Online Catalogs from the Users’ Perspective: The Use of Focus Group Interviews

Abstract

In an attempt to elicit information from the users of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s online catalog, Network Library System (NLS), the General Library System (GLS), conducted focus group interviews with undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty. Undergraduate students tend to utilize subject searching capabilities. Graduate students and faculty utilize subject searching only as a last resort; they typically search by known author or title. A significant number of the participants reported experience with library online catalogs other than NLS, although the majority of faculty reported very little experience with other online catalogs. All the focus group participants, but particularly the undergraduate students, evidenced confusion between keyword searching and searching using controlled vocabulary. Inclusion of circulation status in the bibliographic record was identified as an important feature of the catalog.