1 Innovative Uses of Metasearch: Rethinking Metasearch for a Better User Experience David Lindahl Director of Digital Library Initiatives Jeff Suszczynski Senior Web Developer

2 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

3 Usability Testing Usability Testing Lab

4 Understand your users User Research –Work practice study –Participatory Design Students Faculty Tools

5 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

6 Finding Article Pathways By database By subject By keyword By course

7 Issue Users must “choose a database or subject” to get good results from appropriate databases.

8 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

9 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”

10 Issues Users must: “follow long click-paths" “get stuck at dead-ends” “resubmit their searches mid-session”

11 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

12 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

13 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 our webserver. It uses the following services:

14 Issue Users must “navigate results that are not organized, precise or comprehensive”

15 Navigating Results How to solve this? –FRBR-like metadata –Provide results that are grouped by their relationships –Offer ability to manipulate result set

16 Innovative Uses of Metasearch: Rethinking Metasearch for a Better User Experience David Lindahl Director of Digital Library Initiatives Jeff Suszczynski Senior Web Developer