Week 06

Keywords: Observations in Informatics and Medical library, First Analysis of Oria

Illustrasjonsbilde: Colourbox.no

In the sixth week of the project, further observations were done in the Informatics and Medical Library at UiO, as well as a first analysis of email requests to the libraries. This led to more insights in the common interactions of library users with library staff. Also, the first analysis of Oria queries was finalized, leading to a presentation of issues and potential opportunities to improve the library system.

Specific Activities

  • Observations and talks at the Informatics- and Medical library
    • Gaining an understanding of the general workflows in the libraries, including the use of IT systems
    • Counting different types of questions of library users (interaction with library desk) including book-related questions (book requests, pickups and returns), questions about the use of databases, tech questions (e.g. installing a printer), use of utilities (e.g. staplers) and room reservations
    • A first analysis of email requests in the medical library including book requests, article requests (E.g. “find me the references on page [X] of paper [Y]”), requests for a search session, issues related to access to materials, course-related questions and endnote questions.
    • Attending a search session with a librarian and medical specialist
    • Use of Mesh vocabulary and complex search strategies

Meetings included

Digital Collections

  • Exploring the requirements and options for (integrated) systems which can provide access to special collections (such as the “Ida” collection).
  • A discussion of the resources which are needed for it (installation, customization, maintenance), and of the potential to extend it to a larger project.
  • There is a tension between the flexibility (carry out our ideas), maintenance (long-term) and extendability (at a later stage) of an existing system

Realfagsbiblioteket

  • A Presentation of the “Oria query analysis” at personalmøte Realfagsbibliotek, and subsequent discussion. The following two datasets were analyzed:
    • “Popular queries” - 5,776
    • "Different queries" - 115,590 searches (UiO)
  • The findings for this dataset show that some sources are hard to find in Oria, even various sources occurring in the top 50 of the most frequent queries E.g., there is no entry for the Pubmed database in the first ten results, potentially confusing users (some other databases, e.g. Atekst, have one)
  • At least 57% of the analyzed popular queries was related to pensum books
  • “Zero result queries” - 39,925 different queries, 52,257 searches. The queries returning zero results show that there are frequent issues:
    • users pasting complete citations, and Oria often does not return results for those queries
    • Relatively simple misspellings can also result in zero results
    • At least 28% of the analyzed sample of “failed” queries was related to pensum books

Take home message

  • There are many opportunities to improve Oria

  • Library staff should support and inform Oria users well (e.g. in information skills courses) -- and make clear that not directly finding something in Oria does not mean it is not available in the library

  • We may potentially use the realfagstermer (and other vocabularies) to provide better navigation possibilities (integrate functionality emnesøk & oria)

Students INF2260 Interaksjonsdesign

Ideas from the students

  • Use touch table, integrate physical bookshelf, RFID scanner to select a book. First design for an interface to browse books
  • Alma: interface could make better (visual) use of the touch table
  • Further sketching and designs needed, eliciting innovative ideas
  • Design thinking approach, thinking creatively
  • Creating personas on the spot: librarian, student, researcher, other
  • How to trigger people passing (the touch table) in the library to actually use it?
  • Think of different kinds of media, videos, books, games
Publisert 17. okt. 2016 12:47 - Sist endret 18. des. 2018 12:39