Post on 29-Jun-2015
ALL SEARCH IS LOCAL: MAXIMIZING DISCOVERY IN
WORLDCAT LOCAL
Nicole Branch
Librarian for Research and Digitization
Paul J. Cushing Library, Holy Names University
All Search is Local
Holy Names University: A small local academic institution
WorldCat Local: HNU’s local search engine
Maximizing Discovery: HNU library wish list
Holy Names University
Located in Oakland, California 1,300 enrolled students Degrees: Graduate, adult degree
completion, traditional undergraduate Programs: Nursing, Business,
Education, Psychology, Liberal Arts, Religion/Spirituality
Social justice focus
Students & Faculty
Diverse student body First generation college students (more
than 50%), working adults, international students
Dedicated to teaching Professional degree orientation Strong ties to the local community
Student and Faculty Research Skills Reliant on Google (students) Used to traditional ILS/card catalogs
(faculty) Local public high schools do not have
strong library cultures Beginning-level information search skills
Very budget conscious
Library Transformation
Leadership Staffing Services Technology
InstructionApproximately 70 research workshops
between August 2011-June 2012Most instruction sessions are 75 minutes
longAttended by over 1,000 students in 2011-
2012 (duplicated and unduplicated)Important for faculty awareness
Research Help
Spring semester 2012 Librarians responded to 585 inquiries at the
research help desk 402 of these inquiries were “research”
question (i.e. not technology, directional or circulation)
Library Services Collection
management E-Theses E-Learning Liaison
program Environment Events
Materials BudgetHNU Materials Budget
Printe-Resrouces
14K (10%)
130K (90%)
Materials Budget
Print budget static for the past decade 8% increase in e-resources budget
annually
WorldCat Local at HNU
Launched in September 2011ILS implemented in 2004Circulating online July 2009OCLC December 2009WorldCat Resource Sharing (ILL) and
OCLC Navigator July 2010Resolving a cataloging backlog
Usage Impact
Comparing spring 2011 usage to spring 2012:
○ Examined 29 individual databases (articles, video/music, eBooks, reference)
○ 14 databases declined in usage○ 15 databases increased in usage
Usage Trends○ Overall usage increased by over 32%○ Individual database decreases ranged from
just under 9% to around 97%○ Individual database increases ranged from
25% to 1596%○ 8 individual databases increased in the range
of 100-300%
Circulation Trends
Spring 2011 Total Checkouts: 2,553 Spring 2012 Total Checkouts: 3,394
Increase of 33%
Implications for Selection Usage
Usage is the local “mayor”Analyze library and non-library factors
impacting usage Visibility
Makes visible materials that are desired (even if they are not currently available)
Requests rule
HNU WorldCat Wish List
Enriched data MARC records Records management Central indexing
Enriched Data
Users expect an enriched search experienceAbstractsTable of ContentsJackets and cover art“Enriched” doesn’t generally include
advanced search for users
Google & Search Expectation
Image courtesy of webempires.com
#1 Websites based on traffic rank.
Familiar Search Experience
Information Evaluation Abstracts, table of contents, related subjects
Visual Display of Information Configuration makes it easy to present
“nice” eBooks
Database/Format Awareness Ability to distinguish between different
databases and types of formats
Preparing Lifelong Scholars Academic alternative to Google Developing new “familiars” Support skills that cut across platforms
and institutions
MARC Records
Give us records Let them be of high quality No need to manipulate records in-house Good records-- including abstracts
(500/520)-- are crucial for discovery
eBook Records
Don’t treat eBook records as an afterthought- they reign eBook discoveryRecords and the interface for downloading
Clash of the ISBNsWhen not unique, records conflict
Quality Assurance
Have a quality assurance plan in place
If you aren’t sure, ask your users Search the AUTOCAT mailing list for your
company name and look for grumbling
Record Management Complete and comprehensive sets of
records Easy way to load/reload Clear distinctions for what is new or
updated Adding and changing proxy server prefix
(global edit) Dynamic and universal changes (no wait
time) Intuitive admin pages
Central Indexing
Impacts visibility Supports understanding of database
content Can dramatically impact usage
The Case of MAS Ultra
Centrally indexed Not demonstrated through instruction Generally not a targeted
recommendation during research help
MAS Ultra Usage Comparison Spring 2011 usage (full text): 55 Spring 2012 usage: 933
Increase of 1596%
Closing
WorldCat Local makes searching local Users expect centralized and enriched
search experiences Don’t neglect records Make discovery easy with central
indexing and easily manageable records