Does Interface Design Influence Catalog Use? A Case Study

Abstract

A recent OPAC redesign and implementation of a link resolver at the University of Colorado at Boulder prompted the researchers to question whether the redesign influenced catalog use. Authors evaluated transactional log data between fall of 2005 and spring of 2008. Searches for keyword, title, author, subject, LC call number, and ISSN/ISBN were tracked for each semester during weeks two and three of the semester, a mid-semester sampling period, and finals week. The data show that keyword searches increased slightly following the redesign, and ISSN/ ISBN searches increased dramatically following implementation of the link resolver. Total searches held steady over the course of the study.