ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


3 8 0  / C & R L  N e w s  ■ A p ril  2 0 0 1

I n  t h e  n e w s

D e s p ite  th e  p o p u la r ity  a n d  s u p p o s e d  e a s e  

o f  u s e  o f  th e  W e b , w e  lib r a r ia n s  s till h a v e  

o u r  w o r k  c u t o u t f o r  u s . A s  n o te d  in  a  m o n th ly  

e le c tr o n ic  n e w s le tte r  (Search Engine Report, 

M a r c h  5 , 2 0 0 1 , N o . 5 2 , P a r t 2 ) , a  tw o -y e a r  

s tu d y  b y  A le x a  R e s e a r c h  h a s  r e v e a le d  th a t 

b a s e d  o n  th e ir  s e a r c h in g  h a b its , “ a n  a la r m ­

in g  n u m b e r  o f  W e b  u s e r s  a r e  n o t p a r tic u la r ly  

e f fic ie n t a t r e a c h in g  th e ir  o n lin e  d e s tin a tio n s .”  

W h ile  th is  m a y  b e  n o  g r e a t s u r p r is e , “ T h is  

s tu d y  s h o w s  th a t fo r  m a n y , th e r e ’s  a  c o n c e p ­

tu a l m is u n d e r s ta n d in g  o f  h o w  to  e f fe c tiv e ly  

n a v ig a te  th e  W e b ,”  s a id  M a tth e w  W o r k , v ic e  

p r e s id e n t o f  A le x a  R e s e a r c h . “ S o m e  p e o p le  

th in k  th a t th e ir  h o m e p a g e  is  th e  W e b , th a t th e y  

h a v e  to  g o  th r o u g h  th e ir  h o m e p a g e  in  o r d e r  

to  g e t to  th e  s ite  th e y  w a n t, w ith o u t r e a liz in g  

th a t a n y  W e b  s ite  c a n  b e  a c c e s s e d  d ir e c tly .”  

T h e  s tu d y  a ls o  r e v e a le d  th a t a  la r g e  n u m ­

b e r  o f  p e o p le  g o t to  d e s ir e d  W e b  s ite s  b y  

e n te r in g  s ite  n a m e s  a s  s e a r c h  te r m s  in s te a d  

o f  ju s t ty p in g  th e  U R L s  in  th e  a d d r e s s  f ie ld  o f  

th e ir  b r o w s e r .

A f te r  “ s e x ”  ( th e  n u m b e r  o n e  s e a r c h  te r m  

id e n tif ie d  in  th e  s tu d y ), f o u r  o f  th e  to p  1 0  

s e a r c h  te r m s  e n te r e d  b y  u s e r s  in  th e  s tu d y  

w e r e  W e b  s ite  n a m e s  o r  a d d r e s s e s . “ H o tm a il”  

( a n d  its  U R L  v a r ia tio n s ) to o k  s e c o n d  p la c e , 

“ Y a h o o ”  ( a n d  its  U R L  v a r ia tio n s ) to o k  th ir d  

p la c e , w h ile  E B a y  a n d  A O L  w e r e  n in th  a n d  

te n th , r e s p e c tiv e ly .

T h e  d a ta  fr o m  th is  s tu d y  s e e m  lik e  a  g o o d  

in tr o d u c tio n  to  th e  p u b lic a tio n  o f  A C R L ’s  n e w  

“ O b je c tiv e s  f o r  In fo r m a tio n  L ite r a c y  In s tr u c ­

tio n ”  ( p a g e  4 1 6 ) . A n  in f o r m a tio n  lite r a te  s tu ­

d e n t s h o u ld  b e  a b le  to  “ c o n s tr u c t a n d  im p le ­

m e n t e f fe c tiv e ly  d e s ig n e d  s e a r c h  s tr a te g ie s ”  

( p a g e  4 2 1 ) .

I h o p e  y o u  w ill fin d  th e s e  u p d a te d  o b je c ­

tiv e s  u s e fu l a s  y o u  k e e p  e d u c a tin g  y o u r  u s ­

e r s  a b o u t th e  b e s t w a y s  to  fin d  a n d  e v a lu a te  

in f o r m a tio n .

— M a r y  E lle n  K . D a v is  

Editor-in-chief 

m e d a v is @ a la .o r g

mailto:medavis@ala.org