Promise Fulfilled? An EBSCO Discovery Service Usability Study

New service system as an information-seeking context

Purpose

The purposes of this paper are to understand the user information seeking (IS) process under a new service system, to explore how users construct strategies and to identify the influences of the new service system on the IS process and behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

A quality research study design that included questionnaires survey, observation, thinking-aloud and interviews was employed. In all, 20 participants from 12 social science disciplines at Sichuan University, Chengdu, China were observed using the proposed Discovery Service system. The user IS process characteristics and taxonomy were analysed, and the stages matrix of IS under new system was built.

Findings

Users’ IS processes under the new system proved to be very complex. The features of three process stages, i.e. searching, scanning and verifying stages, and four different behaviour patterns were identified. Moreover, characteristics of IS behaviour under the new service system were described.

Originality/value

User IS behaviour was addressed in a new service system context in this study, as has seldom been done in previous IS research. A comprehensive and user-centred understanding of users’ exploratory practices in a new service system context was obtained, which will inform the development of information services for digital libraries. In addition, it indicated that the uncertainty of the IS process should be addressed by considering the relationships among IS, information retrieval and user-computer interaction.

Guiding choices: implementing a library website usability study

Purpose

The purpose of this study is go better understand website usability by community college students. The usability study team sought data that would help to guide in a website redesign.

Design/methodology/approach

Librarians led students through sessions that followed the usability testing approach defined by Nielsen (2012) which emphasizes the ease of use of the Web interface. This study compared the results from the existing library website and a prototype website.

Findings

The study’s findings emphasized the need for balance between the variety of services and content that the website provides. This is especially true given that so many community college students are underprepared for college-level courses.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited by available time and the clinical nature of the usability session.

Practical implications

The study results underscore the significant challenge facing library website designers. The various online services exist in pockets that are only partially integrated and, therefore, require students to make decisions and predictive judgments as they navigate the site.

Originality/value

Overall, this study emphasized the need for balance between the variety of services and content that the website provides.

Impact of web-scale discovery on reference inquiry

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine shifts in the volume and complexity of reference questions received at a small liberal arts college following the implementation of a Web-scale discovery service.

Design/methodology/approach

Researchers used the Warner model of reference classification to review and classify reference questions from the academic year prior to the implementation of EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) and the academic year following EDS implementation to evaluate the change in volume of questions and complexity.

Findings

Research findings are significant as they document a 34 per cent decline in overall volume of reference activity following the integration of a Web-scale discovery service into the research process. Notably, the question category rated as the highest level of reference complexity (level IV) registered an 18.5 per cent increase in volume, post-EDS implementation. Question levels I-III all saw declines in volume ranging from 45 to 14 per cent.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the study relate to multiple librarians having recorded questions as they were received by reference services and, as a result, some variation in transaction description should be expected. The concurrent deployment of a Web-scale discovery service and an integrated link resolver made delineation of the respective impact of each tool difficult.

Practical implications

Libraries contemplating the integration of a Web-scale discovery service into the research process will be able to use the research analysis to contemplate service redesign in advance of discovery implementation. The research results support additional training of reference personnel to service higher levels of in-depth inquiries. A redesign of reference services incorporating a tiered reference model using proactive chat with referrals to library faculty for in-depth research consultations is recommended.

Originality/value

After a literature review of relevant research, the researchers discovered few similar studies. As a result, this analysis will be of significant value to the library profession.

Teaching “format as a process” in an era of Web-scale discovery

Purpose

– This paper aims to present academic librarians with a framework for teaching and assessing information literacy in response to advancements in online discovery. Advancements in online discovery require academic librarians to develop new means of teaching and assessing information literacy, with an emphasis on having students use critical thinking to evaluate sources.

Design/methodology/approach

– This conceptual paper analyzes how the threshold concept “format as a process” could be incorporated into information literacy instruction sessions which address Web-scale discovery services and other online search tools. General guidelines for applying this concept are included, along with potential classroom activities and assessments.

Findings

– Format as a process provides a valuable framework for evaluating information, though librarians need to be mindful of how they present the concept to students. Instruction must be focused on fostering critical thinking skills, rather than how to perform tasks, and assessment must be qualitative in nature.

Practical implications

– These changes in online searching mean that information literacy programs will need to alter their approach to instruction and move beyond the “one shot” paradigm. Critical evaluation is a sustainable, lifelong skill which will continue to serve students after graduation, but developing that ability requires academic librarians to fulfill new roles in the classroom and on campus.

Originality/value

– The literature surrounding instruction of Web-scale discovery is still limited, and does not incorporate the threshold concepts provided in Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education. This paper concentrates on one such concept, as well as discusses how future concepts could be addressed.

Reflections on teaching and tweaking a discovery layer

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the hypotheses that led to the selection and implementation of a number of customizable features in Serials Solutions' “Summon” discovery layer tool.

Design/methodology/approach

Undergraduate students were surveyed to determine their preferences regarding certain customizable features in the Summon discovery layer tool.

Findings

The authors were most interested in asking students their preferences regarding the ability to add newspapers and outside resources into their search results, as well as their interest in the database recommendation feature. The default Summon settings were selected based on hypotheses grounded in the knowledge of information seeking behavior of undergraduate students. However, it was discovered that the student preferences uncovered through the use of the survey often ran counter to initial assumptions. The results of the case study indicate that this population of students is overwhelmingly interested in having Summon recommend databases in which students might continue their research. However, the results were not as clear regarding the inclusion of newspaper sources and sources from outside the institution in the search results.

Originality/value

The paper's findings demonstrate the importance of supplementing research‐driven hypotheses with specific data‐driven feedback from users when determining the customization and layout of library research tools and technology.