Library research databases have the worst UI in the whole world

Google-Trained Minds Can’t Deal with Terrible Research Database UI
“The librarians quoted here understand most of the key problems, and are especially sharp about “the myth of the digital native” — about which see also this deeply sobering Metafilter thread — but there’s one vital issue they’re neglecting: research databases have the worst user interfaces in the whole world.”

February 29, 2012 by Uncategorized 3

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3 Responses

  1. david_lee says:
    February 29, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    The same also applies to most
    The same also applies to most library opacs.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    February 29, 2012 at 5:12 pm

    Doesn’t help our cause
    Telling the world that they need librarians because…well, our (librarian-designed) user interface is so bad that only a librarian can use it…doesn’t seem like a good marketing plan.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    February 29, 2012 at 7:28 pm

    even UI in the future will be bad, based on sci-fi
    Star Trek; Rollerball… find me a futuristic depiction of a library or even a supercomputer that makes searching easy… basically, the characters spend a lot of time trying to learn how to phrase their questions properly so they can find what they want. you never see a google-like interface where you get back 1,000,000 search results and hopefully, the top 10 are what you want… so I think libraries are on the right track to fulfilling this futuristic vision.

    Reply

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