Gateway Survey Comments

Summer 2001

The comments below have been grouped by the usability coordinators.

Catalog | Prominence | Wording | Navigation | Finding Books | Databases | Other

• Catalog:
  • How do you search for magazines in print?
  • I also have trouble searching for things in the media center.
  • Searching the catalog: It would help if the user was offered multiple search and location fields at the beginning of the search rather than having to choose only one field/location at the beginning. [This feature is approximately 6 months to a year away; waiting on III.]
  • Too many steps to search for Other Call Number
  • Better keyword searches
  • My main difficulty is knowing that items with the information I want are out there, but not knowing what keywords are associated with that item. Maybe an option to pop up a thesaurus window would help.
  • There aren't any "request" buttons on the results screen when you do a LC call number search. I think this is stupid. [bug with latest update; has been fixed]
  • My greatest difficulties often come in the area of "go back" "return to" "start over" "new search" etc. These kinds of labels change dramatically from screen to screen, database to database, and I often have trouble figuring out which to use to accomplish my purpose without losing my work.
  • See above. Book search (i.e. title, subject) is obscure.
  • In catalog searches, allow people to sort the results by any key, such as author, library, status, etc. Note, I said "sort", not filter. I'm not asking for a new search criteria.
  • Search table of contents of books. [Looking at this, but $$ is a question, especially now. TOC are available from Blackwell’s and other vendors.]
  • Make the "next entry', when searching through a list of titles, stationary, depending upon what book you are looking at the buttons move and then you can accidentally click on "previous entry" without accomplishing much.
  • I don't know if this is the correct box for submitting this information, but here goes. The action that my brain thinks of as "another search" is here labeled "start over" and the action my brain thinks of as "start over" is here labeled "home" (but when I am at home or in my office on campus, "home" will not take me to the library homepage). Compounding this problem is that the commands "start over" and "another search" change positions. Sometimes "start over" is to the left of "another search"; sometimes it is to the right. I find that unnecessarily confusing. [The same wording is in Cascade; if we change it in one place we’d have to change it in another. Not trivial.]
  • An improved keyword search
  • A field to search e-journal article titles, keywords, etc. on the first page of the search page.
  • A help section detailing what journals are under what categories
  • What would be cool, especially for Suzallo, would be able to click on the call number, or something next to the call number and get a map of the floor location where the book is located.
  • I would like the call numbers linked to a map that shows the patrons where they are instead of what other books are under that call number.
  • A link from the call number to a map of where the book is (generally)
  • Book due reminder which can send an email to remind the book due date that a patron checked out
  
  
  
• Specific Items that Could Have More Prominence on Gateway
  • My only reservation is that it's rather difficult to locate interlibrary loan through the links provided.
  • I would prefer a big BIG link to Cascade and Law Catalogues directly from the Gateway.
  • Not enough links to + explanation of Cascade
  • Better access to media center
  • I was looking for info on e-books once, and finally found a link for it under "news". I think that's too buried, and that it should be somewhere a user would find it with other info on collections.
  • Add an Interlibrary Borrowing Link with explanations of eligibility, regulations, turn-around times, etc.
  • A link to the Odegaard media center
  • It was easy because I know how to do it. The first time I wanted to do it, however, I needed help from library staff to figure out how to get course reserves.
  • Interlibrary loan requests? Don't know if this already exists, but it's not on your list above.
  • Please put your telephone number on the gateway somewhere!
  • Pay fines on line.
  • Pay my fines through the Gateway.
  • I always forget what to click if I just want to search for keywords in a title. IMHO, it would be great to have a quick-search at the opening page (www.lib.washington.edu). It could be very small and unintrusive while still fulfilling the purpose.
  
  
  
• Specific Wording to Consider Changing
  • While I can parse the categorical distinction between "Borrowing Actions" and "Get an Article" (or book), it seems really counterintuitive--isn't getting an article a borrowing action? Why not have a separate category for "Interlibrary Loans," since many of your users know what that is? You could always retain the other categories for the sake of undergraduates and the uninitiated.
  • I think "View Your Library Record" and "Renew a Book" could fall under the same category because they both require you to enter to your account.
  
  
  
• General Gateway Navigation (Good)
  • Sometimes it's hard to guess/know what items one will find under the headings available on the gateway homepage.
  • It was easy because I know how to do it. The first time I wanted to do it, however, I needed help from library staff to figure out how to get course reserves.
  • The menus seem pretty clear and once one becomes familiar with the site, it's easy to navigate.
  • Easy to use
  • Clearly marked links made navigation easy.
  • User-friendly menus and interface
  • The things I needed to know/find were right on the gateway homepage
  • The links are easy to find, and user-friendly interfaces.
  • Easy to follow
  • Simple to navigate
  • I found what I wanted.
  • It was easy because there were clear directions.
  
  
  
• General Gateway Navigation (Bad)
  • It was easy because I know how to do it. The first time I wanted to do it, however, I needed help from library staff to figure out how to get course reserves.
  • The menus seem pretty clear and once one becomes familiar with the site, it's easy to navigate.
  • It was tricky to find all the appropriate subject headings.
  • Get lost and not sure where to go next
  • It was impossible. There’s too much stuff to look at and you can’t tell where your supposed to do the stuff you need to do to get what you want real easy
  • There are a lot of links though...
  • I couldn’t make heads or tales of how to find a book that I want to look at.
  • I found some of what I wanted and didn't find some other things. I consulted librarians.
  
  
  
• Finding Book In Library
  • Well, yes it is pretty easy to find the book I want with the gateway, but then looking for the book is another story, not that it is that hard but sometimes it seems like the books are hidden or not where they are suppose to be
  • Sometimes the shelving trucks seems to sit quite awhile before the items are actually shelved; *many* times I have found the items I was looking for, but only after searching a number of shelving trucks. This is a consistent *problem* -- not just one that occurs in the summer.
  
  
  
• Databases
  • The databases are a little confusing; WebSpirs needs more explanation of what each is handily available.
  • I would categorize all accessible database's so for instance I can look for engineering -> aerospace or engineering -> electrical. So basically categorize them.
  • PubMed is hard to use. Yucky.
  • Database of all journals, including article summaries, and cascade search results with UW search results
  • I needed an article from the Lancet, but discovered that 2001 articles are available only if you have a password and a sign-on.
  
  
  
• Other Comments
  • I think it would be cool if there were rollover messages that told the user what they would find if they clicked on any given link. For example, there could be a rollover message when a user puts the cursor over "databases" so that they would know what that means (I don't think the term "databases" in a library context is particularly clear to the average user).
  • That messy ‘By Subject’ section -- what the heck is up with that!
  • Placing a hold/recalling Odegaard media items
  • I would like to be able to put materials on hold at special collections and order photocopies through the library webpage
  • Access to restricted materials with Net ID in addition to proxy server