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Summon Use at Dartmouth CollegeUSERS’ RESPONSE
Dartmouth College Library
Triennial SurveySummary of results
o undergrad = 65% use Summon at least once a term (64% use Google Scholar at least once a term)
o grad = 25% once a term (61% Google Scholar)
o faculty = 25% once a term (74% Google Scholar)
o Undergraduate students feel it is important to their research, but it is not important to graduate students or faculty.
o When compared with other resources such as the Library Catalog, Library website, and the Research Guides all three groups ranked it last for meeting their research needs.
Importance: Comparison of Search Tools
o Library OPACo Summono Research Guideso Library Websiteo Course Web Pageso RefWorkso Endnote
Criteria for responses
How important are the following to your research?
4: Very important
3: Important
2: Somewhat important
1: Not important
0: Do not use
Undergraduates
Graduate Students
Faculty
Meets Needs: Comparison of Search Tools
To what extent do the following resources meet your needs?
4: Completely meet needs
3: Mostly meet needs
2: Somewhat meet needs
1: Rarely/never meet needs
0: Do not use
Undergraduates
Graduate Students
Faculty
How often do you use a resource?
oLibrary catalogoLibrary databasesoLibrary website oResearch GuidesoAsk Library staff
oSummonoGoogle ScholaroCourse Web PagesoCourse ReservesoWeb search engines
Undergraduates
Web
searc
h engin
es
Librar
y cata
log
Librar
y data
bases
Librar
y web
site
Summon
Google Sc
holar
Ask Lib
rary s
taff
Researc
h guides
Course w
eb pag
es
Course re
serve
s
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
76%
17%13%
24%
8% 9%
0%4%
19%
11%
More than once a week About once a week Two to three times a monthTwo to three times a term About once a term Rarely / never
Graduate Students
Web
searc
h engin
es
Google Sc
holar
Librar
y cata
log
Librar
y data
bases
Librar
y web
site
Summon
Ask Lib
rary s
taff
Course re
serve
s
Researc
h guides
Course w
eb pag
es
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
69%
25%
12%
19%23%
4%1% 3% 5%
24%
More than once a week About once a week Two to three times a month Two to three times a termAbout once a term Rarely / never
Faculty
Web search engines
Google Scholar Library catalog Library databases
Library website Summon Ask Library staff
Research Guides
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
81%
27%
48%53% 54%
10%4% 5%
More than once a week About once a week Two to three times a monthTwo to three times a term About once a term Rarely / never
Librarians on the Street:
What are our users telling us?
ObservationsSummon
Pros
Cons
Current Library Search Box
New Directions for Searching
Results from three sources:
To Sum Up:
To Sum Up:
• There is no doubt Summon has become an important tool in our arsenal of resources.• Provides results in a variety of formats, sources, etc.• Often provides sources to beginning researchers that would have taken much longer to
find otherwise• When the stars are aligned, and everything works as it should, it’s a miracle and users
go happily on their way• Users want ease of use, they want tools to be easy to figure out and they want them to work• Facets are wonderful in concept and librarians and “power users” get them (and sometimes
want more!)• Most users are overwhelmed by the list, don’t know how to use it or, with many students,
never even see it.• When a new tool fails, it is hard to regain enthusiasm. The request for full text fails over and
over. • The reason for the hue and cry when we changed the primary search to Summon was due to
this lack of confidence in the results and the ability to obtain them easily. • When compared with other resources such as the Library Catalog, Library website, and the
Research Guides all three groups ranked it last for meeting their research needs.• Confusion was the term most used in comments
