ALA |

Volume 28, Number 4 December 2009 ISSN 0730-9295

President’s Message (158) [HTML] [PDF]
Michelle Frisque

Editorial (159-160) [HTML] [PDF]
Marc Truitt

Discovery Mini-conference Special Issue

Editorial Board Thoughts
Issue Introduction: What Do You Mean by “Discovery”? (161-163) [HTML] [PDF]
Judith Carter

“Discovery” Focus as Impetus for Organizational Learning (164-171) [HTML] [PDF]
Jennifer L. Fabbi

The University of Nevada Las Vegas Libraries’ focus on the concept of discovery and the tools and processes that enable our users to find information began with an organizational review of the Libraries’ Technical Services Division. This article outlines the phases of this review
and subsequent planning and organizational commitment to discovery. Using the theoretical lens of organizational learning, it highlights how the emerging focus on discovery has provided an impetus for genuine learning and change.

Information Discovery Insights Gained from MultiPAC, a Prototype Library Discovery System (172-180) [HTML] [PDF]
Alex A. Dolski

At the University of Nevada Las Vegas Libraries, as in most libraries, resources are dispersed into a number of closed “silos” with an organization-centric, rather than patron-centric, layout. Patrons frequently have trouble navigating and discovering the dozens of disparate
interfaces, and any attempt at a global overview of our information offerings is at the same time incomplete and highly complex. While consolidation of interfaces is widely considered to be desirable, certain challenges have made it elusive in practice.

Usability as a Method for Assessing Discovery (181-186) [HTML] [PDF]
Tom Ipri, Michael Yunkin, and Jeanne M. Brown

The University of Nevada Las Vegas Libraries engaged in three projects that helped identify areas of its website that had inhibited discovery of services and resources. These projects also helped generate staff interest in the Usability Working Group, which led these endeavors. The first project studied student responses to the site. The second focused on a usability test with the Libraries’ peer research coaches and resulted in a presentation of those findings to the Libraries staff. The final project involved a specialized test, the results of which also were presented to staff. All three of these projects led to improvements to the website and will inform a larger redesign.

UNLV Special Collections in the Twenty-First Century (184-186, 190) [HTML] [PDF]
Thomas Sommer

University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Special Collections is consistently striving to provide several avenues of discovery to its diverse range of patrons. Specifically, UNLV Special Collections has planned and implemented several online tools to facilitate unearthing treasures in the collections. These online tools incorporate Web 2.0 features as well as searchable interfaces to collections.

Smartphones: A Potential Discovery Tool (187-188) [HTML] [PDF]
Wendy Starkweather and Eva Stowers

The anticipated wide adoption of smartphones by researchers is viewed by the authors as a basis for developing mobile-based services. In response to the UNLV Libraries’ strategic plan’s focus on experimentation and outreach, the authors investigate the current and potential role of smartphones as a valuable discovery tool for library users.

Building Pathfinders with Free Screen Capture Tools (189-190) [HTML] [PDF]
Patrick Griffis

This article outlines freely available screen capturing tools, covering their benefits and drawbacks as well as their potential applications. In discussing these tools, the author illustrates how they can be used to build pathfinding tutorials for users and how these tutorials can be shared with
users. The author notes that the availability of these screen capturing tools at no cost, coupled with their ease of use, provides ample opportunity for low-stakes experimentation from library staff in building dynamic pathfinders to promote the discovery of library resources.

Enhancing OPAC Records for Discovery (191-193) [HTML] [PDF]
Patrick Griffis and Cyrus Ford

This article proposes adding keywords and descriptors to the catalog records of electronic databases and media items to enhance their discovery. The authors contend that subject liaisons can add value to OPAC records and enhance discovery of electronic databases and media items by providing searchable keywords and resource descriptions. The authors provide an examination of OPAC records at their own library, which illustrates the disparity of useful keywords and descriptions within the notes field for media item records versus electronic database records. The authors outline methods for identifying useful keywords for indexing OPAC records of electronic databases. Also included is an analysis of the advantages of using Encore’s Community Tag and Community Review features to allow subject liaisons to work directly in the catalog instead of collaborating with cataloging staff.

Index to Advertisers (193)

Index to Volume 28 (2009) (194-196) [PDF]