2015/10/20 silf 2010 – shanghai / hangzhou improve the efficiency of subject searching jinchi guo...

2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou

Improve the Efficiency of

Subject Searching

Jinchi Guo

East China Normal University Library, China

Jie Huang

University of Oklahoma Libraries, U.S.A.


Improve the Efficiency of Subject Searching

Introduction

Methodology

Results and analysis

Discussion

Conclusion and suggestion


Introduction

OPAC vs. Google / Baidu

Users’ searching behavior subject search in

OPAC

Study on users’ subject searching behavior

Investigation at East China Normal University

(ECNU) compare with the study at the University

of Oklahoma (OU)


Introduction


Methodology

Questionnaire and interviews

Social sciences, arts and humanities majors

Mainly from music (12.8%), education (25.5%),

economics and finance (21.3%)

Each student was required to choose 3 topics for

search, with each topic they could make 5 search

attempts, the actual number of search attempts

was 1,205


Results and analysis

Relatively low frequency in OPAC use

OPAC subject search as the least chosen search method

OPAC or the library abandoned if search results were

unsatisfactory

Comparison between subject and keyword searches

How to adjust search terms when search results are zero?


relatively low frequency in OPAC use

no one used OPAC on a daily basis

only 50.0% used it 2-5 times a week

27.7% used it 2-6 times a month

18.1% used it once a month

4.2% never used it


subject search as the least chosen

Frequency of each search type (ECNU) Frequency of each search type

(OU)

53.8%

29.0%

13.8%

22.3%

43.1%

10.4%

24.2%

3.4%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

KW TI AU Ca SU SE ISBN/ISSN

Type of search

Per

cent

age

Usual search types Unusual search types

12.6%

64.8%

5.9% 4.6%

12.0%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

AU KW PER SU TI

Type of searchP

erce

ntag

e


OPAC or the library abandoned

Next step after unsuccessful (ECNU) Next step after unsuccessful (OU)

37.0%

23.9%

6.1% 7.0%

16.1%

10.0%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

Go to

Google

Go to a

database

Borrow

from the

library

Browse the

shelves

Ask my

professor

Ask a

librarian

Not sure

Pe

rce

nta

ge

12

5 5

21 1

3

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Give up Go to

Google

Go to a

database

Browse the

shelves

Go to the

law library

Ask my

professor

Not sureN

um

be

r o

f re

spo

nse

s


subject search & keyword search

45.7%

5.1%

49.2%

17.5%22.7%

59.8%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

zero 500 or more 1-499

Search result

Per

cent

age

Subject Keyword

Searches yielding zero results

29.0%26.3%

20.0%

48.8%

32.0%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

AU KW PER SU TI

Type of search

Per

cent

age

Searches yielding "successful" searches (1-499 results)

68.0% 66.9%

79.2%

40.6%

64.4%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

AU KW PER SU TI

Type of search

Per

cent

age

Searches yielding 500 or more results

3.0%

6.9%

0.8%

10.6%

3.6%

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

AU KW PER SU TI

Type of search

Per

cent

age


how to adjust search terms

How to adjust search terms (ECNU) How to adjust search terms

(OU) 61.6%

24.8%

13.6%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Change search terms Select subjuct term fromalphabetic

Select subjuct term fromretrieved item

Type of modification

Per

cent

age

78.5%

15.2%

6.3%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

Change search terms Select subjuct term fromalphabetic

Select subjuct term fromretrieved item

Type of modification

Per

cent

age


Discussion

Very general subject terms for OPAC subject search

• “international trade”

• “real estate”

Natural language for OPAC subject search

• “parents’ affection and healthy children”

Very specific search terms for OPAC subject search

• “ink divided into five colors”

• “biology AND course evaluation AND (US OR UK OR Hong Kong

OR Taiwan OR Australia OR New Zealand)”


Discussion

Without knowledge about basic search rules

• “Mozart sonata”

• “Mozart idyllic sonata”

Newly created terms may be too new to serve as search

terms

• “low-carbon economy”



Subject terms need to be standardized and assigned to records

carefully.

Add subject access points to the old print materials.

To make subject search easier for ordinary users who don’t have

any knowledge about the controlled vocabulary, incorporating the

natural language into authorized subject search terms through

cross-reference.

Libraries should use new technologies and features available to

them, such as Web2.0, tagging, word cloud, to make OPAC search

user-friendly.



Reference librarians need to find more efficient ways to train users.

• Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (ACRL)

• The Index System for Information Search Capability for the Universities in

Beijing

• Reference librarians can offer training to teach freshmen how to use the

library

• Librarians should provide more education cultivating students’ information

search capability according to their levels

• Cataloging librarians and reference librarians need to corporate and work

together to make the subject terms easy to use and to teach users how to

master this method better.


Thank You！Jinchi Guo

[email protected]

Jie Huang

[email protected].

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

2015/10/20 silf 2010 – shanghai / hangzhou improve the efficiency of subject searching jinchi guo...

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