1 innovative uses of metasearch: rethinking metasearch for a better user experience david lindahl...

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Innovative Uses of Metasearch: Rethinking Metasearch for a Better User Experience

David LindahlDirector of Digital Library Initiativesdlindahl@library.rochester.edu

Jeff SuszczynskiSenior Web Developerjeffs@library.rochester.edu

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Design Process

Digital Initiatives Unit• Software Developers (3)• Systems Analyst• Computer Scientist• Anthropologist• Art Director / Designer

• Digital Librarian for Public Services• Usability Team• Content Groups

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Usability Testing Lab

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Understand your users

• User Research– Work Practice Study

– Participatory Design

Students Faculty

Tools

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Issues: Metasearch users must…

• Choose a database or subject

• Follow long click-paths

• Get stuck at dead-ends

• Resubmit their searches mid-session

• Navigate results that are not organized, precise or comprehensive

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Issue

Metasearch users must “choose a database or subject” to get good results from appropriate databases

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Finding Article Pathways

• By database

• By subject

• By keyword

• By course

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Course Webpages

• Course Webpages– Replaces course reserves system

– Able to include relevant library resources on the pages

– Connect students to their librarian

• Integrated metasearch with our course webpages system

• “Choose a database or subject” issue is solved.

• Video

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Quotes From The Video

“that’s kind of tough because it might not be most relevant article first”

“Ideally it will take me right to the article”

“when you are going back and forth between [databases] each one has it’s own specific

idiosyncrasies”

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Issues

Metasearch users must:

“follow long click-paths”“get stuck at dead-ends”

“resubmit their searches mid-session”

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GUF: Getting Users to Full-text

• Title links on results screen lead to either:– Full-text (best)

– Print-holdings information with map (2nd best)

– Pre-filled interlibrary loan request form (worst)

• Issues Addressed:– Follow long click-paths

– Get stuck at dead-ends

– Resubmit search mid-session

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How GUF Works

• Try to get to full-text:– Improve metadata transfer

– Eliminate errors

– Eliminate clicks

• If no full-text, try to get to print:– Check local holdings

– Group editions to find a “good-enough” copy

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GUF Uses Other Services

– Web services API to OpenURL resolver (and its knowledgebase)

– Print journal holdings database

– OCLC xISBN service

GUF is a ColdFusion application running on ourwebserver. It uses the following services:

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Issue

Metasearch users must “navigate results that arenot organized, precise or comprehensive”

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Navigating Results

How to solve this?– Provide results that are grouped by their relationships

– Offer ability to manipulate result set

– Consistent metadata standards

– FRBR-like metadata

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Innovative Uses of Metasearch: Rethinking Metasearch for a Better User Experience

David LindahlDirector of Digital Library Initiativesdlindahl@library.rochester.edu

Jeff SuszczynskiSenior Web Developerjeffs@library.rochester.edu