ONLINE LIBRARY CATALOG SEARCH PERFORMANCE BY OLDER ADULT USERS

Previous information retrieval research has neglected examination of o lder adults' search behavior. The present study examined the online se arch performance and associated errors of 54 older adult users of a re presentative online library catalog system. Participants' error data w ere examined in the framework of Borgman's three layers of knowledge n eeded to perform online library catalog searching: (1) conceptual know ledge, (2) semantic knowledge, and (3) technical skills in executing t he query. The results of older adults were consistent with findings of previous online library catalog studies with younger adults. Older ad ults experienced serious problems at all three knowledge layers but ex perienced their most severe difficulties with conceptual knowledge of how to search the online library catalog system (e.g., formulating que ries, understanding and using keyword and Boolean searching, and under standing the contents of databases). The significance of these finding s for older adults' use of online library catalogs will be discussed.