B15. "What Is ISBN?": The Student Side of the Story of an Online Catalog
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Presenter(s):
Jianrong Wang, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
Online Public Access Catalogs (OPACs) are well organized and informative. In this electronic age, however, OPACs seem to lag behind other information providers such as Google. Users shy away from them because of their complexity. A usability test was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Richard Stockton College Library's online catalog. Using Camtasia, a screencasting software, first-hand information on students' search behaviors were captured and analyzed. The student side of the story tells how they search, where they stumble, and what information is important to them. With this information, OPACs can be improved to better support students’ learning.
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Recorder's Summary
Jianrong Wang reported on an integrated library system (ILS) usability study she conducted at her institution, Richard Stockton College. The Richard Stockton Library converted to the Sirsi/Dynix ILS platform in 2005. Wang set out to examine the ILS from the perspective of a student, to determine whether the online catalog met their needs and fulfilled their expectations.
Five freshmen were randomly selected for this study. Each student was asked five questions about their experience using the internet and online library catalogs, five questions that had to be answered by using the library’s online catalog, and seven follow-up questions about their search experiences and opinions of the online catalog. The sessions were recorded with an audio tape recorder, and search activities were simultaneously recorded using the screen-capturing software Camtasia Studio. Participants were between 18 and 23 years of age, had over five years of experience using the internet, less than two years experience using an online library catalog, and less than one year experience using the Richard Stockton Library’s online catalog.
Overall, the students reported that searching the library catalog was effective and required little-to-normal amount of effort. Of the elements that appeared in the default display, students reported that ISBN was the least important to them. The students did not immediately use the advanced search option when conducting their searches.
When asked how the library catalog could be improved, students said it would be helpful to know not just that an item was checked out, but also when it was expected to become available. They complained that the catalog was “jargon-ridden” and requested natural language be used.
Questions followed on the process by which search subjects were selected. It was suggested that an additional study be conducted to examine library catalog usability among seniors or students with more library experience.
Recorder's Summary by Melissa De Fino, Rutgers University