1. Subject Search Disconnect: Or, How Do Our Users Want to Search for Subject Information? Margaret Mellinger and Jane Nichols Oregon State University Libraries OLA, 2006

4. “virtual college libraries”

6. needs assessment literature review and web site inventory survey focus group usability

7. literature review customization database driven web pages mylibrary type applications personalization portals subject research guides subject searching/organization on web pages

8. web site inventory Ohio State University Libraries Gateway to Information VIVO Virtual Life Sciences Library University of Washington’s Resources by Subject Pages University of Washington Health Sciences NCSU –Business Information NetworkBusiness Information Network –MyLibraryMyLibrary University of Rochester River Campus Libraries AquaBrowser University of Michigan Business Library University of Minnesota Undergraduate Virtual Library

23. student survey

24. survey comments Make it simpler …make it more friendly Sometimes I just get lost… More publicity! Common searches Simple search box

25. survey comments I would want to be able to add direct links to my most used commands. I like the library web page just like it is. It would say "Hello (My Name)! And a live photo of a location on the OSU campus (chosen according to my customizable preferences). Common searches A simple search box and the type of search (book title, topic, author(s), etc.) I would link to all the services that I actually use from the main page; everything else I would leave behind. Recently used databases or recent searches Travel, or subject information Possibly make it more friendly and more accessable. Didn't use the page all first year because i was unfamiliar with it. Search tools that I use most frequently and that pertain specifically to my fields of study When searching for Journals and Articles, it would be nice to be able to get full text on all of them. Make it simpler. Make it more transparent when searching. I don't care what external search engine it's coming from. Just let me type it into a search box. No, Everything I have needed to find using the OSU Libraries web page was very simple. I have used the library web pages many times but I think it is mainly user error that makes things difficult. Many times I have found it hard to navigate but I think it is mainly because I have never been taught how to use it. Complicated to see what book titles and descriptions are online More publicity! Let students know how to access the benefits of the library from remote locations like their dorm rooms and apartments or wherever they're online. Make it easier to find what students are looking for. The last time I used the search tool, I got results that were not even related to the topic I was searching for. Make them simpler to understand, for those of us who are computer illiterate No, for the most part everything is okay. The search engine is a little too specific and as such makes searches complicated. There is also a lot of information associated with the search results that can be a little confusing but other than that its good. Put more things online - like journals and movies!! Link it to the ONID system, get rid of Blackboard, have an OSU portal that had all-in-one services - mail, library, account, registration, finaid, [financial aid?] etc.. Sometimes I just get lost. The things I need to find, I cannot easily find using the search. the menu does not make sense to me either.

26. focus groups

27. focus group comments …2 hours in library vs. 5 minutes online Single search box Suggested search terms Too many choices… …no explanation of choices Steps that narrow the search icons

28. focus group comments a student studying computational physics browses the "five rows in the library where everything I ever need will be." it would be nice if you had suggested terms steps that narrow the search too many choices, no explanation of choices 2 hours in library versus 5 minutes online one student noted the several layers to go through to get to a specific database. “single search box" would help be useful. icons would be better than "complicated titles" on the website. students indicate they use Google as a starting point (to find book titles, for example) and then try to locate the items at OSU student begins with library databases and books and then uses Google scholar if s/he hasn't found anything another student found an online library of books and paid the $15 fee to access books a couple of students "wouldn't change the library website…enjoy searching, have good luck.“ another student "Just love[s] the library" because of the number of computers available for students ("it definitely was a selling point for me to come to OSU").

29. usability sessions

31. conclusions

32. new directions

34. questions

35. virtual college libraries taskforce Ruth Vondracek, lead Loretta Rielly Maureen Kelly Hannah Gascho Rempel Jane Nichols Margaret Mellinger

36. web site addresses AquaBrowser http://www.medialab.nl/ Cornell University VIVO Virtual Life Sciences Library http://vivo.library.cornell.edu/ Ohio State University Libraries Gateway to Information http://library.osu.edu/sites/thegateway/ NCSU Business Information Network http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/business/ NCSU MyLibrary http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/mylibrary/about.html University of Michigan Business Library Database Finder http://eres.bus.umich.edu/dbfinder/DataBaseFinder.htm University of Minnesota Undergraduate Virtual Library http://www.lib.umn.edu/undergrad/ University of Rochester River Campus Libraries http://www.lib.rochester.edu/ University of Washington Health Sciences http://healthlinks.washington.edu/ University of Washington’s Resources by Subject pages http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/

37. selected articles Dahl, M. 2004. Content Management Strategy for a College Library Web Site. Info. Tech. Libr. 23(1):23-29. Ghaphery, J. 2002. My Library at Virginia Commonwealth University: Third year evaluation. D-Lib Magazine. 8(7). Ghaphery, J. and D. Ream. 2000. VCU’s My Library: librarians love it—users? Well, maybe. Info. Tech. and Libraries. 19(4):186-190. Gibbons, S. 2003. Building Upon the MyLibrary Concept to Better Meet the Information Needs of College Students. D-Lib Magazine. 9(3). Guenther, K. 1999. Customized data delivery through web portals: a case study. Online. 23(6):51. Hein, K.K. and M.W. Davis. 2002. The Research Wizard: An Innovative Web Application for Patron Service. Internet Reference Services Quarterly. 7(1):1-18. Jordan, W. 2000. My Gateway at the University of Washington libraries. Info. Tech. and Libraries. 19(4):180- 185. Ketchell, D.S. 2000. Too many channels: making sense out of portals and personalization. Info. Tech. and Libraries. 19(4):175-179. Levinson, M. 2002. Portal U.; How to connect students, faculty, staff, alumni and businesses so that they can share the school’s services, research and applications? Go for the gateway approach. CIO. 16(3):1. Morgan, E.L. 20 Jan 2005. MyLibrary@NCState: The Implementation of a User-centered, Customizable Interface to a Library’s Collection of Information Resources. http://my.lib.ncsu.edu/about/sigir-99/. Nielsen, J. 27 Feb 2005. Personalization is over-rated. http://www.useit.com/alertbox/981004.htmlhttp://www.useit.com/alertbox/981004.html Roberts. G. 2000. Designing a database-driven web site, or the evolution of the infoiguana. Computers in Libraries. 10:26-32. Westman, S. 2001. Database-backed library web pages. The Electronic Library. 19(6):424-431. Yerkey, N. 2001. Active server pages for dynamic database web access. Library Hi Tech. 19(2):133-142.