Mapping the stacks: Sustainability and user experience of animated maps in library discovery interfaces

Animated maps of the library stacks were integrated into the catalog interface at Pratt Institute and into the EBSCO Discovery Service interface at Illinois State University. The mapping feature was developed for optimal automation of the update process to enable a range of library personnel to upda...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of electronic resources librarianship Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 219 - 231
Main Authors McMillin, Bill, Gibson, Sally, MacDonald, Jean
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Philadelphia Routledge 01.10.2016
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Academic Libraries
Computer Graphics
Computer Interfaces
digital map services
discovery services
Discovery tools
Graduate Students
Librarians
Library Automation
Library catalogs
Library Materials
Library Personnel
Library Science
Library Services
Navigation (Information Systems)
Online Catalogs
Public Libraries
public services (libraries)
Testing
Undergraduate Students
Usability
Usability testing
user experience
Users (Information)
Illinois
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Animated maps of the library stacks were integrated into the catalog interface at Pratt Institute and into the EBSCO Discovery Service interface at Illinois State University. The mapping feature was developed for optimal automation of the update process to enable a range of library personnel to update maps and call-number ranges. The development and implementation process for both institutions is discussed. Usability testing was conducted at Illinois State University to assess how well the feature helps students to locate items throughout the library. Researchers found that students are able to use the feature to successfully navigate through the stacks, but initially they have trouble locating the feature in the interface.
ISSN:1941-126X
1941-1278
DOI:10.1080/1941126X.2016.1236537