Resource Discovery Basics + Tiny Café

How easy is it for a user to find a textbook with a specific edition? 

We asked participants to find the third edition of Game Engine Architecture. 

All 27 participants attempted this task:

• 20 (74%) found the right textbook and edition.
• 7 (26%) did not find the textbook or correct edition of it.

The participants who found the right textbook and edition rated the ease of finding it a 4.1 out of 5, on average.

Insights:

• Overall, there was satisfaction with the homepage search bar, QuickSearch, and the Catalog.
• 2 of the 27 participants Googled the book title and “ncsu library” or a similar query, expecting to see the book’s catalog record on the page of Google search results.
• 5 of the 27 participants used the Libraries' Textbooks tool.
• 7 of the 27 participants Googled “ncsu library” or a similar query, then selected the Find a Book sublink.

How easy is it for a user to find a video game in our collections? 

We asked participants to find a video game, Doom (2016). 

There were 25 participants who attempted the task:

• 11 (44%) found the video game and the correct edition.
• 14 (56%) were unable to find the video game or the correct edition.

The participants who found the right video game and edition rated the ease of finding it a 4.2 out of 5, on average.

Insights:

• 11 participants looked at the Gaming page. (Some ended up finding the game, some did not.) We recommend linking to a filtered catalog search for games so users can find games to check out. (This has been implemented.)
• Multiple participants looked for a “Video games” filter in the catalog’s sidebar. The filter is “Games.” We recommend changing this filter to “Video games,” as that is the only type of game in our collections.
• Multiple participants looked for “Video games” in the global navigation menu under “Find & Borrow.” 
• Including the year of publication actually removed the relevant result from the catalog results page. Sample search for “doom 2016” vs. “doom.”  (This issue is being investigated.)

How easy is it for a user to find a scholarly article on a given topic? 

Of the 22 participants to attempted this task:

• 20 (91%) found an article that fit the criteria.
  • 16 found it through the Libraries (Summon or another database).
  • 4 found it through an external source (e.g., Google Scholar).
• 2 did not find an article.
  • 1 attempted to use the catalog.
  • 1 used ChatGPT, which returned nonexistent article citations.

The participants who found the right scholarly article on a given topic rated the ease of finding it a 4.5 out of 5, on average.

Insights:

• Some participants noted that they had attempted this task before, so it was easier for them.
• Note that this open-ended task was easier than other tasks. Participants could find acceptable articles using a wide variety of different approaches.

How easy is it for a user to find a specific database?

There were 11 participants who attempted this task:

• 6 (55%) participants were able to locate a database by name through the Libraries website.
  • 3 searched for the title in QuickSearch or the /databases landing page.
  • 2 found it through Googling something like “ncsu library mla international bibliography.”
  • 1 went to the “M” part of the databases A-Z list.
• 5 (45%) participants were not able to.
  • 2 thought they found the database through Google, but it was just the MLA website.
  • 2 tried to find it through Summon, either by appending the database name to the query or looking at the filters.
  • 1 located the database node but did not click it, going elsewhere instead.

The participants who found the right database by name rated the ease of finding it a 4 out of 5, on average.

Insight:

• Successful participants used a variety of ways to find the database: searching Google, searching our website, and browsing the databases list.