In search of query patterns: A case study of a university OPAC

A transaction log analysis of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) OPAC was conducted to identify query and search failure patterns with the goal of identifying areas of improvement for the system. One semester's worth of OPAC transaction logs were obtained and from these, 641, 991 queries were extracted and used for this work. Issues investigated included query length, frequency and type of search options and Boolean operators used as well as their relationships with search failure. Among other findings, results indicate that a majority of the queries were simple, with short query lengths and a low usage of Boolean operators. Failure analysis revealed that on average, users had an almost equal chance of obtaining no records or at least one record to a submitted query. We propose enhancements and suggest future areas of work to improve the users' search experience with the NTU OPAC.

[1]  Sally Jo Cunningham,et al.  Search Behavior in a Research-Oriented Digital Library , 2001, ECDL.

[2]  Christine L. Borgman,et al.  Why are online catalogsstill hard to use , 1996 .

[3]  Amanda Spink,et al.  Searching heterogeneous collections on the Web: behaviour of Excite users , 1998, Inf. Res..

[4]  Schubert Foo,et al.  CQE: a collaborative querying environment , 2005, Proceedings of the 5th ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL '05).

[5]  Sally Jo Cunningham,et al.  A transaction log analysis of a digital library , 2000, International Journal on Digital Libraries.

[6]  Patricia Te Arapo Wallace,et al.  How Do Patrons Search the Online Catalog When No One's Looking? Transaction Log Analysis and Implications for Bibliographic Instruction and Systems Design. , 1993 .

[7]  Bernard J. Jansen,et al.  Coverage, relevance, and ranking: The impact of query operators on Web search engine results , 2003, TOIS.

[8]  Charles R. Hildreth.  The GUI OPAC: Approach with Caution , 1995 .

[9]  Amanda Spink,et al.  Searching the Web: the public and their queries , 2001 .

[10]  Peter Bysouth,et al.  End-user Searching: the Effective Gateway to Published Information , 1990 .

[11]  Jamshid Beheshti,et al.  OPACs : A research review , 1997 .

[12]  Hao-Ren Ke,et al.  Exploring behavior of E-journal users in science and technology: Transaction log analysis of Elsevier's ScienceDirect OnSite in Taiwan , 2002 .

[13]  Tom Rodden,et al.  Sharing Searches: Developing Open Support for Collaborative Searching , 2001, INTERACT.

[14]  B. R. Babu,et al.  An investigation into the features of OPACs in Tamil Nadu (India) , 2003 .

[15]  Schubert Foo,et al.  Subjective Relevance: Implications on Interface Design for Information Retrieval Systems , 2005, ICADL.

[16]  Jean Tague-Sutcliffe.  Some perspectives on the evaluation of information retrieval systems , 1996 .

[17]  Ray R. Larson,et al.  The decline of subject searching: Long-term trends and patterns of index use in an online catalog , 1991, J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci..

[18]  Jérôme Dinet,et al.  Searching for information in an online public access catalogue (OPAC): the impacts of information search expertise on the use of Boolean operators , 2004, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[19]  Jillian R. Griffiths,et al.  An improved method of studying user-system interaction by combining transaction log analysis and protocol analysis , 2002, Inf. Res..

[20]  Dror G. Feitelson,et al.  On identifying name equivalences in digital libraries , 2004, Inf. Res..

[21]  Bernard J. Jansen,et al.  The effect of query complexity on Web searching results , 2000, Inf. Res..

[22]  Amanda Spink,et al.  Real life, real users, and real needs: a study and analysis of user queries on the web , 2000, Inf. Process. Manag..

[23]  Christine L. Borgman,et al.  Why are online catalogs still hard to use , 1996 .

[24]  Gary Marchionini,et al.  Information Seeking in Electronic Environments , 1995 .

[25]  Graeme Hirst,et al.  Correcting real-word spelling errors by restoring lexical cohesion , 2005, Natural Language Engineering.

[26]  Kristine S. Condic,et al.  Empowering users with a new online catalog , 2000 .

[27]  Joseph R. Matthews.  Time for new OPAC initiatives: an overview of landmarks in the literature and introduction to WordFocus , 1997 .

[28]  David Bawden,et al.  Review: Information science, integration in perspective , 1997 .

[29]  Rhonda N. Hunter.  Successes and Failures of Patrons Searching the Online Catalog at a Large Academic Library: A Transaction Log Analysis. , 1991 .

[30]  Rachael Green Clemens,et al.  Usage and Usability Assessment: Library Practices and Concerns , 2003 .

[31]  Charles R. Hildreth.  The Use and Understanding of Keyword Searching in a University Online Catalog. , 1997 .

[32]  Nicholas J. Belkin,et al.  Iterative exploration, design and evaluation of support for query reformulation in interactive information retrieval , 2001, Inf. Process. Manag..

[33]  Schubert Foo,et al.  Evaluation of a Collaborative Querying System , 2005, ECDL.

[34]  Hong Xie,et al.  Traditional IR for web users: a context for general audience digital libraries , 2002, Inf. Process. Manag..

[35]  孫式文.  Surveying the digital future: A look at Internet influences in Taiwan , 2001 .

[36]  Andrew Large,et al.  Users' perceptions of the Web as revealed by transaction log analysis , 2001, Online Inf. Rev..

[37]  Bernard J. Jansen,et al.  A review of web searching studies and a framework for future research , 2001 .

[38]  Craig Silverstein,et al.  Analysis of a Very Large Altavista Query Log" SRC Technical note #1998-14 , 1998 .

[39]  Alistair G. Sutcliffe,et al.  Empirical studies of end-user information searching , 2000, J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci..

[40]  Alastair G. Smith.  Search features of digital libraries , 2000, Inf. Res..

[41]  Simon Bains,et al.  End-user searching behavior: Considering methodologies , 1997 .

[42]  Shui-Lung Chuang,et al.  Subject categorization of query terms for exploring Web users' search interests , 2002, J. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol..

[43]  Karen Markey Drabenstott,et al.  Failure analysis of subject searches in a test of a new design for subject access to online catalogs , 1996 .

[44]  Weijing Yuan.  End-user searching behavior in information retrieval: a longitudinal study , 1997 .

[45]  Jean Tague-Sutcliffe,et al.  Some Perspectives on the Evaluation of Information Retrieval Systems , 1996, J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci..

[46]  Gerard Salton,et al.  Automatic Text Processing: The Transformation, Analysis, and Retrieval of Information by Computer , 1989 .

[47]  Christine L. Borgman,et al.  Children's Searching Behavior on Browsing and Keyword Online Catalogs: The Science Library Catalog Project , 1995, J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci..