In the Eyes of the Beholder:
Finding the Beauty in Discovery Tools
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Nikki Krysak, Norwich University
Nancy Fawley, University of Nevada Las Vegas
Background
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-similar
The Survey
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What are your reasons for using a discovery tool in instruction?
“Google-like” search interface
is intuitive to students
Tool is multidisciplinary
It is the default search tool on
the Library webpage
Searches many different
formats
Good starting point for
research
60
65
70
75
80
“I use it as a springboard of fast-food drive thru…
then do the fine dining in subject specific databases
not covered by EDS.”
“Students are going to see the tool and use it
anyway, so I might as well tell them about it so they
use it well.”
“It’s prominent on the library home page and
students can’t make sense of it on their own.”
--
survey respondents
What are your reasons for not using a discovery tool in library instruction?
Does note encourage good searching
habits
Does not encourage critical thinking
Too many technical glitches
Too many search results
Relevancy ranking is not reliable
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
“I selected quite a few reasons why I’m unlikely to use it
in instruction, but I should point out that it ‘does not
encourage good searching habits’ and ‘does not
encourage critical thinking’ are easily the two biggest
reasons.”
“Discovery tools can be incredibly frustrating for students
who don’t understand or know how to filter the results.”
“Just because you label a tool as being ‘a discovery tool,’
it does not mean that you are able to identify what you
are looking for.”
--survey respondents
Student Research Habits: Recent Studies
http://kathleenclemons.blogspot.com/2011/05/patterns.html
“Google’s simplicity and single search box seems to
have created the expectation among students of a
specific search experience within the library: in
particular, a single search box that quickly accessed
many resources and an overreliance on simple keyword
search.”
Asher, A.D. & Duke, L.M. (2012). Searching for answers: Student research behavior at
Illinois Wesleyan University. In L.M. Duke & A.D. Asher (Eds.), College libraries and
student culture: What we now know (pp. 71-85). Chicago: ALA Editions.
“Students rarely investigated or evaluated sources past
the first page of results. … By following this practice,
students are de facto outsourcing much of the
evaluation process to the search algorithm itself. “
Asher, A.D., Duke, L.M., & Wilson, S. Paths of discovery: Comparing the search
effectiveness of EBSCO Discovery Service, Summon, Google Scholar, and
conventional library resources. College & Research Libraries 74(5), 464-488.
Focus on What You Can Control
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x7032051
“A good librarian teaches the research process
and does not solely focus on the current ‘hot
tool’ of the day.”
--survey respondent
Evaluate Sources
• Introduce primary sources
• Evaluate the efficacy of the discovery tool
• Compare and contrast sources
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Search Strategies
• Toolbox of search terms
• Use controlled vocabulary as a source of
keywords
http://www.levensgarden.com/2011/05/bleeding-hearts.html
Consider the Context
• Freshman course vs. a capstone course
• Consider what has been taught previously
http://www.levensgarden.com/2011/05/bleeding-hearts.html
Extend Your Comfort Zone
• Flipped classroom
• Unmediated learning
http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=373719
“sometimes we love it, sometimes we hate it.”
--survey respondent
http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/003142.html
Questions?
Source: http://www.pondly.com/2013/04/nature-photoraphy-by-mark-bridger/
Works Cited
Asher, A.D. & Duke, L.M. (2012). Searching for answers: Student research behavior at Illinois Wesleyan
University. In L.M. Duke & A.D. Asher (Eds.), College libraries and student culture: What we now know (pp. 7185). Chicago: ALA Editions.
Asher, A.D., Duke, L.M., & Wilson, S. Paths of discovery: Comparing the search effectiveness of EBSCO Discovery
Service, Summon, Google Scholar, and conventional library resources. College & Research Libraries 74(5), 464488.
Cowan, S.M. (2014). Information literacy: The battle we won that we lost? portal: Libraries and the Academy
14(1), 22-32.
The Flipped Learning Network. (2014). The four pillars of F-L-I-P™. Retrieved from
http://fln.schoolwires.net/cms/lib07/ VA01923112/Centricity/Domain/46/FLIP_handout_FNL_Web.pdf
Head, A.J. (2013, December 5). Learning the ropes: How freshmen conduct research once they enter college.
Project Information Literacy Research Report: The Passage Studies. Retrieved from
http://projectinfolit.org/pdfs/PIL_2013_FreshmenStudy_ FullReport.pdf
Maid, B.M. & D’Angelo, B.J. (2013). Teaching researching in the digital age: An information literacy perspective
on the new digital scholar. In R. McClure & J.P. Purdy (Eds.) The new digital scholar: Exploring and enriching the
research and writing practices of nextgen students. (pp. 295-312). Medford, New Jersey: American Society for
Information Science and Technology.
Mutra, Sugata. (2011). Hole-in-the wall: Lighting the spark of learning. Hole-in-the-Wall Education, LTD.
Retrieved from http://www.hole-in-the-wall.com/MIE.html