Web site Usability

Data

Q1: Using the library web site, can you tell if the library has any books written by Marc Bekoff?

Successful__X__                     Unsuccessful______

Observer's comment: The student used the catalog box to do an author search for Marc Bekoff. She switched the order of the author's name and came up with a list of books by Marc Bekoff.
Number of Links: 1

Observer's comment about underlying question of: Are students able to navigate to the catalog to look for a book? The student was able to link to the library catalog using the catalog box, but at first, she did not realize that the results she found were actually books by Marc Bekoff. She expected the catalog to return the authors name, which she could then click to find all of the books by this author.
Number of Links: 1

Q2: Using the library web site, can you find an electronic copy of Journal of Asset Management ?

Successful__X___                     Unsuccessful______

Observer's comment: The student started by doing a title/journal title search in the catalog box. She did not find any results, so she hit the back button and clicked on the eJournals A-Z link, then the alphabetical list, then j, she scrolled through the list and found this journal.
Number of Links: 5

Observer's comment about underlying question of:   Do students use the eJournals A-Z list for electronic journals? Yes, but in this case, the student went to the library catalog first.

Q3: Using the library web site, can you find a print copy of the Journal of the American Helicopter Society ?

Successful__X__                     Unsuccessful______

Observer's comment: The student performed a title/journal title search in the catalog box and found this journal.
Number of Links: 1

Observer's comment about underlying question of: Are students able to navigate to the catalog for a print journal? The student did navigate to the catalog.

Q4: Using the library web site, how would you get a book or article we do not own?

Successful__X___                     Unsuccessful______

Observer's comment: The student immediately clicked on the interlibrary loan link.
Number of Links: 1

Follow-up to Q4 if unsuccessful: If the student is unsuccessful, the librarian should ask what word or phrase were you looking for, but did not find?

Student's   response:

Observer's comment about underlying question of: Do students navigate to the ILL page and if so, how (through the how to box or the ILL link)? The student knew the term interlibrary loan and used this link to navigate to the ILL page.

Q5: Using the library web site, how would you find a journal article about depression?

Successful__X___                     Unsuccessful_____

Observer's comment: The student started by clicking on the research by subject link, scrolling through the list, she did not find the subject, "depression," so she went back and used the catalog search box to do a subject search for depression. After briefly scrolling through the results, she went back and clicked on research by subject and then find articles, then indexes and databases, scrolling through the list, looking for a database having to do with psychology, the student clicked on psychology and behavioral sciences collection. She performed a keyword search in this database and found many articles having to do with depression.
Number of Links:8

Observer's comment about underlying question of: Do students use the indexes and databases link to find articles? In this case, yes. This student mentioned that she regularly uses Web of Science. After talking with this student it became apparent that she is very experienced doing research on a topics. The student commented that she often has a hard time finding Mugar's Indexes and Databases link. She usually used the link on SEL's page.

Q6: How would you change the library's web site to make it more useful for you?

Student's response: With regard to the research by subject page, "make it easier to find indexes and databases." She did not notice the ask a librarian link.

Q7: What do you find useful on the library's web site?

Student's response: "I like the catalog search box." "I like having indexes and databases on the top of the page." The student mentioned that she likes the library links in the top right part of the page.

Q8: Is there anything you would like to tell us about the library's web site?

Student's response: She prefers to use the web catalog over the telnet terminals. She likes the colors on our pages and thinks that "stuff sticks out pretty well." "Trying to find books in the lower level of SEL is "difficult and confusing" sometimes.