Category: Discovery and Search

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Usability testing of catalog results in EDS: Amherst findings

Abstract

We asked 4 first years and 3 seniors to complete a remote usability test in EDS, focusing on non-article search results (i.e., books, ebooks, archives, and e-resources). The test included an open exploration section, to gather insight on students’ research processes and mental models. We wanted to know about challenges with understanding and accessing archival materials, print books, e-books, and e-resources on and off-campus, as well as student preferences for campus display and willingness to travel.

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University of Massachusetts Amherst Discovery Search Usability Study

Abstract

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries recently conducted usability studies on EBSCO’s Discovery search platform, which is to be the default search tool on the UMass Amherst Libraries’ website beginning on July 2017. During the spring of 2017, Information Resources Management utilized surveys, focus groups, and hands-on testing of students and faculty to assess how library patrons interacted with the new discovery services (EDS) and other related library services. The following report documents this usability study, findings discovered, and recommendations hitherto. The following recommendations are broken into three categories: dataload (e.g. bibliographic records), design, and library services.

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