How users search – linking people to our collections

Rebecca Cox

National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa

#ndf2010

Find http://find.natlib.govt.nz

Trove http://trove.nla.gov.au

Timeframes http://timeframes.natlib.govt.nz

Papers Past http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz

Lots of people don’t know about our specialist websites – and can’t search well enough to find them

User: business owner in his 50s

• Reads NZ Herald online daily

• Find using Google frustrating

Use the wrong symbol to search for an exact phrase (then fixes)

sydney opera house*

User: office manager in her 40’s

• Uses websites as part of job

• Finds there is a learning process

with each website

Using search keywords – range of skills and habits

Use the wrong symbol to search for an exact phrase:

new ireland;

User: works for local sports org, 30s

• Would always use Google for online

research

• Manages web content as part of job

Using search keywords – range of skills and habits

Use the wrong symbol to search using wildcards

User: librarian at a public library, 40ish

• Helps the public find books and info

Using search keywords – range of skills and habits

User kept adding extra keywords when getting no results

User: homemaker, in her 30’s

• Reads NZ Herald, Guardian online

• Would ask at local library for

specific information

Using search keywords – range of skills and habits

Some users are very good at using keywords to expand and contract a search

User: 14yr old high school student

• Uses Wikipedia for school projects

Using search keywords – range of skills and habits

A non-computer user can still have pretty good search skills

User: retired, in his 50’s

• Doesn’t use computer or internet

Using search keywords – range of skills and habits

Some have no idea how to adjust keywords if first attempt isn’t sucessful

User: 16yr old high school student

• Uses Wikipedia

• But usually all the resources they

need are provided in class

Using search keywords – range of skills and habits

Making it more complicated than it needs to be?

User: Masters in Information Studies

student, in his 20’s

• Always used Advanced Search

• Always set up quite specific queries

Using search keywords – range of skills and habits

Making incorrect assumptions about how the search interface functions

User: family history researcher, 60s

• Loves using Papers Past

Try a broad test search first, then see if it needs to be more specific

User: Masters in Information Studies

student, in her 20’s

• Used simple not Advanced Search

• Didn’t use facets

Use different parts of search interface

Use facets extensively to reviewsearch results

User: Masters in Information Studies

student, in her 20’s

• Used simple not Advanced Search

• Starts with broad queries

Use different parts of search interface

Use subject keywords applied to items of interest to refine a search query

User: Masters in Information Studies

student, in her 30’s

• Used Advanced Search

• Very interested in how the search

engine works

Use different parts of search interface

User research & Māori

Starting to look at how research process should change

•Relationship with interviewees – more ongoing, less one-off

•What type of information is recorded

Search engine traffic for variants of “papers past” = brand aware

Using Google to search Papers Past for specific info?

"papers past" "cc mcmillan"

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz cat nine tails

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz lady carroll

paperspast william russell, winton

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz "anti-opium association"

1900 papers past joeseph ward and james hislop nz

paperspast, lion and tiger fight

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz "dr dunn" +westport nz

papers past and dunedin and treweek

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz donovan-boxer

papers past north otago times baudinet

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz ~dyett

papers past waikato times

papers past [boshier]

papers past patrick o'brien napier

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz paenga

mrs a k dyne, papers past

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz kooti apostles

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz "mayall"

huntly weddings papers past

papers past john baker hokianga

"papers past" chess

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz papers past owen Murphy

papers past tuapeka times

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz opepe te kooti

papers past auckland an infatuated girl

samuel rowe thames papers past

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz "dr beaver"

de blois papers past

papers past may Colebrook

papers past hot air engine

papers past antarctica motor sledge

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz "wi matangi"

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz anaru matete

brittenden papers past napier

napier papers past henry fletcher

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz nz "francis joseph mitchell"

the late mr donnelly papers past

papers past taumarunui len harris

isabella thompson papers past

"patrick mcloughlin" papers past

papers past "mrs beeche" "boarding house"

papers past 1890 wellington

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz fenton hyland

papers past barraclough lodeg of good templars

past papers nz 8 mahuru 1904 wedding bells

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz "papers past" "j. b. robertson"

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz anaru taruke

paper's past news from the north nz

past papers taranaki herald

paperspast nz la morte in new Zealand

papers past; german shop ransacked

barclay weddings papers past

papers past mclellan Auckland

ashburton guardian papers past

paperspast timaru herald hongongoi 1880

capper papers past

brittenden "papers past" "notes by slip"page 34

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz papers past sergeant owen murphy

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz papers past charles redwood

isabella_menzies site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz

papers past parihaka prisoners

"john cummins" site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz

papers past wairoa hawke's bay

graham shannon papers past

papers past otago witness 26 july 1905

papers past harry pasley higginson

"arthur melville" site: paperspast.natlib.govt.nz

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz mehaka tokopounamu

paperspast cricket maruia

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz kate dillon papers past

gillies papers past wairarapa

paper past- john robert nicolle

papers past hugh hamilton new Zealand

papers past jessie readman 1876

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz "j foord"

paperspast + arrival of rhea sylvia

"trenwith" and "papers past"

papers past first o'brien family to new Zealand

paperspast nz la morte musician in new Zealand

"papers past" and "the story-teller"

paperspast moonlight maruia

site:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz treason liberated

mcleod ngaruawahia papers past

Where could you find out what resources and databases are searchable through this site?

Where could you find out what resources and databases are searchable through this site?

How would you find out how to use 'My favourites'?

How would you find out how to use 'My favourites'?

Can’t make any assumptions about how people use web tools

Take care with ethical side of user research

Web stats – source of the unexpected

Good reading on user interviews and usability testing:

Whitney Hesshttp://whitneyhess.com/blog/category/research/

Handbook of Usability Testing http://au.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470185481,descCd-description.html

Usability Professionals' Association Code of Conducthttp://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/about_upa/leadership/code_of_conduct.html