Cataloging and Metadata Strategies Librarian San Diego State University
While academic libraries provide invaluable support to students and researchers, navigating their resources can be a challenge. At our institution, we understand how overwhelming the information searching process can be, and we strive to make it easier for our users. To better understand how our users search behavior, two librarians at San Diego State University conducted a study that collected user query logs from the Library's default search box and virtual chat logs during the 2021-2022 academic year to compare search tactics for both known items and unknown items. We examined how patrons interact with the library discovery portal and with library staff through our virtual reference desk to locate users’ known-items and unknown-items. This allowed us to observe user search behaviors and identify patterns of patrons’ information-seeking behaviors to guide information literacy educators by providing them with visuals of the analyzed log data. The findings of this study will help our library and other academic libraries develop more useful library services and practical information literacy instruction, resulting in a more user-centered and responsive library system.