Testing Two Discovery Systems: A Usability Study Comparing Student Perceptions of EDS and Primo

Abstract

Library discovery systems are a primary tool for research and discovery of local collections in many academic libraries. Usability studies on these systems is an important practice to identify technical issues, determine local customization, and inform continuity in library instruction. Most usability studies, however, are completed on a single discovery system. This study is unique in that it compares EBSCO’s EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) with Ex Libris’s Primo discovery systems. To date, this is the only published usability study conducted on the two systems. Nineteen undergraduate and graduate participants were led through a series of nine usability tasks in both systems. The quantitative and qualitative results of the study indicate that discovery systems are powerful tools when managed consistently and holistically by addressing the discovery search needs of students and faculty through information literacy instruction and oversight by a discovery working group.