Friday, June 30, 2006, 10:02:30 AM, you wrote:
KGS> As I understand it, WebTrends will only take you through transaction log
KGS> analysis (though pretty good transaction analysis): who hit you and where.
KGS> Catalogs need search analytics to provide information about the kind of
KGS> searches people are conducting, what searches work, etc.: top hits, lowest
KGS> hits, failed hits, how many searches are one, two, or three-term, whether
KGS> people are scoping you with subject/title searches, quoted searches, etc.
KGS> Plus it wouldn't hurt to have more expertise in general in LibraryLand about
KGS> understanding search.
KGS> Most decent search engines provide *some* analytical reporting capability.
KGS> It is possible to roll your own, but it underscores the limitations of
KGS> last-gen catalogs that these capabilities aren't built in. The last-gen
KGS> catalog is an inventory tool, not a discovery service.
It can be done. See (PhD diss by my first ex-wife), WorldCat entry
below. No, it wasn't exactly what is described above, but was done
based on logs of all searches done in the system. I know that she
found, as I've noted from informal browsing of other system search
logs, that many of the "bad searches" are because users can't type
and/or can't spell. But you probably knew that too...
And I do agree that some further work needs to be done, and that
having it built in to an NGC would be a great feature.
dan
Title: Coincidence of user vocabulary and Library of Congress subject headings :
experiments to improve subject access in academic library online catalogs /
Author(s): Lester, Marilyn A., 1947-
Year: 1989
Description: xx, 411 leaves ; 29 cm.
Language: English
SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor: Catalogs, On-line -- Subject access.
Subject headings -- Use studies.
Subject headings, Library of Congress.
Note(s): Vita./ Typescript (photocopy)./ Includes bibliographical references
(leaves 288-310)./ Dissertation: Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign,
1989./ Reproduction: Photocopy./ Ann Arbor, Mich. :/ University Microfilms International,/ 1992./ 22cm.
Class Descriptors: LC: Z695.Z8; Dewey: 025.49
Responsibility: by Marilyn A. Lester.
Material Type: Thesis/dissertation (deg); Manuscript (mss)
Document Type: Book; Archival Material
Entry: 19920820
Update: 20040528
Accession No: OCLC: 26457159
Database: WorldCat
--
Dan Lester, Data Wrangler dan_at_RiverOfData.com 208-283-7711
3577 East Pecan, Boise, Idaho 83716-7115 USA
www.riverofdata.com The Road Goes On Forever....
Received on Tue Jul 04 2006 - 05:54:14 EDT