Metasearch and the Cutting Edge: University of Rochester

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Metasearch and the Cutting EdgeUniversity of
Rochester

• Stephanie Frontz
• MARS Hot Topics Discussion Group
• ALA Chicago, June 2005

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UR Library homepage
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Find Articles, Journals, Newspapers
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AJN page
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Usability Findings

• Students cannot find articles
• Students overwhelmed with database names,
  contents, and search protocols
• Students insist on search simplicity
• Library needs to eliminate the complexity of
  information retrieval
• Technologies exist to make it simpler

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First version of Find Articles
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Current Find Articles (I)
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Finding results (FA I)
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Search Results (FA I)
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Getting to full text (FA I)
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Following links (FA I)
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Getting there (FA I)
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Still getting there (FA I)
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Our Process

• Conduct user testing on problem pages
• Redesign resource pages
• Evaluate various iterations of design
• Conduct further user testing

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New Basic Search (FA II)
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Basic Search Results (FA II)
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Sorting order (FA II)
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Getting to full text (GUF)
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Full Text
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Getting print in the library
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Interlibrary loan (FA II)
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Find Articles on Course Page
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Roles Responsibilities
Content group

• Define key tasks
• Raise issues
• Manage project

Usability group
Design group

• Select appropriate
• tests to perform
• Perform tests
• Report results
• Manage key-task
• process

• Create design iterations
• and prototypes
• Respond to issues and
• test results
• Manage issue-response
• process

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Contact Us