cost effecting ways to understand users’ searching habits to improve discovery
DESCRIPTION
Indianhead Federated Library System’s MORE ILS consortium staff, represented by Lori Roholt, has taken a basic approach to understanding catalog use based on ILS reporting tools and Google Analytics, supplemented by observations from library staff. The approach is an informal, low-investment method for gaining a top-level understanding of usage patterns to inform site design and development, as well as instruction.TRANSCRIPT
Understanding Users’ Searching Habits to Improve Discovery
Lori RoholtMORE Administrator
Indianhead Federated Library System
About MORE: My Online REsource
● ILS consortium● 49 member public libraries● 2013 Stats:
o Items: 1.7 milliono Bibs: 600,000o Service population:
458,000o Registered borrowers:
238,000o Circulation: 4.8 million
Current MORE Online Catalog
● Innovative Interface’s WebPACo In use since 2000o Last significant update in
2011● Mobile: recently,
AirPAC for smartphones
Forthcoming MORE Catalog
● Innovative Interface’s Encore
● Mobile: Encore Mobile
ILS Tools: Search Activity
● Searching metrics only, last 9 days
● Searches by hour● Use of “see also”
references● Records retrieved● Use of limits
ILS Tools: Indexes Used
Word: 32%
Title: 30%
ILS tools: Indexes Used
ILS tools: Indexes Used
Choose your default index
ILS tools: Indexes UsedInnovative’s RightResult● Adjacency● Where search term appears● Format, esp. serials● And optionally:
o More copieso Matching titles (245a)o Manual promotion
Google Analytics: All Activity
Historical reporting
Google Analytics: All Activity
● Use patterns, by pageviews:o Searcho My Account: about half of users log ino Quick Listso MORE Library look-up
● ILS-specific queries reveal search behavior
Forthcoming ILS tools
● Searches, traditional holdings vs. articles● Use of facets, tags, ratings● More to come, I hope!
o In-library vs. out-of-library useo Use of articles from initial searcho Use of OverDrive integration featureso My Account features used