The usability issues of faceted navigation in digital libraries

The last decade transformed faceted navigation from a “nice-to-have” into a “must-have functionality” for all online web services that contain a search functionality. All commercial websites have undergone this change from online clothing stores to travel agencies, all driven by the wish of facilitating instant access to their products. From commerce it shifted to other domains, such as libraries, as well. Today, faceted browsing is one of the most common functionalities in library products, built to improve a search function and enhance already existing catalogs by preventing zero result hits and offering users the possibility to look for objects without knowing exactly what they are looking for. Commonly, the faceted navigation of today’s library catalogs’ include facets such as authors, subjects, formats, printers, publication year etc. Nevertheless, all other field related to existing metadata can be used as facets.