The articles for this week focus on the issue of creating interface systems for digital libraries. One of the topics covered in them is the disconnect between the designers and users of these systems. The designers frequently have established ideas of how an interface system should function. These ideas,though, may not be suitable to how the intended users of a system actually use information resources. Learning about how these users interact with a system is therefore an important consideration in a system's design.
Another issue raised in the articles is the idea that a user is not a monolithic entity. The information requirements of users differ as well as the skills they bring to an information search. For example, one user may be able to easily locate relevant information in a long list of information sources while a different user feels overwhelmed by the number of resources to choose from. This difference in the ability of users to process information renders creating systems that all users can understand a challenge.
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