Examples from the University at Buffalo and San Diego State University show how institutions are rethinking library discovery service and library management to help guide students and researchers toward reliable resources.
As expectations shift from searching to asking, academic libraries face growing pressure to provide more intuitive, context-rich library discovery services.
“We look closely at what students are actually doing to get to information, not what we assume they’re doing. Some of those findings don’t always match what librarians intuitively expect, but we have an imperative to make discovery as easy as possible.” – Randyn Heisserer Miller, Associate Dean for Collections, Discovery, and Digital Initiatives,
San Diego State University
As AI becomes more visible in consumer search, library resource discovery is being redefined. Users judge systems by how well they interpret questions, surface relevant materials and provide context. Discovery is shifting from search execution to supporting understanding.
“Users aren’t really searching anymore in the traditional sense. They’re asking questions, and they expect the system to help them get to an answer, even if they don’t know exactly
what they’re looking for yet.” – Nancy Babb, Discovery Services Librarian, University at Buffalo
The quality of discovery depends on the systems, data and workflows behind the interface. Download this new whitepaper and learn how librarians at San Diego State University and University of Buffalo are improving discovery by making smart decisions about infrastructure, focusing on visibility, accessibility, reliability, readiness and smart use of automation.