CFPB Library Surveys

OMB Control Number: 3170-0036
Expiration Date: 8/31/2019

CFPB Libraries Survey Questions
Informed Consent
Welcome to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Libraries Survey. You have been
selected to take part in this survey because at some point you have had contact with the CFPB libraries
program, likely either:
•
•
•

by attending a webinar or training,
ordering materials through the CFPB website, or
by signing up at an information booth at a conference.

Before taking part in the survey, please read the following information and then indicate your agreement
to participate at the bottom of the page. As one of over 1,400 libraries selected for this study, your
participation in this study is important to help CFPB continue to expand and improve the libraries
program, and we hope you will choose to participate. This web survey is part of a research study to find
out about your library’s experiences with the CFPB Library Program. The goal of the study is to find out
how libraries are using the resources provided by CFPB, and how those resources might be improved.
The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. This survey is completely voluntary. You do not
have to answer any questions you do not want to, and you are free to end the survey at any time. There are
little to no risks to participating in the survey. All information you provide will be kept private and your
name will not be associated with research findings from this study. Your decision whether to participate
in the survey will not affect your library’s participation in the CFPB program. As a thank you for
completing the brief survey, your library will receive a customized report detailing your library’s use of
financial education resources and comparing it to other libraries like yours.
If you have any questions about the survey please contact project staff at: 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX. If you
have questions about your rights as a research participant you may contact the RTI Human Subjects
Protection Committees at 1-866-214-2043.
O I agree to participate in the survey – CONTINUE TO QUESTION 1
O I choose not to participate in the survey – GO TO END

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THIS FORM FOR YOUR RECORDS.
A. INTRODUCTION
Privacy Act Statement
5 U.S.C. 552(a)(e)(3)
The information you provide through your responses will assist the Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau (“CFPB”) in providing feedback to assess and improve the CFPB libraries program.

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The CFPB will not obtain any personally identifiable information. RTI will be making audio recordings
of the focus groups, but only the transcribed text will be transmitted to the CFPB.
This collection of information is authorized by Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Sections 1013 and 1022,
codified at 12 U.S.C. §§ 5493 and 5512.
Participation in this study is voluntary, you are not required to participate or share any identifying
information.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and not
withstanding any other provision of law a person is not required to respond to a collection of information
unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 31700036. It expires on 8/31/2019. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to
average approximately 10 minutes per response. Comments regarding this collection of information,
including the estimated response time, suggestions for improving the usefulness of the information, or
suggestions for reducing the burden to respond to this collection should be submitted to Bureau at the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Attention: PRA Office), 1700 G Street NW, Washington, DC
20552, or by email to CFPB_PRA@cfpb.gov.

A few years ago the CFPB, a federal agency, started a program to assist libraries in providing financial
education programs and resources to their communities. Through the CFPB libraries program, training,
webinars, print and web-based resources about financial education are provided to libraries. Libraries can
then provide these resources to their patrons. We’d like to ask you a few questions about the CFPB
libraries program.
1. To the best of your knowledge, has your library taken part in the CFPB libraries program either
through:
- attending events
- participating in trainings, or
- using resources provided by CFPB?
O1 Yes --- [CONTINUE TO 2a]
O2 No --- [GO TO QUESTION 29]
O3 Don’t Know --- [GO TO QUESTION 2b]
2a. When did your library first begin participating in the CFPB libraries program?
O1
O2
O3
O4

Less than 6 months ago
6 months to a year ago
More than a year ago
Don’t know

2b. To the best of your knowledge, which of the following financial topics are your library patrons
most interested in learning about? Select all that apply.
[ ]1 College saving

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[
[
[
[
[
[
[
[
[
[
[
[
[
[
[
[

]2 College debt repayment
]3 Car buying and financing
]4 Home buying and refinancing
]5 Budgeting/making ends meet
]6 Planning and saving for a major purchase
]7 Family finances – new couples, divorce, children & money, etc.
]8 Introduction to investing
]9 Debt and credit management
]10 Credit reports and scores
]11 Building or rebuilding credit
]12 Identity theft
]13 Fraud prevention
]14 Finding the right checking/savings accounts for you
]15 Retirement planning
]16 Tax time savings
]17 Other (Please specify): _______________________________________(60 character
limit)

3a. Have you or other staff at your library viewed the librarian training webinars produced by CFPB?
{These webinars are presentation distributed online over the last few years by CFPB. The webinars explain
the CFPB Libraries Initiative and cover basic financial education topics such as retirement planning,
understanding credit reports and helping patrons avoid fraud. These presentations are also archived for
later viewing on the CFPB website.}

O1 Yes
O2 No
3b. Have you or other staff at your library ordered any of the free financial education print
publications provided by CFPB?
{These materials include government publications, worksheets, and brochures that can be distributed to
patrons and used during financial education programs. These materials can be ordered through
www.promotions.usa.gov.}

O1 Yes
O2 No
O3 Not sure
3c. Have you or other staff at your library used any of the financial education program ideas or model
programs that CFPB has developed?
{These are ideas for financial education programs libraries can provide provided on CFPB’s website
monthly. Each program idea also includes links to materials and possible partners.}

O1 Yes
O2 No
O3 If no, why not? (Please specify)_________________________________________ (60
character limit)
3d. Have you or other staff at your library used any of the CFPB online financial education
resources?
{The CFPB libraries program website provides a list of websites, videos and courses from other
government agencies and nonprofit organizations. These resources are designed to help a library build
resources for its patrons.}

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O1 Yes
O2 No
O3 Not sure
3e. Have you or other staff at your library used the “Community Partnership Guidebook” produced
by CFPB?
{CFPB developed a guidebook for helping libraries think through the process of building and documenting
collaborations.}

O1 Yes
O2 No
O3 Not sure
3f. Have you or other staff at your library ordered any of the library outreach materials for financial
education programs developed by CFPB?
{The CFPB website provides materials that libraries can use to promote the library as a place for patrons
to find answers to their money-related questions. These materials include screen savers, web banners,
posters, and bookmarks.}

O1 Yes
O2 No
O3 If No, why not? (Please specify) __________________________________________ (60
character limit)
3g. Are there any other CFPB programs or resources that you have used?
O1 Yes [IF YES – Please specify] ________________________ (300 character limit):]
O2 No
3h. Have you or other library staff participated in in-person training provided by a CFPB
representative?
O1 Yes [IF YES – Please specify]_________________________________ (300 character limit)
O2 No
[2 CONTINUE to question 4; IF NO, GO TO QUESTION 5]
4. How useful have each of the following CFPB
programs been in helping your library provide
financial education resources or services to your
patrons?
1 Very
Useful
[SHOW ONLY THOSE WHERE ANSWER
IS “YES” TO QUESTION 3a-3h]
a. Librarian training webinars [3a]
b. Free financial education print publications [3b]
c. Financial education program ideas, model
programs, or curricula ideas [3c]
d. Online financial education resources [3d]
e. Community partnership guidebook [3e]

2 Useful

3 Not
Very
Useful

4 Not at
all useful

O
O
O

O
O
O

O
O
O

O
O
O

O
O

O
O

O
O

O
O

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f. Library marketing materials for financial
education programs [3f]
g. [IF 3g=YES THEN FILL WITH SPECIFY
RESPONSE]
h. Training provided by a CFPB representative

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

4h. Over the last 12 months how many financial education programs has your library offered to your
patrons? Please provide your best estimate: _______
4i. Over the last 12 months how many people on average attended your library’s financial education
programs? Please provide your best estimate: _______

B. PRINT PUBLICATIONS
[IF 3b=YES CONTINUE, ELSE GO TO C. FINANICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING]
The following questions are about the print publications you ordered through CFPB.
5. Does your library distribute any print publications related to financial education from
sources other than CFPB? Include only publications given away to patrons, not those in
your circulating or reference collection.
O1 Yes IF YES, list the source organization(s) for these publications:
__________________________________________________________________(100
character limit)
O2 No
O3 Don’t know

6. [IF QUESTION 5 = YES]
How many different printed publications about financial education does your library distribute
from sources other than CFPB?
O1 None
O2 1- 3
O3 4 - 6
O4 7- 10
O5 More than 10
O6 Don’t know

7. Indicate how strongly you
agree or disagree with the
following statement.
a. Library patrons have shown
high interest in the printed
materials from CFPB that
we’ve distributed.

1 Strongly

2 Somewhat

agree

agree

O

O

Neither agree
nor disagree

3 Somewhat

4 Strongly

Disagree

disagree

O

O

O

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b. Library patrons have provided
positive feedback about the
CFPB materials.
c. The printed materials have
been helpful to library patrons.

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

FINANCIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING IDEAS
[IF 3c=YES CONTINUE, ELSE GO TO SECTION D. ONLINE FINANCIAL EDUCATION
RESOURCES]
8. The following questions are about the kinds of financial education programming your library may
have conducted. For these questions, financial education programming should be any planned
outreach or instruction efforts about money or finances.
Did your library offer any financial education programming prior to the CFPB program?
O1 Yes
O2 No
O3 Don’t know

9. [IF QUESTION 8=YES]
How often did your library offer financial education programming to patrons in the year prior to
participating in the CFPB program?
O1 Never
O2 Less than once a year
O3 One or two times a year
O4 Three to five times a year
O5 Six or more times a year
O6 Don’t know
10. Has your library offered any financial education that uses CFPB materials since being part of the
CFPB program?
O1 Yes --- CONTINUE TO QUESTION 11
O2 No --- GO TO QUESTION 15
O3 Don’t know --- GO TO QUESTION 15
11. Have any of these financial education programs been conducted outside of the library?
O1 Yes
O2 No -- GO TO QUESTION 14
O3 Don’t know -- GO TO QUESTION 13

12. [IF QUESTION 11=YES]
How many of these financial education programs have been conducted outside of the library?
O1 None

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O2 1- 3
O3 4 – 6
O4 More than 6

13. How often did your library offer financial education, using CFPB resources or materials,

during the past year?
O1 Less than once a year
O2 One or two times a year
O3 More than twice a year
14. Think about the time that your library has been participating in the CFPB program.
How many financial education programs has your library offered without using CFPB resources
or materials during the time?
O1
O2
O3
O4
O5
O6

None --- GO TO QUESTION 16
1- 3
4– 6
7- 10
More than 10
Don’t know

15a. What financial education programs has your library offered since being part of the CFPB
program? Select all that apply.
O1 Money management
O2 Retirement planning
O3 My Social Security
O4 Prevent Elder Financial Exploitation and Fraud
O5 Money As You Grow book club
O6 Reality check: Financial simulation for Teens
O7 Other: Please specify (300 character limit):
_________________________________________________________________

15b. Indicate how strongly you agree or
disagree with the following statements
about your library’s CFPB financial
education programming.
1. The CFPB financial education
programs have been well attended.
2. The CFPB financial education
programs have helped meet our
patrons’ financial education needs.

1 Strongly

2 Somewhat

3 Somewhat

4 Strongly

agree

agree

Disagree

disagree

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

15c. In general, would you say that patron feedback has been:

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o1 Mostly positive
o2 Neither positive nor negative
o3 Mostly negative

15e. What changes to the financial education programs would better address patrons’ financial
education needs? Select all that apply.
O1 Include more interactive activities
O2 Provide more learning aids
O3 Provide examples of how to use the programs to meet patrons’ needs
15f. How helpful are the financial education program ideas that are posted regularly on the CFPB
website in implementing your financial education programming?
O1 Very helpful
O2 Somewhat Helpful
O3 Not very helpful
O4 Not at all helpful
O5 I have never reviewed the program ideas on the CFPB website
C. ONLINE FINANCIAL EDUCATION RESOURCES
[IF 3d=YES CONTINUE, ELSE GO TO E. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP]
15. The CFPB website at www.consumerfinance.gov provides a list of financial education websites,
videos, and courses from the federal government and non-profit organizations. Which of the
following ways have you used the online resources provided by CFPB? Select all that apply.
[ ] 1 Personal or library staff education
[ ] 2 Posting to your library website or social media
[ ] 3 Providing as a reference to patrons
[ ] 4 As part of a financial education program
[ ] 5 As part of outreach to the community
[ ] 6 Some other way. Please specify (300 character limit):
___________________________________________
O 7 Not sure which one(s)
O 8 Not applicable / None of the above
D. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
The next questions are about any partnering your library may have done with other organizations to
provide financial education. For these questions, partnering should include any effort where your
library has worked with another organization around financial education.
Some examples might include:
• providing space in your library for an organization to give financial education programs
• a librarian providing a financial education workshop to another organization, or

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•

working collaboratively with another organization to develop financial education
resources for the community.

16. Prior to your involvement with the CFPB libraries program, did your library ever partner with other
organizations to provide financial education or resources?
O1 Yes
O2 No
O3 Don’t know
17. Since your involvement with the CFPB libraries program, has your library partnered with other
organizations to provide financial education or resources?
O1 Yes
O2 No
O3 Don’t know

18. [IF QUESTION 17=YES]
What types of organizations has your library partnered with to provide financial education?
[ ]1 City government
[ ]2 Federal government
[ ]3 Community organizations/non-profits
[ ]4 Financial company (for example a bank or insurance company)
[ ]5 Other: Please specify (300 character limit): __________________________________
19. [IF QUESTION 17=YES AND QUESTION Q3e=YES]
Has the “Community Partnership Guidebook” from CFPB been helpful in supporting your
partnerships with these other organizations?
O1 Yes
O2 No
O3 Don’t know
E. OUTREACH MATERIALS
[IF 3f=YES CONTINUE, ELSE GO TO SECTION F, GENERAL]
20. Did your library inform patrons about available financial information prior to your involvement
in the CFPB Library program?
O1 Yes
O2 No IF NO, go to QUESTION 21b.
O3 Don’t know, go to QUESTION 21b
21a [IF QUESTION 20=YES]
What methods did your library use to let patrons know about available financial education
resources prior to your library’s involvement in the CFPB program? Select all that apply.
[ ]1 Emails

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[
[
[
[

]2
]3
]4
]5

Posters
Flyers
Library website or social media
Other: Please specify (300 character limit): __________________________________

21b. What CFPB materials has your library used to promote your library as a financial education
resource? Select all that apply.
[ ]1 Screen savers
[ ]2 Posters
[ ]3 Bookmarks
[ ]4 Event fliers
[ ]5 Tri-fold/table displays
[ ]6 Web graphics
[ ]7 Other materials: Please specify (300 character limit): ______________________
21c. In general, how effective would you say the materials provided by CFPB have been in
promoting your library as a resource for financial information?
O1 Very effective
O2 Somewhat effective
O3 Not very effective
O4 Not at all effective
F. GENERAL
24. Other than those provided by CFPB, has your library used any other resources or participated in
any other programs to help provide financial education to your patrons?
O1 Yes
O2 No
O3 Don’t know
25. [IF QUESTION 24=YES]
What other programs or resources has your library used to provide financial education? Please
specify (300 character limit )____________________________________________
26. Would you say that the CFPB Library program has increased your library’s ability to provide
financial education resources to patrons?
O1 Yes
O2 No
27. In general, how much has the CFPB program improved your library staff’s ability to respond to
patrons’ financial questions?
O1 A lot
O2 Somewhat
O3 Not much

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O4 Not at all
28. What other resources or support do you think would be most beneficial to your library’s ability to
serve as a financial education resource to your patrons? (300 character
limit)________________________NON-PARTICIPANTS
[IF QUESTION 1 = NO CONTINUE, ELSE GO TO END]
29. Prior to receiving this survey, were you aware of the CFPB Library program?
O1 Yes
O2 No
30. [IF QUESTION 29 = YES]
Why hasn’t your library participated in the CFPB Library program to date? (Select all that
apply)
[] Topics do not address needs of the library community
[] Limited staff resources
[] Online Limited technology resource
[] Other: Please specify (300 character limit):___________________________________
_____________________________________
31. New Question: What type of programs does your library currently provide for patrons?
[] Workshops with guest speakers
[] Webinars
[] Online resources
[] Access to Business librarian or other specialist
[] Other: Please specify (300 character limit):___________________________________
32. Would you like to receive information about participation in the CFPB Library program?
O1 Yes
O2 No
G. SURVEY CLOSE
END. Thank you for completing this survey!

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