User experience in the library: a case study

The purpose of this article is to describe the need for and realization of a new kind of interface for searching and obtaining library materials, an interface designed around user needs and decoupled from, though interoperating with, current library systems.

The paper describes a product that was released in May 2007 – the Primo^® system from Ex Libris – as an example of a new solution for the discovery and delivery of library collections. The paper deals with the issues involved in the design of the product, the way in which the product was built to address the needs of both information seekers and libraries, and the use of usability studies to affirm the overall design and help shape fine points of the interface.

The paper demonstrates how users' expectations, which emanate from the everyday experience on the internet, can be addressed by library software in a way that corresponds to librarians' requirements and suits and libraries' technological infrastructure.

Using a concrete example, this paper demonstrates how the design of a discovery and delivery interface for library materials can satisfy the expectations of users who are accustomed to services on the web and can help libraries attract such users back to the library environment, where they can obtain credible, trustworthy scholarly content.