Kelsey Brett

The Evolution of Discovery Systems in Academic Libraries: A Case Study at the University of Houston Libraries.

ABSTRACT For the past several years academic libraries have been adopting discovery systems to provide a search experience that reflects user expectations and improves access to electronic resources. University of Houston Libraries has kept pace with this evolving trend by pursuing various discovery options; these include an open-source tool, a federated search product, and two index-based discovery systems. In our pursuit of better options for users and improved access to electronic resources, important criteria for evaluating discovery systems have been identified, as well as valuable lessons that may be applied during future system-evaluation processes and implementations.

Next Steps in Discovery Implementation: User‐Centered Discovery System Redesign

This paper will discuss a discovery system redesign project at the University of Houston Libraries, and in particular the Discovery Redesign Team’s collaborative, user‐centered approach. Throughout the redesign process, the team collected information about the needs and expectations of internal and external users regarding the Library’s discovery system. The team worked with two internal working groups to gather and evaluate the collected information. The results of this evaluation were used to make user‐centered design decisions. The Discovery Redesign Team worked with the Discovery Advisory Group, made up of library employees from various departments, to seek feedback and suggestions throughout the redesign process. Working collaboratively with this Group informed design decisions made by the team while also generating buy‐in for the discovery redesign. The team worked with the Discovery Usability Group to collect information from end‐users to inform the Team’s design decisions. The Committee held focus groups with the Library Information Desk staff to learn how the discovery system was serving users, and where it was falling short; they conducted usability tests with students to find out where users were experiencing breakdowns while completing common tasks. The methodologies and findings of the team’s various activities will be discussed. Changes to system interfaces affect both internal and external users. The University of Houston’s discovery system redesign is an example of a successful, user‐centered, collaborative design project.

Tabs and Tabulations: Results of a Transaction Log Analysis of a Tabbed-Search Interface

The following study analyzes user search behavior using a tabbed-search interface. For this study, a transaction log was used to collect information about user searches and included tab used; search terms; date, time, and location of search (on campus or off campus); as well as a unique ID to identify the user session and another ID to identify each transaction. This article explains the process for examining 4,300 search queries conducted on the library homepage during an academic semester and presents findings from the analysis. The article also details enhancements that were made to the tabbed-search interface as a result of the transaction log analysis. Additionally, the article discusses the merits of using a transaction log as a method of ongoing assessment of a library Web sites search interface.

How to Build a Better Mousetrap: Developing an Easy, Functional ERM

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