OPACs: A research review

Large, Andrew; Beheshti, Jamshid

doi:10.1016/s0740-8188(97)90039-6

Cited by 49 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…3. Literature review of discovery layer usability testing Large and Beheshti (1997) summarized the large body of literature on OPACs published before 1997, and we refer the reader to its excellent discussion for a historical overview. Antelman et al (2006) identify three previous generations of online catalogues.…”

Section: Figure 2: Tooltips On Deconcatenated Lcshmentioning

confidence: 99%

Usability testing of VuFind at an academic library

Denton

Coysh²

2011

Library Hi Tech

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of an academic library's implementation of a discovery layer (VuFind 1.0 RC1) as a next-generation catalogue, based on usability testing and an online survey.Design/methodology/approach We performed usability tests on ten students (eight undergraduates, two graduates), asking a set of fourteen task-oriented questions about our customized VuFind interface. Task completion was scored using a simple formula to generate a percentage indicating success or failure. Changes to the interface were made based on resulting scores and on feedback and observations of users during testing. We also ran an online survey for three weeks, to which seventy-five people responded. The results were analyzed, compared and crosstested with the findings of the usability testing.Findings Both the usability testing and survey demonstrated that users preferred VuFind's interface over the classic catalogue. They particularly liked the facets and the richness of the search results listings. Users intuitively understood how to use the deconcatenated Library of Congress Subject Headings. Despite the discovery layer's new functionality, known journal title searching still presents a challenge to users and certain terms used in the interface were problematic. Practical implicationsIt is hoped that our findings will assist implementers of VuFind and other next-generation catalogues to improve their own systems. The questions add to the body of knowledge about usability testing of library catalogues.Originality/value There are no previous papers published documenting VuFind usability testing. Findings will be relevant, not just to VuFind, but will also add to the growing body of literature on next-generation catalogues.

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Section: Figure 2: Tooltips On Deconcatenated Lcshmentioning

confidence: 99%

Usability testing of VuFind at an academic library

Denton

Coysh²

2011

Library Hi Tech

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“…In their 1997 article analyzing studies of OPACs since 1990, Large and Beheshti examine five data collection methods: experiment, interview and questionnaire, observation, think aloud, and transaction log. 1 Each method has its pros and cons. Researchers of online catalogs have widely employed transactional log analysis (TLA) since Meister and Sullivan first utilized it in their research in 1967.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Interface Design Influence Catalog Use? A Case Study

Knievel

Wakimoto

Holladay

2009

CRL

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A recent OPAC redesign and implementation of a link resolver at the University of Colorado at Boulder prompted the researchers to question whether the redesign influenced catalog use. Authors evaluated transactional log data between fall of 2005 and spring of 2008. Searches for keyword, title, author, subject, LC call number, and ISSN/ISBN were tracked for each semester during weeks two and three of the semester, a mid-semester sampling period, and finals week. The data show that keyword searches increased slightly following the redesign, and ISSN/ ISBN searches increased dramatically following implementation of the link resolver. Total searches held steady over the course of the study.t the University of Colorado at Boulder, the interface to the Web-based online public access catalog (OPAC) had not been significantly redesigned since its initial debut in 1997. In the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007, a committee undertook the project of completely restructuring the interface. The design for the new interface was based on examples from other research libraries, literature on Web site usage and design, and informal usability testing. This sparked an interest in whether the changes significantly influenced the way that users approached and used the catalog. This study focuses on a quantitative assessment of user search choice as tracked by OPAC transaction logs over three years, both before and after the new interface debuted. During the same period, the library implemented other new discovery tools, whose influence on OPAC use will also be assessed. This study seeks to reveal, to the extent possible with the data available, how users were searching the catalog before the interface redesign, how they search it after the redesign, and what this usage implies about the influence of interface design on catalog use. The authors theorized that the interface redesign would trigger an increase in keyword searches, since the new interface defaulted to keyword search. We also expected a rise in ISSN searches after the implementation of an OpenURL link resolver. Furthermore, there has been a great deal of discussion about the continued relevance of library catalogs in an environment where users are so comfortable with popular search engines. This

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“…3 This overview identified and analyzed studies published since 1990, discussed problems faced by researchers, examined data col lection methodologies, and gave research recommendations for bibliographic record enhancement, search capabilities, and in terface design. Beth Sandore and Thomas A. Peters previously provided thorough reviews of the history and uses of transac tion log analysis.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of OPAC Screen Changes on Searching Behavior and Searcher Success

Blecic

Dorsch

Koenig

et al. 1999

CRL

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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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OPACs: A research review

Cited by 49 publications

References 39 publications

Usability testing of VuFind at an academic library

Usability testing of VuFind at an academic library

Does Interface Design Influence Catalog Use? A Case Study

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of OPAC Screen Changes on Searching Behavior and Searcher Success

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