Zero Hits Task Force – Redirecting users from a dead end search

Abstract

In Spring 2014 the Five Colleges’ Aleph Advisory group assigned a Zero Hits Task Force to provide options in the OPAC when a user does that search that results in zero item hits. At that time, the user hit a dead end with no directions as to what to try next. Staff were appointed from both the Aleph group (a committee comprised of members from each of the Five Colleges who work with the ILS and chaired by the consortium ILS Coordinator) and the Research and Instruction Librarians. The Task Force aimed to address first, the search function and direction to expanded search options, and second, directing users to help pages where they may chat or otherwise contact library staff. / One challenge to this project was to create a campus specific redirect so that patrons from any of the Five Colleges will get their respective discovery tools and help pages. Now in production, the page a user hits when no results are found after searching their own institution, they get links to that institution’s discovery tool and help pages. From off-campus, the user is asked to select their institution. This session will provide insights to our process and technical details for implementing the zero hits redirect.