic speech, and which formats are preferred for recreational reading compared to reading for education and/or information. International comparisons would also be very useful.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Author biographies

Philip Calvert is a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington. Prior to taking that post he worked in a variety of academic and public libraries in the United Kingdom, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea, and in the computer industry as a programmer and marketing manager. He has also taught programmes and workshops in Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. His research interests relate to performance measurement and library effectiveness, assessing service quality, misconduct and misinformation, social inclusion and public libraries, and the provision of quality information services to people with impairments.

Claire Creaser has been employed at LISU, Loughborough University, since 1994, and was appointed Director in 2007. Her main areas of interest are in the use of statistical evidence for management, with a particular focus on benchmarking; analysis and interpretation of survey data; and scholarly communication, in particular, researcher behaviours and open access to research outputs. She takes an active role in promoting good statistical practice via several committees, including as the UK expert on International Standards Organisation working groups on library statistics, impact and performance measures. She is a graduate in Mathematics from the University of Kent and a Chartered Statistician.

Chris Pigott is Library Partnerships and Projects Manager at the Blind Foundation in New Zealand. Work he is currently involved in includes leading the library content delivery shift from CD to digital download, strengthening community support networks for blind and low vision clients, and working with sister agencies to ensure post-Marrakesh treaty frameworks are in place to support content exchange. He has presented to LIANZA Conferences on a Kobo lending trial at Auckland Libraries, and building relationships between the Blind Foundation and public libraries. Previously, he has worked within the Auckland and Tauranga public library systems, and as librarian in an international school in Bangkok.

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