What difference a good tool? using Endeca for a faceted catalog

What difference a good tool?using Endeca for a faceted catalog

Emily LynemaNCSU LibrariesACRL Delaware Valley Chapter Fall ProgramNovember 3, 2006

ACRL Delaware Valley Chapter Fall ProgramThe Future of the Catalog: Deconstruction or Reinvention?

Agenda

The Context: Next Gen Search Tools vs. OPAC Problems

Local Implementation Why, What and How?

Assessment Usage Statistics Usability Testing

The Future It’s still just a local catalog!


The Context


A question

“How is the new generation of library catalog being developed?” informed and enhanced by search

technologies developed outside of the library more than just “2.0” based on how our users know how to search,

not on how we want them to search







Existing OPACs are hard to use

Lots of topical searches and poor subject access keyword gives too many or too few results –

leads to general distrust among users authority searching is under-utilized and

misunderstood Relevance = system sort order Unforgiving on spelling errors, stemming Response time doesn’t meet

expectations of web-savvy users


Valuable metadata is buried

Subject headings are not leveraged in keyword searching they should be browsed or linked from, not

searched Data from the item record is not

leveraged should be able to easily filter based on user’s

changing requirements using item type, location, circulation status, popularity


What’s the big picture?

Improve the quality of the library catalog user experience.

Exploit our existing metadata infrastructure (make MARC work harder).

Build a more flexible catalog tool that can be integrated with discovery tools of the future.


What is Endeca?

Software company based in Cambridge, MA

Search and information access technology provider for a number of major e-commerce websites

Developers of the Endeca Information Access Platform


Why Endeca?

Customized relevance ranking of results Better subject access by leveraging

available metadata through facets Improved response time Enhanced natural language searching

through spell correction, etc. Browse


Local Implementation


Demo

http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/endeca/presentations/endeca-demo-large.wmv


Relevance ranking

Based on locally customizable algorithm: Most relevant: query as entered For multi-term searches: phrase match Field match

title match more relevant than notes match Other factors:

number of fields matched static ordering (publication date, circulation

stats)


Faceted browse

Combine search and browse in single interface (Guided Navigation™)

Filter results across multiple facets

Remove facets in any order


Facet refinements

1. Availability2. LC Classification3. Subject: Topic4. Subject: Genre5. Format

11. Browse tab: New

6. Library7. Subject: Region8. Subject: Era9. Language10. Author


True browse

Regain ability to browse catalog without entering any search terms


Added search tools

Automatic spell correction

“Did you mean…” suggestions

Automatic stemming


The nitty gritty

Endeca co-exists with SirsiDynix Unicorn ILS and Web2 online catalog Endeca handles keyword search Web2 handles authority search and detail

page display Endeca indexes MARC records exported

nightly from Unicorn Endeca = discovery portion of the ILS


Implementation team

Seven member team 5 IT/DLI staff, 1 cataloging librarian, 1 reference

librarian As a team: functional requirements, metadata,

interface issues (total of 40-60 hours) Java-trained IT librarian (~40 hrs/wk for 14 weeks) IT project manager: (~10 hours/wk for 20 weeks)

Timeline Software acquisition: Summer 2005 Implementation: Aug 2005 to Jan 2006


Assessment


Usage statistics

Requests by Search TypeJ uly - September 2006

Search 68%

Navigation 11%

Search + Navigation

21%


Usage statistics

Navigation by Facet: J uly - September 2006

LC Classification22%

New14%

Format10%

Subject: Genre6%

Other (≤ 5%)16% Subject: Topic

24%

Library8%


Usage statistics

Navigation by Facet: J uly - September 2006

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000

Author

Language

Subject: Era

Subject: Region

Library

Format

Subject: Genre

Subject: Topic

LC Classification

Availability

Requests


Usability testing

10 undergraduate students 5 with new Endeca-based interface 5 with old catalog interface Identical searching tasks

Data collected Task difficulty/failure Task duration


Usability testing

Task Difficulty: Old Catalog

Easy43%

Medium12%

Hard22%

Failed23%

Task Difficulty: New Catalog

Easy59%

Medium12%

Hard7%

Failed22%


Usability testing

Average Task Duration:Old vs New Catalog

00:00.0 00:43.2 01:26.4 02:09.6 02:52.8 03:36.0

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4

Task 5

Task 6

Task 7

Task 8

Task 9

Task 10

Old Catalog

New Catalog


Usability testing

For students, relevance ranking is key. July – Sep 2006: ~14% continued to page 2

Faceted navigation is intuitive, even for students who don’t use it.

Beware of library jargon “keyword anywhere”, “keyword in subject”

User behavior is influenced by previous experience.


The Future


Future directions

Experiment with FRBR search/display through partnership with OCLC.

Integrate catalog w/other tools through web services: OpenSearch, RSS

Enrich catalog through external web services: book jackets, reviews, etc. – Amazon/OCLC

Build modular shopping cart functionality. Use Endeca to index local collections.


So what? It’s still just a catalog

1. Dismantle the old

2. Rebuild / exchange individual parts

3. Rebuild into something new

4. Repeat as necessary


The next generation catalog

Lots of content probably of different types (ex: full text vs.

MARC vs. XML) but not sure exactly what!

Both user and machine interface data linked into and from many external

contexts More powerful search tool

must be effective to be used Flexible enough to evolve


Thanks

NCSU project site (including slides): http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/endeca

Emily Lynema Systems Librarian for Digital Projects [email protected]

http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/endeca

http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/endeca

mailto:[email protected]

What difference a good tool? using Endeca for a faceted catalog

Documents

search typejuly

search navigation

search technologies

gen search tools

local catalog

available metadata

flexible catalog tool

savvy usersvaluable