Bauer: Literature Review

A User-Centric Approach to Digital Library Interfaces: A Literature Review:

A User-Centric Approach to Digital Library Interfaces: A Literature Review Katherine Bauer – LIS 7850

Scope:

Scope Terms searched: Digital library Virtual library User-centered Library users Interface / user interface Design User studies Feedback Visual interface Web site development Database searching Databases searched: Library Literature & Information Science Full Text Library & Information Science Abstracts Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts Dates: 2006-2010

Domain:

Domain Journals: The Electronic Library Information Technology and Libraries International Journal of Digital Library Systems Journal of Archival Organization Journal of Information Science Journal of the American Society for Information Science Library Review

Themes:

Themes User-centricity Visualization & Design Personalization Usability

User-Centricity:

User-Centricity Necessary to first define the target audiences and develop a deep understanding of its mission, goals, environment, and technical skill level in order to better serve its community. Importance of seeking input from users at all stages of development and how it can help achieve this goal. Essential for designers to narrow the gap between a digital library’s design and its users’ expectations.

Visualization & Design:

Visualization & Design Three main tasks of a digital library interface: searching, navigation, and browsing Must still somehow support users that do not know what they are looking for and support users who have difficulty expressing keywords when searching. Competing with the most commonly used one-stop shop currently used today: Google.

Personalization:

Personalization Cognitive styles have been proven to be one of the most relevant parameters that affect information seeking Important to find solutions that integrate these different search strategies in a coherent and flexible way since users might frequently shift between strategies

Usability:

Usability Three broad challenges of doing user-centric research: supporting a search within the immediate context of the user making the page elements that indicate the relative quality and value of resources obvious and clear to the users, so they can make informed decisions handling the enormous breadth of content in a library.

Best Practices:

Best Practices Informing the design- based on results of focus groups, interviews, observations flexibility in design integrating search and browse activities presenting the results of a search for cataloged (metadata-based) resources language of controlled vocabularies

References:

References Davis, L. (2006). Designing a search user interface for a digital library. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology , 57 (6), 788-791. doi:10.1002/asi.20293 Frias -Martinez, E., Chen, S. Y., & Liu, X. (2007). Automatic cognitive style identification of digital library users for personalization. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology , 58 (2), 237-251. doi:10.1002/asi.20477 Gerken , J., Heilig , M., Jetter , H., Rexhausen , S., Demarmels , M., Konig , W. A., & Reiterer , H. (2009). Lessons learned from the design and evaluation of visual information-seeking systems. International Journal on Digital Libraries , 10 , 49-66. doi:10.1007/s00799-009-0052-6 Joint, N. (2010). The one-stop shop search engine: a transformational library technology? Library Review , 59 (4), 240-248. doi:10.1108/00242531011038550 Lack, R. (2006). The importance of user-centered design: Exploring findings and methods. Journal of Archival Organization , 4 (1), 69-86.

References:

References Liu, S., Liao, S., & Guo , J. (2009). Surviving in the digital age by utilizing libraries’ distinctive advantages. The Electronic Library , 27 (2). doi:10.1108/02640470910947647 Nov, O., & Ye, C. (2008). Users’ personality and perceived ease of use of digital libraries: The case for resistance to change. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology , 59 (5), 845-851. doi:10.1002/asi.20800 Shiri , A. (2008). Metadata-enhanced visual interfaces to digital libraries. Journal of Information Science , 34 (6), 763-775. doi:10.1177/0165551507087711 Somerville, M. M., & Brar , N. (2009). A user-centered and evidence-based approach for digital library projects. The Electronic Library , 27 (3), 409-425. doi:10.1108/02640470910966862 Wan, G. (2006). Visualizations for digital libraries. Information Technology and Libraries , 25 (2), 88-94. Retrieved March 19, 2011

Thanks for listening!:

Thanks for listening!