The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Worldcat Local User Test Carter

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The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

WorldCat Local User Test

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Submitted by David Haro, Steve Abraham, and Mark Taylor

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Report Distributed March 12, 2014

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Executive Summary
The user studies in this report were conducted as a response to frustration that has been
expressed by the University of North Carolina (UNCC) users of WorldCat Local (WCL) since it
was instituted as part of the UNCC library website in 2013. This report discusses a series of user
tests that observed three UNCC English professors using the J. Murrey Atkins Library website
and database interface in their own offices while two observers were present. The test asked the
users to perform three tasks meant to represent their typical use of the system and simultaneously
test aspects of the WCL system that was designated as problematic in earlier research; the test
was conducted February 19, 2014.
The J. Murrey Atkins Library serves as a large learning center with books, computers,
magazines, and other technology to connect people with various resources. The WCL system at
the J. Murray Atkins Library allows students and faculty to further expand their research in a
database that provides a variety of information.
The information that is available consists of:
Books
Articles
Journals
eBooks

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The WCL system has helped many students regarding their research and faculty members are
able to reserve and access various pieces of work to enhance lectures and conduct research as
well. The WCL system is a database connected to over 2000 individual databases provided by
other libraries; users have access to approximately 1.66 billion items through these databases.
However, the system also has been known to have its flaws that have frustrated many users.

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Findings state there are particulars to the way the WCL system works that frustrate users;
however, there are aspects of the new database that users appreciate such as the ability to copy
and paste text into the search bar and auto-filling Inter-Library Loan requests.
Features that were complained commonly include
The inability to set the search to local only from the library homepage.
The odd variety of results that often appear from a search.
The complexity of the system itself.

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In the end, because none of the issues are critical, they can be improved upon.

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ii
List Of Figures ... iv
Introduction . 1
Discussion Procedures & Research Outcomes ............ 2
Brief Introduction .. 2
Research Method 3
Test Results ............................ 4
Task One ..
Task Two .
Task Three
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Findings ..... 5
Search Bar .. 5
Search Results ..... 5
View Now .. 5
Inter-Library Loan 5
Experience Level .. 5
Recommendations .. 6
Features To Improve ... 6
Features To Keep ..6

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List of Figures
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The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

WorldCat Local User Test
Introduction
The WorldCat Local (WCL) is a database connected to over 2000 individual databases provided
by other libraries; users have access to approximately 1.66 billion items through these databases.
The WCL system has helped many students and faculty regarding their research; however, the
system also has been known to have its flaws that have frustrated many users.
The user studies in this report were conducted as a response to the frustration that has been
expressed by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) users of the WCL system
since it was instituted as part of the UNCC library website in 2013. This report discusses a series
of user tests conducted February 19, 2014 that observed three UNCC English professors using
the J. Murrey Atkins Library website and database interface in their own offices while two
observers were present. The test asked the users to perform three tasks meant to represent their
typical use of the system and simultaneously test aspects of the WCL system that was designated
as problematic in earlier research. The end goal for this study was to provide clear evidence of
where the WCL database could be improved.

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Discussion Procedures & Research Outcomes

Brief Introduction

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Research Method
The user test was conducted through the course of one day; each test lasted between 30 minutes
to an hour. The three participants were each professors of the English Department, described
here as Professors A, B, and C; a pre-test survey was conducted for demographic reasons.
Professor A was the newest employee of UNCC with only nine years of employment, Professor
B had 23 years, and Professor C had 41 years of employment. Each professor stated that they
used both the current and the previous database on a weekly to bi-weekly basis; although,
Professor C did not make use of the more advanced features and described a lack of confidence
with recent technology.
Three tasks, which analyzed the professors use of three different aspects of the WCL system,
were given to each participant. Participants made use of a provided laptop setup to collect both
images and audio from the desktop of the participants; the web browser used was Google
Chrome.
The following is a list of tasks users were asked to perform:
1. Locate and access an eBook that you would consider relevant and useful for your
research area or useful as supplemental material for your students.
2. Locate and request a book currently found in the Atkins Library that you would consider
relevant and useful for your research area or useful as supplemental material for your
students.
3. Locate and reserve or access digitally the following article:
Lamb, Robert. "Liberty, Equality, and the Boundaries of Ownership:
Thomas Paine's Theory of Property Rights." The Review of Politics.
72.3 (2010): 483-511. Print.
During Professor Bs test, a malfunction of the laptop required the test to switch to the use of the
professor's desktop. Upon completion or termination of the test, an exit survey was conducted to
elicit further user opinion of the WCL system.

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tests, and key findings.

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Test Results
Task One.
Professors A and B both completed Task One. During the test, Professor A
became frustrated with the need to reenter information after switching the search to local UNCC
libraries. The first item Professor B wished to locate was unavailable; after switching to a
different item, the search was successful. Professor C expressed confusion with eBooks and
terminated the task upon becoming frustrated.
Task Two. Professors A, B, and C each completed Task Two, but Professor C
admitted to have never made use of the ability to reserve or request an item. Even though
Professor C did have success in finding a locally available item without selecting a local search,
both Professors A and B made use of the local search for this task.
Task Three. Professors A, B, and C each completed Task Three. Both Professors B
and C made use of the library Article option on the homepage search bar to complete this task.
Professor C attempted to use the Research Guides section of the Atkins website first, but
returned to the homepage search bar after becoming frustrated. Professor A also used the
homepage search bar but made use of the Journal search option as opposed to the Article search
option; this method did increase the success time by a few seconds.

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Findings
Overall, the search database system does not face any critical issues barring users from making
use of its powerful capabilities. Each participant was eventually able to complete the tasks, with
the notable exception of Professor C's lack of confidence with Task One. The following site
features are what users found to be frustrating, particularly useful, or both.
Search Bar. The users reported appreciation of the ease with which items could be
found using the homepage search bar. However, both Professors A and B expressed frustration
with not being able to perform local searches without having to conduct a search first and then
accessing the Advanced Search options.
Search Results. All of the professors articulated dissatisfaction with the kinds of search
results that were given and how they were displayed. Professors A and B both noted items on
their search list that were "bizarre," and Professor B felt as if having to view such items in a
result list was "wasted time." Professor C expressed displeasure with repetitive results and
specifically asked, "Why does it show the cover five to six times?"
View Now. Professor B took issue with the View Now option for digital access. The
implication of View Now suggests that clicking on the button allows for instant viewing of the
material; however, this is not the case. Clicking on View Now brings up another list of options,
often leading to another site, which may have its own design.
Inter-Library Loan. The new database's feature of auto-completing an Inter-Library
Loan request was appreciated by all three professors and seen as a great timesaver.
Experience Level. Professor C's lack of confidence, in comparison to Professors A
and B, suggests that the search database can be intimidating to those unsure of how they interact
with more recent technology, particularly the results page and those that follow. Professor C was
quick to return to older points of access (Research Guides) to gain the information sought as
opposed to learning the new system. However, the lack of complexity surrounding the
homepage search bar did appear to allow entry into the system.

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Recommendations
This study shows that there is frustration with the WCL system, specifically as implemented by
the J. Murrey Atkins Library homepage and its search interface as a whole. But, there are also
significant findings that indicate some aspects of the library search system are generally seen as
favorable and should be kept as part of the interface.
Features to Improve. The library homepage should be more user-friendly; a notable

defect is no option to limit results to only the library holdings. Currently, clicking Advanced
Search or after conducting an initial search is the only way a limiting option can be selected. The
homepage could be redesigned so that options for limiting search results are available for the
initial search.
Search results should be made more relevant to the search term(s). One way this could be
accomplished is to make results specifically from the WCL system an initial option, rather than a
default. By returning search results from the WCL libraries worldwide, users seem to be
overwhelmed by the scope and sheer numbers of results. Specific problems in this area include a
lack of exact title returns on searches and wildly varying (and in many cases, irrelevant) results.
There should be tutorials accessible for conducting searches; an underlined problem is with the
search of eBooks. There seems to be confusion among users as to the availability of eBooks,
whether the eBook has to be in the library collection in order to view it or even how to view and
use eBooks in general.
Features to Keep. One study participant commented that the Inter-Library Loan fields
being filled automatically were convenient and time saving. Another participant liked the ability
to cut and paste into fields, which again resulting in convenience and time saving. It was also
stated that the simplicity of the homepage toolbar made it easy to use.

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The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Worldcat Local User Test Carter

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Will Carter, Jr 2/27/14 11:55 PM

Will Carter, Jr 2/27/14 11:55 PM

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Will Carter, Jr 2/27/14 11:55 PM

Will Carter, Jr 2/28/14 12:09 AM

Will Carter, Jr 2/28/14 12:02 AM

Will Carter, Jr 3/2/14 11:36 PM

desktop support 2/27/14 7:31 PM

Will Carter, Jr 2/28/14 12:09 AM

Will Carter, Jr 2/27/14 11:56 PM

Submitted by David Haro, Steve Abraham, and Mark Taylor

Will Carter, Jr 2/28/14 12:09 AM

Will Carter, Jr 2/28/14 12:02 AM

Will Carter, Jr 2/27/14 11:56 PM

Will Carter, Jr 2/27/14 11:57 PM

Report Distributed March 12, 2014

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