Learning & Teaching Day: Using Broadsearch to Support Learning and Teaching at UEA Ms Sarah Elsegood Arts and Humanities Faculty Librarian and Dr Sarah Garland Lecturer in American Studies
Contents 1. What is Broadsearch? 2. Functionality how is it different to OPAC? 3. Web 2.0: a) tags and b) reviews 4. What do the students think? 5. Impact on Information skills session delivery? 6. Case study: AMS Study & Research Skills unit (AMSA1F15) 7. Discussion
1. What is Broadsearch? Ex Libris s Primo is a one-stop solution for the discovery and delivery of local and remote resources, such as books, journal articles, and digital objects. Branded locally as Broadsearch. Library Catalogue + Digital repository UEA e-resources Digitool: UEA s digital repository http://broadsearch.uea.ac.uk
Aleph OPAC
2. Functionality how is it different from OPAC? evidence that users prefer other search, retrieval and delivery services, such as Google users prefer quick easy intuitive interfaces relevance ranking is popular improved aesthetic experience Broadsearch offers access to the high quality content through an attractive interface Web 2.0 tags and reviews Access to journal articles via sub-set of databases Did you mean? searching can be less precise
Books, etc: Facets, icons and availability and Frbrization
Integration with Aleph OPAC
Accessing e-books
Locating print and e-journal titles
Articles, etc: Searching e-resources
SFX linking to UEA-subscribed content
3a. Web 2.0: Tagging
3b. Web 2.0: Reviews
4. What do the students think? We asked for 3 types of response: I particularly liked It would be good if perhaps it could The following needs improving Any other comments Users were asked to indicate status: e.g. undergraduate, taught postgraduate, etc. Feedback was also sought on the interface welcome screen
User feedback Refine searches is a great feature that helps with research I like the showing of multiple editions under a single title on the search results page the convenient searching system is wonderful! it's helps me a lot when I m doing research or writing an essay I've had quite a bit of trouble getting my students to search anything other than JSTOR because of the difficulty they find in the interfaces - Primo looks like it might solve that problem - it's much more intuitive [lecturer] [on tagging and reviews] Goodness - that does sound useful. Am interested in how the reviews will pan out - it might end up being a good device for us as tutors to flag the usefulness of a book. [lecturer]
User feedback Opening some links in new windows unpredictably makes browsing a rather unpleasant experience This is definitely a step in the right direction Useless It s useful and convenient, although the article bit does tend to take a long time to load. Aaaargh! What on Mars was wrong with the other interface?
User feedback Broadsearch is simpler and feels as though it has been designed for research users rather than as an inventory of books to which researchers can have access. I like the flexibility of being able to do simple general searches (if I don't really know what I want or if I am a relative novice - I fall into both categories!) or to do sophisticated screening and narrowing if I am in a position to be more discriminating. The narrowing options, available and suggested, are very helpful. I also like the fact that information on availability is shown on the same page as other details so you don't have to keep switching. [PSI taught postgraduate, mature student]
6. Impact on IL skills session delivery? Advice needed on constructing search strategies, selecting appropriate keywords, refining searches Some brief explanation of the features is helpful Users need help in evaluating the results and refining searches Users strayed into Articles, etc. searching without realising what it was and what they were searching Broadsearch provided a useful starting point for introducing database searching. Students move on to MetaLib and the full range of e-resources after first searching a smaller sub-set using Articles, etc. tab LAW and MED students need to use native interfaces
References: Elsegood, S (2009), Narrow or Broadsearch? Implementing Ex Libris s Primo interface at the University of East Anglia Serials, 22 (1), pp 70-74 <http://www.metapress.com/content/c85133g1360mx101/?p=344327ed41d0451bab21f5b963 7579bd&pi=17> Accesed: 24 April 2009 Ex Libris Primo <http://www.exlibrisgroup.com/category/primooverview> Accessed: 24 April 2009 How to compete with Google, JIBS User Group workshop 13 November 2008 <http://www.jibs.ac.uk/events/workshops/simplerds/> Accessed: 24 April 2009 Lewis, N (2008), Implementing Ex Libris s Primo at the University of East Anglia, Ariadne 55 <http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue55/lewis/> Accessed: 24 April 2009
Other UK Libraries with Ex Libris Primo : Primo at the British Library (Beta site) http://searchbeta.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=blvu1&fro mlogin=true&fromlogin=true SUPrimo at the University of Strathclyde coming soon! SOLO Search Oxford Libraries Online (Oxford University) [opens in new window] http://solo.ouls.ox.ac.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=oxvu1&f romlogin=true&fromlogin=true Southampton Solent University http://catalogue.solent.ac.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=ssu VU01&fromLogin=true