Re: who is the primary user?

I agree that we need to examine how patrons use the catalog to determine if
they are finding vs searching. I have been using the search transaction logs
in our system to determine which subject  searches retrieve no hits. After
examining the results the patron sees - i.e. where does the "no results"
search take them in the index, I add the term used as a 4xx see reference in
our authority files. The 4xx see reference will then take the patron to a
catalog message that the term is not used in this catalog but to search
using the "subject heading" listed which links directly to the subject term.

While this referral directs the patron to the "term used" it is nonetheless
an intermediary step and click. What I would really like is a natural
language interpretation within the catalog software that authomatically
directs the patron to the correct term of the controlled vocabulary,
seamlessly. Maintain the controlled vocabulary but make it invisible to
patron. And yes, there are a gazillion problems with this thought but its
patron friendly and merits exploration. It may even be working somewhere in
a library - anyone?

Holly Ledvina
————-

First, kudos on your goddess-like responsiveness to user needs! Brava! I am
slavering at the bit to get to our next-gen search engine, as every product
seriously on the table offers synonym support (which is one reason they're
seriously on the table). Synonyms should be easy to add, review, and manage.


Second, I don't see a gazillion problems with your thought. I get almost
over-excited on topics such as transparent redirects versus prompted
redirects. If you watch Google, Ask.com, etc. on this, they seem to get
excited too—they keep changing what they do. The current Google response is
to provide the correct term with a link AND the best-bet results. In any
event, how redirects are formed is one of those options we ought to be able
to implement as user needs evolve.

Karen G. "fanning myself, oy, so verklempt" Schneider
kgs_at_bluehighways.com