I just read an excellent article on what users want and changes libraries need to make, written by John J. Riemer in the January 2007 issue of Library Resources & Technical Services. Since we are working to improve student engagement, I’d like to share his thoughts on what students want:
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“Users want simplicity and immediacy.
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Users want the search interface to be intuitive.
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Users benefit from prevention of dead-end searches, provision of enhancements like tables of contents and cover art, and navigation assistance that groups results and enables jumps to “more like this.”
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Users want one system to search, to cover a wide information universe.
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They expect immediate access to full-text online resources whenever possible.
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They appreciate the opportunities to annotate, review, and “tag” resources, as well as share them with others.
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Instead of having to come to the library, physically or virtually, they would appreciate the above services being delivered to where they are…”
If anyone wants to read the full article, please see me.
