Finding Time in the Penn State Libraries

Hi there, I just came across this via Tame the Web -Michael Stephens - doing some holiday catch up
like the idea - how did you capture it using software like Camtasia? Ralph - Perth West Australia

Hey, we could just walk to the library and pick up a copy off the shelf, right? How long would that take?

Forever? I hope you were being ironic. The user had access to the journal in less than two minutes--indeed, less than a minute and a half. The only thing that would have made the process any faster might have been some sort of direct telepathic access via i-pod.

You're joking right? You do realize that wasn't video of an end user, but rather someone from the library who knew the precise path to take to find the content, right?

I agree. Yes, it's fast; but the user knew exactly where to go, and it's *still* a confusing, nonintuitive interface. I suspect that, for a user who is computer-literate but untrained in The Cat, that the choice they face is not whether they're getting it in two minutes or going to the bound stacks (if Penn State has them available); I suspect many users, when confronted with such an interface, would not be able to find Time at all.

Yes, that's obvious, but research is not supposed to be so effortless that it can be undertaken in less time than it takes to hard-boil an egg. A search on "the Cat" for TIME MAGAZINE (exact title) takes the user directly to that record, where there is a link to the various electronic resources through which TIME is available. If students encounter difficulties, then they should make the effort to visit the library and consult with a reference librarian.

I should add that I agree--you're right--it's not perfect,. But that said, we need to recognize that we really are very lucky to have resources such as this available. It certainly beats the old search, pull, and photocopy method.

Wow, that did take forever, didn't it?