Appendix A
Basic Search Screen
Related Text from the Report

Header
 Basic Search
 
Search for Keyword(s) Click for information about when to Search for Keyword(s) or Browse Ordered Lists.
Exact phrase?No Yes 
 Relevant example(s) display in this area
as a search type is clicked.
Browse Organized Lists using assigned search terms.  Click for information about when to Search for Keyword(s) or Browse Ordered Lists.
 
 
 Relevant example(s) display in this area
as a search type is clicked.
 
Footer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic Search Screen -- Text from the Report
  1. General Description
    The Basic Search screen will have two search forms; Keyword and Browse. Only the default search type will appear in each form’s drop-down menu (rather than several instantly clickable search types) to provide the “cleanest” possible display. The Keyword search will be in the top position since this is the searching approach most familiar to current Internet users. Captions and instructions will be developed to make the benefits and differences of using each search form clear. As a result, this separation of search types will act as an instruction aid to promote information literacy.

  2. Keyword Search Form
    The Keyword Search will be presented on top with a heading of “Search for Keyword(s)” and an I-Ball link providing instructions about when to use this approach and what each of the keyword search types searches. A drop-down menu of search options follows and includes:
    • Keyword(s) Anywhere (default selection)
    • Subject Keyword(s)
    • Title Keyword(s)
    • Author Keyword(s)

    The opportunity to designate whether or not the search is for an exact phrase is presented next with the default selection being “No”.

    Relevant examples would be presented beneath the form and would change to a context-sensitive example when a user selects a different search type in the drop-down. NOTE: Although this approach is not part of “native” ALEPH, the Task Force found it to be an effective approach that is in use in several ALEPH OPACS.

  3. Browse Search Form
    The Browse Search form follows with the heading “Browse Organized Lists using assigned search terms” and the I-Ball link that provides further instructions. A drop-down menu of options for authority searching follows and includes:
    • Author last name, first (default selection)
    • Title begins with
    • Subject begins with

    NOTE: The caption text “Browse Organized Lists using assigned search terms” was crafted to try to quickly convey to users the difference in the concept of searching using this second search form on the Basic Search Screen. Other ideas for text to consider may be developed in the separate CC and SUL discussions. Including something briefer (e.g. just “Browse Lists” and depend on the I-Ball link to explain in more depth) is also a possibility.

    Subsequent OPAC Functional Task Force members should decide I-Ball content once they have access to a working model of the GUC. By the time this is necessary, they should also be able to benefit from the work that will have been done to implement the various local catalogs.

    The I-Ball icons used throughout the mockups provided in this report are for demonstration purposes only. However, once an I-Ball icon is selected, it should be adopted by all institutions for their local interface to insure continuity between systems.