> -----Original Message-----
> From: Next generation catalogs for libraries
> [mailto:NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Karen Coyle
> Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 1:58 AM
> To: NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu
> Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] Browsing percentages / analytics
> As I recall from conversations with him, users turned out to be quite
> resilient, trying lots of different angles before succeeding or giving
> up (from the logs you couldn't really tell, but most users moved from
> zero results to non-zero results). His figures also showed that the
> number of initial zero results was surprisingly high. I know when I
> tried to discuss the pitfalls of keyword searching with a class of
> computer science students at Stanford some years ago, their response was
> (in reference to search engines): "But I always get something." In the
> general equation of something v. nothing, something does tend to be a
> happier result, if even wrong.
I remember at another institution I worked at, someone was analysing the log files and discovered one user who was trying to find the Kamasutra. There was no authority file searching at that time. Whoever it was tried and tried and tried to find it and actually came very close for awhile and then got colder, but finally gave up. Everybody got a good laugh out of it, but I always felt sorry for the poor boy or girl who kept getting back zero results!
The heading in the catalog is:
Vātsyāyana. Kāmasūtra.
James Weinheimer j.weinheimer_at_aur.edu
Director of Library and Information Services
The American University of Rome
via Pietro Roselli, 4
00153 Rome, Italy
voice- 011 39 06 58330919 ext. 327
fax-011 39 06 58330992
Received on Fri Feb 08 2008 - 05:53:40 EST