On 7/27/07, Ted P Gemberling <tgemberl_at_uab.edu> wrote:
> Keep in mind, though, that this is a specialized database for people
> studying films. So they will probably get bibliographic instruction for
> using it. It's not UCLA's general catalog.
>
Frankly, I think this explanation is 'part of the problem'. If the
answer is 'they will get bibliographic instruction to know how to use
our interfaces', we have failed on several fronts.
1) it's probable that a sizable percentage of users would never get
bibliographic instruction.
2) if they get it, it's probable that they won't remember all of it.
3) B.I. could be spent doing much more useful things (like explaining
what is in the collection, when it would be useful and why) if we
didn't have to train people how to navigate our difficult to navigate
systems.
But, really, a dependency on B.I. is always going to be a losing
proposition. If our systems require training, our users will go
elsewhere. It's a principle of the path of least resistance.
> Let's say I use your advanced search and type in Spanish civil war, as a
> phrase, in subjects. I get nothing. ...
> You don't have to examine hundreds of titles to find the
> specific ones you need. Which system is more "user friendly" when you
> factor in that?
Ted, this whole exercise confused me. The 'default' search (which is
all a vast majority of our searches are) for spanish civil war
(automatically boolean ANDed for the user) returns 228 results of what
seem perfectly reasonable results for spanish civil war.
Sending the user down the rabbit holes of pre/post coordinated subject
headings isn't productive. Our interfaces should help the user find
relationships for them (with the option of the user being able to do
whatever she wants, as well), but just typing spanish civil war
should, in an effective system (and I'm certainly not saying UTA's
Voyager catalog, nor any other WebVoyage catalog, is one) should place
the user in a search/browse interface that effectively, intuitively
and, most importantly, efficiently and simply locates the sorts of
items the user is pursuing.
-Ross.
Received on Sat Jul 28 2007 - 09:42:28 EDT