Considering New Discovery Layers

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Considering New Discovery Layers

• Tom Adam, Information Literacy Librarian,
  University of Western Ontario
• Alan Bell, University of Waterloo
• Nora Gaskin, McMaster University
• Sian Miekle, University of Toronto
• Martha Whitehead, Associate University Librarian,
  Queens University Library

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Tom AdamUniversity of Western Ontario
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What were doing

• Why?
• Variables and options
• ILS and the Discovery Layer
• Interface Decisions
• Are we there yet?

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Whats it all about?

• Embrace change
• Work backwards
• Consider the user

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What we know about what we do
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How we are perceived
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Our Brand
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What would you do?
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the User Experience

• OCLC
• Perceptions survey
• Extract issued 2006

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Where do you start?
I use a search engine like google.
I use a library website.
ITS RIGHT HERE ITS 2
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Reasons
CREDIBLE
COST-EFFECTIVE
EASY TO USE
CONVENIENT
FAST
ACCURATE
RELIABLE
COST-EFFECTIVE
ACCURATE
CREDIBLE
CONVENIENT
FAST
RELIABLE
EASY TO USE
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Search engines fit perfectly with my lifestyle.
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Our Legacy
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What can we do?

• Make the search engine better
• Canadian Undergrad

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Martha WhiteheadQueens University Library
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Discovery Layer? Next Generation Catalogue?
Discovery Layer
Fed Search
ILS - circ
Images
Theses
Vendor
Vendor
Vendor
ILS bib, holdings
E-J
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About discovery

• From inventory to discovery (and back again)
• Keyword searching versus index browsing
• Relevance ranking precision, recall and first
  page principle

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Open Source or Vendor

• open source
• e.g. VuFind, eXtensible Catalog, SOPAC
• ILS vendors
• e.g. Primo (Ex Libris), Encore (III)
• other vendors
• e.g. Endeca, BiblioCommons
• AquaBrowser, OCLC, Serials Solutions

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Local or Hosted, Customize or Not

• Local
• hardware/software infrastructure
• some local configuration possible
• Hosted
• minimal local hardware/software
• ideally a service to manage user generated
  content
• Either data matters

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Web 2.0

• Why?
• interaction with collections
• reliance on peer and expert opinion
• social search
• What? Where? How?
• user generated content
• academic concerns, placement, web scale
• usage logs, recommender systems

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Summary some factors to consider

• User experience
• degree of integration
• search intelligence
• extensibility
• Local (or consortial) capacity
• time and money

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Sian MiekleUniversity of Toronto
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Introducing the Discovery Layer

• Data loading
• User experience
• Local vs.hosted solutions

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Data loading decisions

• Should data be loaded in new system?Advantages
  Self-contained interface Data available to
  functionality of new systemChallengesShifting
  the dataSynchronizing the data

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ILS
8.5M items
6.4M bib records
2.3M authorities
144K MARC holdings
Data transfer (nightly)?
Discover Layer Application
Restart application
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XML

• ltRECORDgt
• ltPROP NAME"p_title"gt
• ltPVALgtThe Canadian almanac
  directory.lt/PVALgt
• lt/PROPgt
• ltPROP NAME"p_publication"gt
• ltPVALgtCopp. Clark etc., 1848-lt/PVALgt
• lt/PROPgt
• ltPROP NAME"310.a"gt
• ltPVALgtAnnual.lt/PVALgt
• lt/PROPgt
• ltPROP NAME"362.a"gt
• ltPVALgt1st- year 1848-lt/PVALgt
• lt/PROPgt
• ltPROP NAME"503.a"gt
• ltPVALgtTitle varies 1848-50, Scobie
  Balfour's Canadian almanac, and lt/PVALgt
• lt/PROPgt
• lt/RECORDgt

Not quite 1000 MARC fields, 26 subfields, but
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Convert to XML
ltRECORDgt ltPROP NAME"p_title"gt
ltPVALgtThe Canadian almanac directory.lt/PVALgt
lt/PROPgt ltPROP NAME"p_publication"gt
ltPVALgtCopp. Clark etc., 1848-lt/PVALgt
lt/PROPgt ltPROP NAME"503.a"gt ltPVALgtTitle
varies 1848-50, Scobie Balfour's Canadian
almanac, and lt/PVALgt lt/PROPgt
lt/RECORDgt
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User experience using facets
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User experiencechanging search model
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User experience feedback

• 169 comments, Sept 08 Jan 09
• 21 in favour of the new interface
• 50 comments requesting features (26 ideas)
• 6 ideas based old search models 6 grads, 3
  library staff
• 6 ideas for new features4 grads, 2 undergrads, 1
  library staff
• 14 ideas functionality missed from old system
  6 faculty, 12 grads, 12 library staff, 3
  undergrads

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Local vs. hosted solutions

• Time to think
• Flexibility
• Content BIP, web pages, other data repositories
• Presentation visual, multiple, changing
• Challenges
• Infrastructure
• Staff
• Shared local solution?
• Share common tasks
• Share resources

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Nora GaskinMcMaster University
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1. User interface choices decisions2. User
feedback behaviour
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UI Choices Basic Search Screen

• just a search box go?
• include choice of search indexes? (fielded
  searching)
• include alpha as well as keyword indexes?
• include limiting at time of search?

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Search n Go UWO (Encore)
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Search n Go Queens N.Y. (Aquabrowser)
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Search n Go Limit by Collection Vanderbilt
(Primo)
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Choice of Keyword Indexes U of T (Endeca)
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Choice of Keyword Indexes Databases Villanova
U. (VuFind)
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Choice of Keyword Alpha Indexes Florida State
U. (Endeca)
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Choice of Keyword Alpha Indexes McMaster
(Endeca)
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Choice of Keyword/Phrase Indexes Limit by
Format, Location Waterloo (Primo)
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UI Choices Decisions

• Search, search within results, start over Oh my!

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Search Within Results Search button Start Over
link
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New Search button Search Within Results button
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UI Choices defaults

• facets open, closed or a mix?
• after a closed facet has been opened, keep it
  open?
• after a search, keep the previously selected
  index chosen, or return to the default?

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UI Choices facets

• which? hierarchical or flat?
• what to call them?
• display order
• order of values within facets alpha or most hits
  at the top?
• all and or some or?

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UI Choices Decisions

• Search logic
• match on any 1, 2, 3 terms, all terms?
• Display
• how to display the full bib item details
• Alpha indexes
• how to display?

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1. User interface decisions2. User feedback
behaviour
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McMasters Initial Implementation

• Spring 2007
• usability testing
• feedback via Tell us what you think button in
  catalogue
• most feedback within first 3-4 months

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Some interesting resultsfrom usability tests...

• only 1 of 5 subjects used the dimensions (oh no!)
• some subjects relied on type-ahead to complete
  all queries

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User Feedback Negative
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Suggestions/Problems/Questions
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User Feedback Positive
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Most-Used Facets, Jan.-Dec. 2008
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Alan BellUniversity of Waterloo
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The hope, the promise

• One search box to provide fast and convenient
  access to all of our resources, regardless of
  format
• Enable access to our digitized cultural memory
• Address disjointed library experience
• Attempt to remain relevant to web savvy users
• Provide Google-like relevance and react to
  challenges on the commercial internet

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Considerations, challenges

• Existing OPAC features
• Becoming an aggregator
• Can we ever get metadata/access to everything?
• Native interfaces
• A lot of data
• Controlled vocabulary cross walks
• Local modifications and needs
• Partners/Community and Collaboration

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