1 Innovative Uses of Metasearch: Integration of Metasearch with Other Services David Lindahl Director of Digital Library Initiatives Jeff Suszczynski Senior Web Developer
2 Design Process End Users Administration Researcher Library Staff Undergraduate Faculty Graduate Student Stakeholders Reference Librarian Software Engineer Anthropologist Usability Team Visual Designer Programmer Bibliographer Interaction Designer Administration
3 Understand your users User Research –Work practice study –Participatory Design Students Faculty Tools
4 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
5 Finding Article Pathways By database By subject By keyword By course
6 Issue Users must “choose a database or subject” to get good results from appropriate databases.
7 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
8 Issue Users must “choose a database or subject” to get good results from appropriate databases.
9 GUF: Getting Users to Full-text Title links on results screen lead to either: –Full-text (best) –Print-holdings information with map (2 nd best) –Pre-filled interlibrary loan request form (worst) Issues Addressed: –Follow long click-paths –Get stuck at dead-ends –Resubmit search mid-session
10 How GUF Works Try to get to full-text: –Improve metadata transfer –Pre-fetch pages –Follow link trails –Try another source on error If full-text fails, try to get to print: –Check local holdings –Group editions to find a “good-enough” copy
11 How GUF Uses Other Services Web services API to OpenURL resolver (and its knowledgebase) Print journal holdings database OCLC xISBN service
12 Navigating Results Issue: Users must “navigate results that are not organized, precise or comprehensive” How to solve this? –FRBR-like metadata –Provide results that are grouped by their relationships –Offer ability to manipulate result set
13 Innovative Uses of Metasearch: Integration of Metasearch with Other Services David Lindahl Director of Digital Library Initiatives Jeff Suszczynski Senior Web Developer