Comparison Usability Testing: Classic Online Catalog vs. EBSCO Discovery Layer

For years we have offered our EBSCO discovery layer service (EDS) as a secondary search tool in addition to our traditional online catalog (GAVEL) linking to both from the library website. However, the traditional catalog search, also known as “Classic GAVEL”, is always listed first while EDS, also known as “GAVEL & Beyond”, is listed second. Although maintenance has continued for populating EDS with library records on a daily basis, customization for this interface and sharing it with our users has not been prioritized. Before making any decisions related to changing the primary location our users experience when searching the catalog, or dedicating time to improving the look, feel and functionality of either interface, we knew we needed more information about our users and their preferences. In this article we present the findings of a library usability test conducted at UGA Law Library, sharing the test design and results from our comparison study between Innovative’s Sierra WEBPac and EBSCO’s discovery layer