[WEB4LIB] How are people using your

[Rachel Singer Gordon]

We have the same issues -- I did originally have the search box
itself on the front page of our site, with a note that said "Search
This Site:" and found that people were using it pretty much ONLY to
search for information as if it were searching the Internet (or,
oddly enough, typing in URLs). Some time ago I replaced the search
box on the front page with a link to 'Search Our Site,' that takes
viewers to a page that briefly explains search and provides the
search box. This has cut down on people using it to search the
Internet, but also has cut down tremendously on people using search
at all.

- Rachel

---- Original Message ----
From: carver.50 at osu.edu
To: web4lib at webjunction.org, 
Subject: RE: [WEB4LIB] How are people using your "Site Search"?
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2002 11:51:49 -0800 (PST)

>Is anyone else is keeping a log of what search terms people are 
>entering in 
>your "Site Search". I recall a "how to" thread a few weeks back, but 
>I 
>don't see any discussion on what visitors are using our site-only 
>search 
>engine for, or how they are misusing it.
>
>I've been keeping track here at OSU for a few months now, and there 
>is no 
>doubt in my mind people are NOT differentiating between a site 
>search and a 
>search of our OPAC, or a database search.
>People see "search", and think they can just search for anything. 
>This 
>makes sense from a users point of view, why would someone be able to 
>search 
>the library site and not be able to turn up some books? It may seem 
>silly 
>to us, but this is how people are looking at our sites, they see the 
>library, and they want to search for a book.
>
>I changed our search screen to state explicitly that our site search 
>is not 
>looking for books, etc... about a month ago, and it doesn't seem to 
>have 
>helped.
>
>So, are you watching the logs, what have you seen, and have you 
>found a way 
>to help users get pointed  in the right direction?
>
>Some recent examples:
>  how many libraries are there at OSU
>  the history of the columbiana county courthouse in Lisbon Ohio
>  Am searching for Howard Johnson who migrated to the united states 
>in 1995-96
>Books in Spanish Christian Cultural Anthropology
>McCarthyism during Cold War dealing with actors and actresses
>
>------------------------------------------
>Blake Carver
>Web Librarian
>The Ohio State University Libraries
>carver.50 at osu.edu
>See Also:
>   http://www.lisnews.com
>
>
>
---
Rachel Singer Gordon / rsinger at linc.lib.il.us
http://www.franklinparklibrary.org
http://www.lisjobs.com
---