How to, Access and Use the Babcock University, Laz Otti Memorial Library, Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) Portal Software called KOHA

JOHN HENRY CHUKWUDI (M.Ed. Media Technology) School of Postgraduate Studies, Tai-Solarin University of Education COLLEGE OF APPLIED EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION AND INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY DESIGNED BY JOHN HENRY CHUKWUDI (M.Ed. Media Technology)   February 2015

INTRODUCTION Babcock University emanated from the Adventist College of West Africa (ACWA), which was established on September 17, 1959. And Adventist Seminary of West Africa (ASWA) in 1975. It became known as Babcock University by virtue of Decree 9, of 1993 when the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1999 issued it the certificate of registration as a private university. Laz Otti Memorial Library has evolved through the years from 1959 as Adekunle Alalade Library serving as a College, Seminary and now as Laz Otti Memorial Library. The library is centrally located with the aim of providing easy access to information resources.

INTRODUCTION (CONTD) The library is made up of five service points, known as the Main Library (M.L.), Education and Humanities (E.A.H) Library, Science and Technology (S.A.T) Library, Law and Security Studies (L.S.S) Library which is Internet driven with high quality stock including Law Reports, Law Reviews, Judgments of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The youngest of them all is the Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH) Library which is situated on the second floor of the commodious Administrative block of the Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH). Laz Otti Memorial Library (LOML) contains approximately over 70,519 volumes spread through all disciplines. Laz Otti Memorial Library subscribes to a host of electronic resources/databases and provides facilities to access them.

INTRODUCTION (CONTD) Access to information on a database can be done in seconds if a user has necessary skills and knowledge to use the features and tools. The Library provide access to book and non-book resources through several means, among which is the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC). Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) provide easy access and vital details to bibliographic information held in a library.

USER REGISTRATION Before a user is allowed to loan any library resource, he/she must be registered. An academic library grants access to only registered library users. The category of academic library users include staff, students and visitors.

Reasons for Registration Identification of potential library users. Right for user to loan books from the library which must be returned after use. (most libraries grant a period of two weeks for every resource loaned). Right to keep on hold books and other library resources. Right to request for assistance like inter-library loan, networking and resource sharing in case of unavailability of needed resources within a library. Visit the Library Circulation desk or email Chidiebereeti@gmail.com for your registration.

ACCESS TO THE OPAC Resources on the Library OPAC can be accessed through Author Title Publisher Year of Publication Call Number Accession Number Keyword, among others

ACCESS TO THE OPAC ACCESS TO THE OPAC Please go to this link

Please clique on this hyperlink

Or you can also type : http://library.babcock.edu.ng and press Enter key

Search bar and other online databases On the search bar, type in a search term and click at “GO” or strike the “ENTER” key. The search term may be title, author, keyword, etc. to have access to a resource on the OPAC. On the left side of the OPAC are “important links.” These include links to external databases subscribed by the Library. They provide free access to peer reviewed e- journals and e-books.

Keyword Search Searching the OPAC with keyword limits search to entered keyword(s) and displays several resources available on the database with related entered word(s).

Author search and results Search the OPAC by typing the correct author’s name on the search bar and press the “enter key” Author search limit search to authors that bear such name on the database.

Title Search and Results Title search bring together all resources on the database based on the searched title.

Search Result Explained Check the displayed results if there is any that meet your need. Then click at the title. It will open another page, providing further details of the resource. The details include Author, Title, call number, etc. Scroll up to see the call number Write out the call number Use the call number to check for the book on the particular shelf. Pick the book and move to the Circulation desk if you wish to loan or you start reading.

Search Result Cont.

Showing the Call Number

Showing Location of the Resource

Showing the status of resource

Create List of Recommended Books To recommend books to students or bring together books you wish others could access, click on the ‘list’ button as shown above.

Click on Lists Note the instruction on the drop menu, ‘Log in to Create your own lists.’ The menu also display other titles, and already created list if any.

User Log in Menu Every user is expected to have an account to be able to loan a resource as well as create list of recommended books for others to access. Library OPAC account is created for every user by the system administrator.

To create a list, click on ‘Manage lists’

Click on ‘New list’ to create your personal list of recommended books. New List Name Click on ‘New list’ to create your personal list of recommended books.

Course Title and Code Type the course title and course code on the bar, and click on ‘save, the course is saved.

Back to Search Result Under each of the selected books for the course, click at “add to list”.

Add Recommended Books to Your List. Click on the highlighted word “search” to include recommended books to your list.

SAVING A TITLE ON A LIST Click on ‘save to list’ under each book you want to recommend, then on the displayed dialog box, click on ‘save’ and the resource is saved on your list on the OPAC. You can then refer the users to such list with the title you used to view and locate the resources on the library shelves.

or email Johnh@babcock.edu.ng For further inquiries, contact the Librarians at the Babcock University Library, Nigeria or email Johnh@babcock.edu.ng

Reference: Saturday U. Omeluzor (2012). Educative presentation designed to enhance Babcock University library users to access library resources. #Head, Collection Development Unit Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun (FUPRE) Delta State