Since the adoption of faceted search in a small number of academic libraries in 2006, faceted search interfaces have gained popularity in academic and public libraries. This article clarifies whether faceted search improves the interactions between searchers and library catalogs and sheds light on ways that facets are used during a library search. To study searchers' behaviors in natural situations, we collected from the servers a data set with more than 1.5 million useful search logs. Logs were parsed, statistically analyzed, and manually studied using visualization tools to gain a general understanding of how facets are used in the search process. A user experiment with 24 subjects was conducted to further understand contextual information, such as the searchers' motivations and perceptions. The results indicate that most searchers were able to understand the concept of facets naturally and easily. The faceted search was not able to shorten the search time but was able to improve the search accuracy. Facets were used more for open-ended tasks and difficult tasks that require more effort to learn, investigate, and explore. Overall, the results weaved a detailed "story" about the ways that people use facets and the ways that facets help people use library catalogs.

Analyzing the interaction patterns in a faceted search interface

This paper reviews the leading trends in and contributions to the peer-reviewed and professional literature of serials librarianship published in 2006 and 2007. The review shows that a central topic in the literature is the nature and effect of libraries’ ongoing transition from acquiring serials in print to providing access electronically. Propelled forward by user preferences, this transition is reflected in publications that reconceptualize collections and describe innovative initiatives and strategies for acquisition, access, and management. Throughout the literature, the review traces a prevailing sentiment that libraries are advancing well beyond the confines of print-centered models and are assuming new roles, imagining new possibilities, and developing new solutions.

/pdf/from-innovation-to-transformation-1v5ghtwzbq.pdf

From Innovation to Transformation

Electronic resource access troubleshooting is familiar work in most libraries. The added complexity introduced when a library implements a web-scale discovery service, however, creates a strong nee...

/pdf/essential-skills-and-knowledge-for-troubleshooting-e-1x9x1pe4nq.pdf

Essential skills and knowledge for troubleshooting e-resources access issues in a web-scale discovery environment

The serials literature from 2008 and 2009 reveals the new identity of the serials professional—one who embraces openness. Many forces have pushed the serials profession into a state of flux; among these are the recent economic recession, the evolution of scholarly publishing, and the concept of open systems and data. Chaotic change for serialists has evolved into opportunities to revise collection strategies, approach Big Deal purchasing in new ways, devise creative user-access solutions, and become stakeholders in the debates over scholarly communication. The literature also reveals serials professionals developing a Web 2.0 sensibility. These themes are presented in the review through a discussion of six major topics: sustainability of serials pricing, the future of the Big Deal, management of electronic resources, access, blurring and decline of formats, and Web 2.0.

/pdf/serials-literature-review-2008-9-embracing-a-culture-of-4bx48ttpjg.pdf

Serials literature review 2008-9: Embracing a culture of openness

At the end of 2005, impending digitization efforts and several developments related to the creation of access and discovery tools for informational and cultural objects resulted in a series of responses that continue to ripple throughout the library, museum and archive communities. These developments have broad implications for all three communities because of the goals shared by each in the creation of description, control and enhanced access to informational and cultural objects. This position paper will consider new implementations of faceted navigation and browsing features in online catalogs. It is also a response to challenges to develop interwoven approaches to the study of information seeking and the design and implementation of search and discovery systems. Urgently needed during this time of experimentation, development and implementation is a framework for system evaluation and critical analysis of needed and missing features that is grounded in traditional principles, borne out by practice. Such a framework could extend feature analysis protocols established during the early years of online catalog development.

/pdf/faceted-navigation-and-browsing-features-in-new-opacs-a-more-igo3b8inkl.pdf

Faceted navigation and browsing features in new OPACs: A more robust solution to problems of information seekers?

Making It Look Easy: Maintaining the Magic of Access

Staff members at North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries have identified the need for name authority control within E-Matrix, a locally developed electronic resources management (ERM) system, to support collection intelligence, the process of collecting, collocating, and analyzing data associated with a collection to gain a sophisticated understanding of its qualities for strategic planning and decision making. This paper examines the value of establishing authority control over organization names within an ERM system in addition to describing NCSU’s design for conducting name authority work in E-Matrix. A discussion of the creation of a name authority tool within E-Matrix is provided along with illustrations and examples of workflow design and implementation for the assignment of authoritative headings. Current practices related to authority control and ERM systems in academic libraries and within organizations such as the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) are also investigated and summarized to provide context for this project. Future possibilities for the use of this type of authority control on the part of librarians, vendors, and standards bodies are explored.

/pdf/creating-organization-name-authority-within-an-electronic-lr795wbxf7.pdf

Creating Organization Name Authority within an Electronic Resources Management System

The Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) has formal relationships with the Library of Congress (LC), Share-VDE, and Linked Data for Production Phase 2 (LD4P2) for work on Bibliographic Framewor...

MARC to BIBFRAME: Converting the PCC to Linked Data

In January 2006, NCSU Libraries implemented Endeca as a public interface for the online catalog. This indexing tool exposes selected MARC data elements and allows for guided navigation through the bibliographic data of the Libraries collections using a faceted display based on Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) along with item attributes from an underlying ILS. The article discusses the Endeca technology and NCSU Libraries' implementation of the service. The authors also examine the impact of this revolutionary service on serials including an evaluation of how Endeca complies with several serial-specific recommendations of the University of California Bibliographic Report. A brief discussion of future implications of Endeca on serials concludes the article.

Jacquie Samples

Papers

Making It Look Easy: Maintaining the Magic of Access

Creating Organization Name Authority within an Electronic Resources Management System

MARC to BIBFRAME: Converting the PCC to Linked Data

Magnifying the ILS with Endeca