1 / 20

User Success in the Library Catalog

User Success in the Library Catalog. Margo. Cal State LA. Fall 2000: 19,593 students (13,808 FTES) 2/3 are 1 st generation to receive a college degree 2/3 do not speak English as their 1 st language or in their homes. Library Exit Survey. Week 6

mike_john
Download Presentation

User Success in the Library Catalog

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. User Success in the Library Catalog Margo

  2. Cal State LA • Fall 2000: 19,593 students (13,808 FTES) • 2/3 are 1st generation to receive a college degree • 2/3 do not speak English as their 1st language or in their homes

  3. Library Exit Survey Week 6 Reaction to specific requests is that we have what they are requesting. Users don’t know how to use the catalog.

  4. Learning Outcomes Define the research topic. • Formulating a research question. • Selecting, refining/narrowing, a topic. • Selecting search terms (keywords).   Determine the information requirements for the research question. • Controlled vocabulary Locate and retrieve relevant information. • Ask for assistance at the Reference Desk. • Refine vocabulary terms used. • How to use the library catalog (author/title/keyword/subject restrictions).

  5. INNOPAC Logging • Weeks 6-10 of • Summer 2000 Quarter • Fall 2000 Quarter • Winter 2001 Quarter

  6. Types of Searches

  7. Typical User Problems with OPAC • Tend to search subjects with low success • Reluctant to browse too many records • (>30 or 100?) • Inappropriate vocabulary • Spelling and typographical errors • Bibliographic rules • Boolean logic

  8. Successful Searches (1-99 hits)

  9. Abbreviations Spelling Typographical errors Plural Stopwords Number/date Subject concept Cataloging rules Title search in keyword Subject heading syntax Database search Author search Reserves ISSN Types of Problems with No Hits

  10. Unsuccessful Keyword Searches • 15%  30% had 100 or more hits • 4%  0% had no hits

  11. (The reactions of young adult women) abusive child (Los Angeles) american japanesse women Bascketball Mexican education Causes of ectasy (drug) Child development (government document) City map monterey park Critical thinking() Popocatepetl viagra Csla thesis physical education dimorphisms Frankenstein and Dis(re)membered identity Government assistance in the united states and w… History museum in los angeles Improve public education Indians of north america – laguna J.F.K. Introduction to the Primates (Book Review) Sample Keyword Problems

  12. Keyword Problems • Abbreviations (AIDS) • No space between words • Alternate word endings (mexican education) • Journal titles, journal abbreviations & ISSNs

  13. Typical problems • Misspellings and typos 20% (CSULA 48%) • Items not held 39% • Native speakers more likely to • use plural word forms • Experiment with synonyms and alternative words

  14. Unsuccessful Subject Searching • Approx. 50% retrieve no hits • 18-20% retrieve more than 100

  15. adult attachment and effect on parenting Adhd Affirmative action Conflict theory Emotions and film Pasadena history Prop 21 Racism in the media Ritual masks Stereotypes fairy tales Why people use drugs Theories of rape Shelter of battled women Victorian literature and culture Women stereotypes in media Woody woodpecker Writing a thesis Wrongful termination Youth social promotion Sample Subject Searches with no Hits

  16. Subject Searching • Frequent use of subject search (at least since 1983) • Some decrease in SU to KW • Controlled vocabulary consistently a problem (1993) • Too broad • Too narrow • Users typically relate to what they know • Multiple strategies/alternatives a problem

  17. 1993 Recommendations (Wallace) • Spell checker • Natural language • Natural language linked to LCSH • Tutorial when no hits

  18. 1997 Recommendations (Hildreth) • Natural language input • Relevance ranked output • Hypertext

  19. Technical Issues for Consideration • Spell checker • No hits  dictionary/thesaurus/encyclopedia • No hits in SU  KW search automatically • PubMed type searching that automatically checks words for subject heading and uses both keyword and subject • Automatic help or message to ask for help with no hits?

  20. Collaborative instruction with content instructors for vocabulary and concept development Subject vs. keyword Synonyms Spelling, plurals, abbreviations Selecting, refining/ narrowing, a topic. Selecting search terms (keywords).   Controlled vocabulary Refine vocabulary terms used. How to use the library catalog (author/title/ keyword/subject restrictions). Instructional Issues for Consideration

More Related