Opacs Power Point
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Describes problems in user-friendliness for library online catalogs
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Opacs Power Point
- 1. The Old-Fashioned Search Engine Search Engines Are Not What They Used To Be… Renee Gimelli 2009
- 2. THE DIGITAL DIVIDE a lack of “connectivity” between designers and users THIS CAUSES: •Unsatisfactory searching experiences •Frustrated users •Intimidating library interactions THIS IS CAUSED BY: •Information overload - too many retrievals •Unfriendly interfaces •Ineffective queries
- 3. Public library users are often the least technologically sophisticated of the over-all population - they often feel hapless when formulating a search query and navigating an OPAC Confusion •Browse vs. Find •How to find a subject heading •Do I put the author’s last name first? •What if I don’t know the exact title? •What happens if I misspell something? •How do I know which “hits” are the most relevant? •Can I go back to the beginning and start over? •How do I save something, or print it? •What exactly does Advanced Search mean? •I can’t begin to read all of these documents!
- 4. SUBJECT HEADINGS SPACE TRAVEL 82,600,000 hits INTERPLANETARY VOYAGES 142,000 hits Simple natural language Short search session One or two search requests One or two terms without Boolean operators or advanced options Viewing only ten or fewer retrieved documents Indexers use LC Subjects Too few index terms are used Cross references are limited and require further searches No help screens or tutorials Lack of precision
- 5. A Happy Computer Experience Help Screens • Built-in links and tutorials Teach Search Techniques • Schools and libraries offer classes in search techniques Improve Interfaces • Designers keep in mind that users would prefer to make one query
Editor's Notes
- Users are frustrated by the helplessness they feel when they enter the library and are faced with a computer which demands certain words and symbols in order to process a simple question. The majority of patrons will take the easier approach and ask a librarian to help them find something. Librarians should be willing to take the time to help these patrons become friendly with the computer OPAC and the new library. Learning how to find, download and use information is not endemic to most people.
- Intelligent systems that will process natural language queries into refined LC subject or keyword searches in order to reduce the recall are still being investigated for efficacy and have fallen somewhat short of ideal. Instead users are encouraged (at this point) to use help files and advanced search options with Boolean operators to narrow their searches.
- While a simple user’s needs may not seem extremely important to the interface designer, all queries are important to those who make them. Many older internet users are accessing health and medical information on the internet. Students are required by teachers to create reports backed up by research, and mothers and fathers are interested in safety and educational issues. These are valid reasons to use the internet to search for answers and often the amount of time invested does not justify the results. Search engines will become enhanced by improvements.