[13566] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: Searching the electronic catalog
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Miriam Bobkoff)
Tue Oct 10 08:49:04 2000
Date: Mon, 09 Oct 2000 20:43:17 -0600
From: Miriam Bobkoff <mbobkoff@RT66.COM>
In-Reply-To: <39DC816E.56536308@liu.edu>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
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Last week at Santa Fe Public Library, our users choose Word Search 33%
of the time, Title Search 26%, Author Search 23%, and Subject Search
16% of the time.
Four years ago we placed the keyword search on the top of the menu screen
deliberately, to decrease use of subject search and increase use of
keyword, because the users' success rate was much higher in keyword
search-- 'success' meaning a lower rate of no-hit searches. We are much
more concerned with recall than precision: users don't come to the desk to
ask why their searches aren't getting any results, so we want them to find
_something_ on their own.
Academic libraries would probably view the question differently.
About five years ago we compared our patrons' search patterns and success
rates to 19 other public libraries using the same library automation
software, Innovative Interfaces Inc. To a surprising extent, the numbers
were consistent, and implied that a particular brand of catalog system
offers a particular experience. Since that time, many III libraries have
moved from the text interface we were all then using to a Web-based
interface; and some libraries have added an advanced keyword searching
module. It would be much harder now to know we were looking at the same
thing if we collected the same numbers.
Miriam Bobkoff personal: mbobkoff@rt66.com
Santa Fe Public Library work: mbobkoff@ci.santa-fe.nm.us
145 Washington Avenue
Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA
(505) 984-6832 The Library's Page http://www.ci.santa-fe.nm.us/sfpl/
