Vreeland

LIS 640 - System Evaluation

Alexis Vreeland
LIS 640
April 28, 2020

System Evaluation

Orange County Public Library

Sites Reviewed:
Library: Orange County Public Library
OPAC: https://library.orangecountync.gov/iii/encore/?lang=eng

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Method
1. Perform a basic catalog search
a. Locate the library’s website
b. Locate the catalog or catalog link on the library website
c. Open OPAC
i. Note general display of the website:
1. Is the purpose of this page readily apparent?
2. Is the search box obvious?
3. Is the patron’s account sign-in apparent?
4. Are there titles for patrons to browse through on this screen?
5. If a patron needs help, are they able to access it through this site?
6. Is this site accessible?
a. Is the text large or adjustable?
d. Enter pre-determined search term (broad, general term)
i. Was the search easy to enter and search?
ii. Search term
1. Note if the results given are relevant to the search term entered
2. Note the display of the results?
a. Is it easy to understand what the results mean?
b. Can the record be understood without clicking into an item?
c. Are there graphics?
i. If so, are they helpful for the search?
3. Options available
a. Can the item be saved, requested, or other?
b. Can this search be refined?
i. Can Boolean operators be used?
ii. Is there an easily accessible filter panel/bar?
iii. Is there an ‘Advanced Search’ option?
1. If used, is this option intuitive?
4. Click into a specific item
a. Note the display of the item information
i. Is it helpful or confusing?
ii. What is included on this page?
1. If a link is clicked, is the resulting display/page relevant?
a. Does a subject heading link take you to the appropriate
corresponding page with results?
b. Does a name link take you to the appropriate corresponding
page?
b. What options are available?
i. Can the item be saved, requested, or other?
5. Checkout/Request
a. Note the ease of the hold request for the item?
b. Is the patron’s account easily accessed?
e. Perform a second search (with a more specific term)
i. Search term
1. Are the results relevant to the search?
2. Are the results given more narrowed?
ii. Was this search process similar to the first search?
iii. Is the search process replicable?
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Results

Locating the Catalog

To start, I Googled ‘Orange County Public Library’. The first result was the correct link for the
library’s website. If just ‘Orange County Library’ is searched, it also brings up results for the
Orange County Library System, located in Orlando Florida. To designate, the search result for
‘Orange County Public Library’ also includes “Orange County, NC” in the result, which is helpful
for patrons (Figure 1 in the Appendix). Once you click on the link, it brings you to the main page
of the library’s website.
The library’s website contains current information about the library, events, notices, and
links to its resources (Figure 2). As the library page is nested in the larger Orange County
Government website, at the top of the page, there is a ‘Sign In’ button to sign into the county
website at large (Figure 3), not the library’s specific webpage. This can be confusing for patrons
and may lead them to thinking they are trying to log into their library account by clicking on this
link. There is no specific designation signifying that this sign in is not part of the library.
To access the catalog, normally there is a search bar on the website homepage where
patrons can type in their search term(s) and then click enter or the click the arrow on the screen.
Currently, given COVID-19 causing changes to services, there is a different link. Under ‘Catalog’
there is a link entitled ‘Changes to Services’ (Figure 4). Clicking this link will lead the user to a
page that outlines all current announcements and material lending information. This is done to
inform patrons that they are not currently able to check out materials (like they normally would),
no items can currently be placed on hold, and nothing is currently due back. At the bottom of the
page, there is information on speaking with a librarian, including a phone number and hours of
operation. Also included is a hyperlink ‘Click here to continue to the catalog’.
Given the current circumstances, the catalog is more challenging to access than usual,
and may be confusing to some patrons, especially if they are familiar with the old layout.
However, if the patron had previously bookmarked the catalog itself (or chooses to do so now),
their bookmark would still lead them directly to the catalog and they would not have to go
through the multiple steps on the website.

Display
Once the link is clicked, the user will arrive at the library’s catalog, Encore (Figure 5). The
main screen of the catalog is simple and easy to navigate. Patrons are presented with a large
search box in the middle of the screen, it is prominent and its use is apparent. Patrons can either
use the simple search (default) or the advanced search by clicking on ‘Advanced Search’. The top
right of the screen holds two options ‘My Book Cart’ and ‘Login’. If patrons were to log in, they
would be directed to a simple log in screen asking them for their “Username or Barcode” and
“Password”. This working is simple and lets patrons know they can either log in with a username
or their library card barcode.
The bottom of the screen has options to translate the page into English or Spanish, Search
tools such as advances search, the catalog homepage, ‘My Book Cart’ again, and also another
‘Login’. Lastly, there are ‘Library Links’ to the library’s website, the events calendar, a form to
suggest a purchase, and NC LIVE. There are no further options or links on the page.

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There are no specific links here for help should the patron need it. There is also no
obvious way to adjust the text size of the page to make it more accessible to some users. Finally,
the catalog does not offer a simple browsing of random titles – such as bestsellers or
recommendations. Patrons have to enter at least one search term in order to view any materials.

Searching the Catalog

Records display
Patrons can enter their search term on the main catalog page in the ‘Search’ box. Once
their search term is typed, they can either press enter or the arrow on the screen. For instance, if
the general term “Mystery” is entered, there are 8,929 results (Figure 6). Users can sort by
Relevance, Date, Title, or Author. Each individual item is given its own row result, listing its name,
author, material type, date of publication, availability status, and location (which branch).
However, patrons have to click on ‘See All’ in order to see if there is: more than one copy in the
system, if all copies are available, or if the items are “New”. Each record also includes a picture of
the material, such as the book cover. At the top of the page, there are still links for ‘My Book
Cart’ and ‘Login’. The bottom of the page also retains the links for Language Settings, Search
Tools, and Library Links.

Options Available
Without clicking into an item, there are options to ‘Add to Cart”, “Email” the listing, and
“Add a Tag”. Normally there would also be an option to put this item on hold, but given COVID-
19, that is not a current service that the library is offering. Other options available on this page
are located on the left side column and are used to refine the search. This is a large and easily
accessible filter section. Patrons can refine by a number of options: Availability, Found In
(Subject, Title, Community Tag, or Author), Format, Collection, Location, Tag, Publish Date, and
Place. Each refinement options shows the number of materials in that specific term. Given the
broad search term of ‘Mystery’, these refinement options would be helpful to narrow down this
search for mystery, for instance with ‘Subject’ and ‘Adult Fiction’.
At any time, users can change their search term at the top of the page or lick on
‘Advanced Search’ to further refine their search. Advanced search gives users the option to
search with multiple terms (in the categories of Keyword, Title, Subject, and Author) and includes
further refinement options such as Format, Collection, Location, Language, and Year. This page
seems straightforward and easy for a patron to use.

Item Display
Clicking on a specific item provides more detail on that item. This page shows all copies in
the system, the edition, description (including page length), hyperlinked subject headings,
Genre/Form hyperlinks, and the ISBN. This page also retains the top links of ‘My Book Cart’ and
‘Login’. If a hyperlink is clicked for subject headings or genre, a relevant result will show items
corresponding to that specific search term on a new page.
Additionally, users can find reviews, the author biography, and an annotation of the book.
Further down the page, users will find (if applicable) books in the series and their various
availabilities at the library. Furthermore, Read-alikes are linked in three categories (all including
library availability): Similar titles, Similar Authors, and Similar Series. These options are easy to

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access and understand. If interested, a patron simply has to click on an item of interest and they
will be taken to the catalog result for that item.
If a specific title is searched for, and the library has a copy, patrons would simply have to
click into the item to access full information about the item. There would be no need to refine
results or sort. Searching by a broad term leads to more options, but both broad and narrow
searches have similar initial search processes.

Final Thoughts
Overall, I find the Orange County Public Library’s catalog easy to use. However, the
problem initially lies in being able to currently locate the catalog itself. It is buried on the library’s
website and not as easy to access as it normally would be. Once it is located, the catalog has a
simple display that leaves little room for patron confusion.
However, there is no simple browse function for patrons to look through should they not
know where to start looking – they have to enter at least one search term. Additionally, there is
no sort of Help or FAQ section of the catalog, which may leave some patrons confused or
unaware how to use the catalog to its fullest potential.
Overall, the catalog is easy to search, and it is helpful that patrons can sort the results by
subject, author, date, or simple relevance. All of the search queries I tried rendered relevant
results. If there are too many results, or the patron is looking specifically for a narrower result,
they can use the easy to use refinement terms on the left side of the catalog page. These
refinement terms are broad and cover many potential categories.
Individual item records also hold a lot of useful resources. Users can use an item’s subject
heading to be linked to similar titles as well as using the built-in read-alikes function of the
catalog to search for other materials to enjoy.
To conclude, I find the Orange County Public Library’s catalog very easy to use. I feel that
the average patron would not have trouble using the catalog and its various options and facets.
However, patrons may find difficulty in accessing the catalog itself to begin with. Once the library
reopens and services return to normal, the link to the catalog should become easier to find.

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Appendix

Figure 1: Search result for ‘Orange County Library’ on Google.

Figure 2: Main page of the library’s website.

Figure 3: Closeup of the ‘Sign In’ on the Library website homepage.

Figure 4: Closeup of the ‘Changes to Services’ link.

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Figure 5: Homepage of the library catalog.

Figure 6: Search result for ‘Mystery’ in the library’s catalog.

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