The characteristics of typical Online Public Access Catalogs are discussed. Patron use of these features is surveyed and analyzed. Usage patterns indicate that features are not…
Abstract
The characteristics of typical Online Public Access Catalogs are discussed. Patron use of these features is surveyed and analyzed. Usage patterns indicate that features are not effectively used by patrons due to lack of awareness of the features and their potential. The need for point‐of‐use prompts and bibliographic instruction is stressed.
The purpose of this article is to present an overview of the history and development of transaction log analysis (TLA) in library and information science research. Organizing a…
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to present an overview of the history and development of transaction log analysis (TLA) in library and information science research. Organizing a literature review of the first twenty‐five years of TLA poses some challenges and requires some decisions. The primary organizing principle could be a strict chronology of the published research, the research questions addressed, the automated information retrieval (IR) systems that generated the data, the results gained, or even the researchers themselves. The group of active transaction log analyzers remains fairly small in number, and researchers who use transaction logs tend to use this method more than once, so tracing the development and refinement of individuals' uses of the methodology could provide insight into the progress of the method as a whole. For example, if we examine how researchers like W. David Penniman, John Tolle, Christine Borgman, Ray Larson, and Micheline Hancock‐Beaulieu have modified their own understandings and applications of the method over time, we may get an accurate sense of the development of all applications.
Patricia Sullivan and Peggy Seiden
Traditional methods of studying and evaluating the use of online public access catalogs (OPACs) are discussed and compared to the protocol method. Verbal protocols are spoken…
Abstract
Traditional methods of studying and evaluating the use of online public access catalogs (OPACs) are discussed and compared to the protocol method. Verbal protocols are spoken records of people describing their work; they uncover detailed data about what people are thinking as they attempt to solve problems. The results of the Carnegie‐Mellon University protocol study of OP AC users are discussed.