2015/10/20 silf 2010 – shanghai / hangzhou improve the efficiency of subject searching jinchi guo...
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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.
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
Improve the Efficiency of Subject Searching
Introduction
Methodology
Results and analysis
Discussion
Conclusion and suggestion
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
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)
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
Introduction
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
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
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
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?
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
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
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
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
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
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
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
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
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
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
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
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
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
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)”
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
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”
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
Conclusion and suggestion
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.
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
Conclusion and suggestion
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.
2023.04.20 SILF 2010 – Shanghai / Hangzhou
Thank You!Jinchi Guo
Jie Huang