This OPAC transaction log analysis study compared data derived from two sets of logs within a six-month period. Analysis of the first set of data revealed that users experienced difficulty with basic searching techniques. The OPAC introductory screens were simplified and clarified to help users improve search success rates. The second set of data, analyzed after screen changes had been made, showed statistically significant differ ences in search results. Regular monitoring of OPACs through transac tion log analysis can lead to improved retrieval when changes are made in response to an analysis of user search patterns.PAC users leave behind them a trail of searches and results that provides evidence of how well they understand and use a sys tem. Can analysis of this trail lead to im proved OPAC use if changes are made in response to observed problems? The in formation an OPAC contains is as crucial as the way the information is presented to users. Introductory screens can affect the way an OPAC is perceived and there fore affect the success of its users. This study is an analysis and comparison of transaction logs within a six-month pe riod at a large public university. The Transaction Logs Task Force, composed of public and technical services librarians, was charged with reviewing OPAC trans action logs to identify librarywide prob lems and issues, monitoring and analyz ing online catalog use, and reporting any suggestions for improvement to the Inte grated Library Systems Advisory Com mittee. Members of the task force were asked to consider potential changes to screens, system features, and instructional programs. The task force analyzed trans action logs of the university's OPAC alongside existing online user aids, evalu ated screen displays, and recommended changes to enhance the system's userfriendliness.

A longitudinal study of four sets of OPAC transaction logs was conducted over a four-year period. Analysis of the initial set of transaction logs revealed problems that users experienced while searching the OPAC. Over time, a series of OPAC screen changes were implemented in an attempt to help searchers improve their searching behavior. After each series of changes, a set of transaction logs was analyzed to assess the impact of the changes and to study whether earlier improvements in searching behavior persisted over time. Although the screen changes initially had a positive impact on searching behavior, in some cases the initial improvements in searching success were not sustained over time. se of transaction log analysis isA previous transaction log analysis an established method of data study conducted by the authors of this collection that provides librarstudy between 1995 and 1996 at the Uni ies a record of users' actual versity of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) com online search experience. Transaction log analysis is an unobtrusive and inexpen sive method that gives an unbiased view of how users navigate the catalog. In 1995, Lynn Silipigni Connaway, John M. Budd, and Thomas R. Kochtanek observed: "There is an underlying assumption that by identifying the needs and behaviors of catalog users, user-centered catalogs can be developed." 1 However, this assumption has not been fully explored. Does transac tion log analysis and subsequent OPAC screen redesign affect changes that result in more successful use of online catalogs? pared two sets of logs within a six-month period. 2Analysis of the first set of data revealed that users experienced difficulty with searching techniques. The OPAC introductory screens were simplified in an attempt to help users improve search success rates. The second set of data, ana lyzed after screen changes had been made, showed statistically significant improvements in searching behavior. Fewer searches resulted in zero postings, were missing the search argument, had the author in incorrect order, or incor rectly included an initial article, whereas 515 College & Research LibrariesNovember 1999 a greater percentage of searches had cor rect syntax. These results were deemed improvements in searching success. The study also established a process and set in place a methodology to review trans action logs regularly and to monitor the effectiveness of any subsequent screen changes, a charge the authors carried out initially as part of a Transaction Logs Task Force and later as a research group.Transaction logs were captured and analyzed at the middle of the semester following each set of screen changes.In the present study, the authors com bined the two sets of data collected dur ing the initial study with two additional sets of data to provide a longitudinal analysis of OPAC transaction logs from 1995 to 1998. The present study was un dertaken with four purposes in mind: to determine whether, after the initial screen changes, improvements in user searching behavior were sustained over tim...

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Product or company names used in this set are for identification purposes only. Inclusion of the names of the products or companies does not indicate a claim of ownership by IGI Global of the trademark or registered trademark.Handbook of research on instructional systems and technology / Terry Kidd & Holim Song, editors. p. cm.Summary: "This book provides information on different styles of instructional design methodologies, tips, and strategies on how to use technology to facilitate active learning and techniques to help faculty and researchers develop online instructional and teaching materials. It enables libraries to provide a foundational reference for researchers, educators, administrators, and others in the context of instructional systems and technology"--Provided by publisher.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-1-59904-865-9 (hardcover) --ISBN 978-1-59904-866-6 (ebook)

Product or company names used in this set are for identification purposes only. Inclusion of the names of the products or companies does not indicate a claim of ownership by IGI Global of the trademark or registered trademark.Handbook of research on instructional systems and technology / Terry Kidd & Holim Song, editors. p. cm.Summary: "This book provides information on different styles of instructional design methodologies, tips, and strategies on how to use technology to facilitate active learning and techniques to help faculty and researchers develop online instructional and teaching materials. It enables libraries to provide a foundational reference for researchers, educators, administrators, and others in the context of instructional systems and technology"--Provided by publisher.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-1-59904-865-9 (hardcover) --ISBN 978-1-59904-866-6 (ebook)