On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 2:53 PM, Cary Gordon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> While institutions often take that approach, I am not sure that people do, at least if there is an alternative. Sure, folks might go to the home page once or twice to get to the library home page, just as they might use a campus map to find a library building, but folks who use the library's online resources often are not likely to be going that route.
>
> Your library stats should tell the tale of how folks are getting there.
>
> Cary


I think the key here is, "folks who use the library's online resources
often are not likely to be going that route." Which I think, bothers
me because it makes a lot of general assumptions on how people search
for information which can and does vary wildly from a community
college to a PHD granting institution.

In my working experience, many, many of our instructors do not give
direct links to the college's library site, rather, they tell students
to start from the college's landing page or Blackboard and go forward.
When I get them in my info lit classes, many if not most, had no idea
you could go directly to the library's site by direct URL. Off the
cuff one on one instruction in our open lab shows much of the same
behaviour.

-Lisa

Lisa M. Rabey | @pnkrcklibrarian
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An Unreliable Narrator: http://exitpursuedbyabear.net
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