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1.
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ABSTRACT

Digital libraries and collections are a growing facet of today's traditional library. Digital library technologies have become increasingly more sophisticated in the effort to provide more and better access to the collections they contain. The evaluation of the usability of these technologies has not kept pace with technological developments, however, and the end-user has in some cases been left behind. This research study evaluates the usability of digital collections created using the CONTENTdm Digital Collection Management System, a software system used by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Specifically, this study addresses the following questions: Does CONTENTdm meet users' needs? Is the interface sufficiently intuitive for them to use it? Is the experience of exploring digital collections using CONTENTdm satisfying to users? Employing usability testing techniques with actual-end users, this study attempts to assess the efficacy of the CONTENTdm public interface as well as user attitudes toward it. Ten participants from three user groups—faculty, library science graduate students, and the general public—performed eleven tasks designed to test the key functions of CONTENTdm-created collections and then answered a series of questions about their experiences. Key findings from this study indicate that while the included digital collections are useful and desirable to end-users, the interface generated by CONTENTdm can be confusing even for those who have considerable experience using the Internet. Results from this study may be used to improve this software system and add to the literature surrounding the usability of digital libraries in general.  相似文献   

3.
Usability testing is an important element when designing useful, usable academic library Web sites. Since 2001, members of the Florida International University Libraries Web team have worked toward establishing a process that identifies user needs through usability testing. Starting with the libraries’ first Web site redesign project in 2001, the team has taken an active part in improving Web site user experience. After engaging in multiple redesign efforts, the Web team has developed a process that supports awareness of user experience through continual usability testing and feedback gathering. This article presents strategies and practices to measure Web site user experience, including classic usability testing methods (e.g., card sorting activities, focus groups, and task-based user testing), as well as the team's latest effort to assess Web site analytics and content to identify Web site usage patterns and areas of concern. A history of the Florida International University Libraries’ Web site redesign process is presented to illustrate lessons learned and best practices to facilitate future redesign and testing efforts. Taking a longitudinal look at usability testing at one institution, the study aims to inform the development of an effective strategy for user research and content management.  相似文献   

4.
ABSTRACT

The Michigan State University (MSU) Libraries' Website has a case of TMI: too much information organized by librarians for librarians. Finding relevant information about various library services, including the 24/7 Distance Learning Support Line, and access points to scholarly resources is often cumbersome, and given the limited time and staffing available in Web Services, it was impractical to embark on a comprehensive Website redesign. Instead, the implementation of two systems, LibAnswers and the A–Z Database List in LibGuides v2 CMS, served as a means for addressing the TMI issue and improving the usability of the MSU Libraries' Website. This case study will map the MSU Libraries' experience of implementing the LibAnswers and the A–Z Database List from early vision to launching the end product, as a means for resolving the “too much information” issue and improving the usability of the library's Website.  相似文献   

5.
ABSTRACT

Based on in-person, task-based usability testing and interviews, the authors' library Web site was recently overhauled in order to improve user experience. This led to the authors' interest in additional usability testing methods and test environments that would most closely fit their library's goals and situation. The appeal of card sorting methods became evident: learning more than users' points of confusion interacting with the site, but learning users' preferences for grouping pages or concepts and naming various library links. The appeal of the online venue for card sorting was first that testing could incorporate input from a larger base of users than in-person testing alone, and, additionally, that testing could include the university's online-only student population.  相似文献   

6.
7.
ABSTRACT

As the World Wide Web has advanced since its inception, librarians have endeavored to keep pace with this progress in the design of their library Web pages. User recommendations collected from focus groups and usability testing have indicated that the University of Scranton's Weinberg Memorial Library's Web site was not working as intended, and the library's home page, in particular, was cluttered. Focus groups indicated that the process of accessing the library's databases from off-campus took too many steps, key resources were not located in key areas of the page, links were too close together, and the font was too small. Library staff determined it was necessary to rethink and redesign its pages. Self-reports from focus groups were insufficient to get at the mechanics of Web page use. Through usability testing, librarians were able to observe students and faculty completing simple research and directional tasks. Before “going live” with the new page in January 2007, users who had participated in the focus groups and in the usability testing were surveyed about the redesigned library Web page. The users indicated that the new Web page was less confusing, easier to use, and somewhat more intuitive than the previous library Web page. Web sites are always works in progress, and academic librarians should be proactive about making changes to their library Web sites to take advantage of emerging technology and to meet user expectations.  相似文献   

8.
The transition to a new architecture and design for an academic library Web site does not always proceed smoothly. In this case study, a library at a large research university hired an outside Web development contractor to create a new architecture and design for the university's Web site using dotCMS, an open-source content management system. The library participated in the design and development process along with other campus units. Because the university-wide process focused on marketing the university to prospective students, parents, and donors, the contractor's fact-finding process focused on how the library's site design could incorporate Web 2.0 technologies. The resulting library Web site showcased Web 2.0 technology more than it provided users with access to library resources. The library's users quickly communicated their dissatisfaction and confusion, which led to some immediate changes and a commitment to redesign the site based on expressed and demonstrated user needs. The library then hired another contractor to conduct iterative usability testing on both the new site and prototypes for a redesigned version. The testing showed that Web 2.0 technology that does not meet existing user needs creates obstacles for both novice and experienced users. In collaboration with the university's information technology unit, the library developed and launched a revised Web site, which helped users connect to the resources they needed. In the upgrade, Google Search Appliance replaced the native dotCMS search functionality. The authors of this case study demonstrate that libraries may need to advocate for different Web design priorities than those used at the university-wide level and that working with outside contractors presents different challenges and opportunities depending on the contractor's hiring unit. These experiences also demonstrate that libraries can do a better job learning about their users when they lead the fact-finding process. Following these experiences, the library committed to conducting iterative usability testing on a regular basis.  相似文献   

9.
Abstract

The climate of change in music reference represents a challenge to librarians. The three issues in the library literature that probably have the greatest impact on music reference service and are the subject of this paper are changes in users, sources, and modes of access to sources. These three issues are certainly related, as users need to use sources, and they need to know how to access them in order to use them. Reference librarians are called upon to mediate this process. Music library collections have their own peculiarities, however. Because they contain a wider variety of materials than many other kinds of library collections, reference librarians for music collections must be aware of the format, content, and intended uses of these materials, as well as the research patterns of their patrons. In the recent past, as cultural norms have changed with the paradigm of Western culture, users have wanted to use music libraries in new ways, and librarians are challenged to accommodate them. The musical genres used and requested by today's library patrons are different than they once were, both for listening and for academic study. Musical reference sources are being issued in electronic formats, and this represents a challenge for some users. The expanded use of interlibrary loan and electronic access to materials represents new opportunities and challenges. Music librarians are being called upon to provide services to patrons they may never see.  相似文献   

10.
ABSTRACT

Ria Lukes and Angie Thorpe, librarians from Indiana University Kokomo, presented a conference session exploring the use of course syllabi as a core tool for measuring and enhancing library support of curriculum needs and service integration. The researchers described their process and the results from a review of 477 syllabi collected from numerous departments spanning diverse disciplines at their institution. Their findings demonstrate how syllabi may be used to identify collection weaknesses, discover misconceptions about library holdings and services, and ultimately serve as a starting point to interact with faculty and librarians to improve and clarify library holdings, services, and outreach initiatives.  相似文献   

11.
SUMMARY

Law firm libraries have undergone drastic changes in recent years. This chapter chronicles the evolution in the size of the law firm library and its collection, the changing expectations of law firm library users, and the inventive ways that law firm librarians are fulfilling the needs of the law firm library users with technology and other means. This chapter also explores how law firm libraries can improve service and overall efficiency through limited outsourcing of reference services.  相似文献   

12.
《图书馆管理杂志》2012,52(3-4):294-303
ABSTRACT

Academic special collections librarians have made great strides in making their collections discoverable and accessible to a wide audience. This article examines use of special collections departments and the many kinds of outreach librarians undertake to increase access to and knowledge of their collections, including creating electronic finding aids, digitizing material, collaborating with faculty, increasing participation in instruction and reference, and using exhibits, social media, and relationships with community partners to further the mission and goals of the library and the college or university. The article uses the University of Illinois at Chicago Special Collections Department as a case study.  相似文献   

13.
Abstract

When the 23-member California State University Libraries merged integrated library systems in 2017, a unique opportunity arose to conduct multi-tenant usability testing on user experience in the Primo discovery service, collectively branded OneSearch. In 2018, librarians at five campuses conducted a round of task-based individual user testing on their separate instances, seeking to review individual campuses’ decisions about customizations designed to provide optimal performance of the system and provide insight into group decisions about our shared customization choices. Along with the findings of the test results and recommendations for enhancements to existing modifications, we discuss the challenges and opportunities that are present in conducting multi-campus usability testing and share recommendations for future consortium-based testing efforts.  相似文献   

14.
Many libraries are currently experiencing a transition from printed to electronic collections. This transition has led to changes in collection development practices as well as in the roles of information professionals who facilitate access to information. Roles of librarians in both public and technical/access services are converging. There is a demand for a new breed of librarians who understand the entire electronic information scenario: procurement, organization, access and public services. All these come into play when making decisions and choices for meeting users’ information needs. Libraries are addressing such issues as ownership versus access, consortial access to electronic resources, licensing and authentication, surrogate versus full-text electronic resources, and integration of free Web content into collections. Librarians are challenged to embrace new ways of optimizing access to electronic resources and to explore ways to fit new technologies and innovations into traditional library structures and practices.  相似文献   

15.
ABSTRACT

Growth of their college's off-campus and online course offerings led librarians at SUNY Oswego to run usability tests with off-campus students to compensate for a lack of responses from this population during earlier usability testing. Constraints on testing with off-campus students included lack of funding and librarian time, as well as difficulty in attracting student participation. A brief usability study that could be completed by students in the first 10 minutes of class was devised, consisting of a first click test, a survey question, and a top task analysis activity. The study was conducted with 22 students from a satellite-campus Master's in Education program. Discussion includes selecting appropriate tests, analysis of study results, and application of data for improving Website design and information literacy instruction in an academic library.  相似文献   

16.
学习型图书馆的构建与服务创新   总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1  
图书馆作为高校文化、信息服务中心,要利用自身优势和条件,正视学习的重要性,营造浓郁的学习氛围,提高馆员的学习积极性。通过不断学习,增强馆员的素质,创新服务手段,满足读者各种需要,以适应网络化、数字化图书馆发展的要求。  相似文献   

17.
《图书馆管理杂志》2013,53(1-2):135-136
Abstract

With the transformation of the card catalog into the online public access catalog came the expectation of its increased functionality. For the most part, today's online catalogs perform an expanded list of tasks quite effectively. Bibliographic utilities, system vendors, and individual libraries continue to improve bibliographic retrieval by providing new and better services through the catalog. In spite of these improvements, many observers believe that online catalogs have reached their maturity. Today's information environment includes a wealth of material to which online catalogs cannot provide universal and up-to-date access. Increasingly, librarians are turning to federated searching portal applications to find a means of managing the flood of digital information that threatens to engulf users. This chapter describes essential functionality of such tools, suggesting directions and strategies for improving them. The author concludes that, while the online catalog will continue to function as the principal tool for access control of the library's physical collections, the federated searching portal will ultimately serve as the library's principal Web gateway to digital resources.  相似文献   

18.
Abstract

Three sources indicated the need for designing a usability study of the Western Michigan University Libraries' Web site: the results of the 2004 LibQUAL+ survey; the completion of the library's new strategic planning document; and suggestions by library customers and library staff. LibQUAL+ findings and customer comments suggested customers desired more independent use of the library site; better and easier electronic access to library resources, allowing customers to search for and find content on their own; and improved online help. A usability analysis was conducted with graduate and undergraduate students. The results from a task-based questionnaire, observations by investigators, and follow-up discussion sessions are presented. Investigators found usability testing alone may not be adequate to gain the qualitative data necessary for ascertaining the site's ease of use and usefulness and that a multipronged approach might be needed when evaluating a library Web site.  相似文献   

19.
ABSTRACT

Web site usability concerns anyone with a Web site to maintain. Libraries, however, are often the biggest offenders in terms of usability. In our efforts to provide users with everything they need for research, we often overwhelm them with sites that are confusing in structure, difficult to navigate, and weighed down with jargon. Dowling College Library recently completed a redesign of its Web site based upon the concept of usability. For smaller libraries in particular, such a project can be a challenge. The Web site is often maintained by one or two people, and finding the time and resources to conduct a usability study is difficult in that situation. Additional demands of a site redesign, from restructuring page layouts to adding visual appeal, only add to the burden. However, our team of four librarians was able to do it. We focused on vocabulary and organizational structure using a card-sort analysis. This analysis taught us how our users approach the information on our site. Task-based testing confirmed what the card-sort analysis had taught us and smoothed out design problems. Incorporating user feedback at nearly every stage of the process allowed us to create a site that more closely mirrors how our users look for information on our site. This study details how using testing and analyzing results throughout the redesign process created a better, more user-friendly Web site.  相似文献   

20.
Abstract

In order to provide optimum service in a world increasingly awash with information and technological change all set against a backdrop of escalating costs and static or declining budgets, librarians must make a choice. Based on a careful analysis of the information preferences and needs of their clientele, librarians will be driven by economics and demand to decide whether their particular library will become primarily an archive of materials in traditional formats or a gateway to the world of electronically networked information. Which direction a library takes will have a great impact on interlibrary services. In an “archival” environment, external access to information will be deemphasized and interlibrary services will see cutbacks. In an “access” environment, interlibrary services must be genuinely recognized as vital to the library's mission and must be allocated truly sufficient resources to meet what will be an even greater demand.  相似文献   

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