Research Notes Archimedes: Analysis of a HyperCard Reference Tool

摘要

This article describes Archimedes, a set of HyperCard stacks running on a network in the Engineering Library at the University of Michigan. Archimedes works as a reference alternative for library users when a librarian is unavailable. This article discusses the design philosophy of the stacks and presents descriptive statistics and analysis of the first year of use by the public. The data demonstrate the ease of anonymously and unobtrusively monitoring system-use, support the design philosophy of the multistack networked approach, and indicate that library users consult Archimedes for reference information. The data afford a seldom-seen glimpse of the information-searching process library users employ. By recording the sequence of steps they take when left to their own devices and noting where that search process ended, the data give some indication of what people want from a reference interview and when they think they have received it.