OPAC stands for: Online Public Access Catalog Look for this icon on the computer desktop. Double-click on it to open. OPAC Library Catalog

When OPAC first opens up you will find a screen that looks like this. Type in your title, author, subject or keyword in the white text box and select the icon that fits your search.

When doing research, it is best to use the “Keyword” or “Power” selections. “Power” is a keyword Boolean search option. You should have compiled a list of keywords before you start your research.

I would like to read a book about dogs for a research paper. I typed the word “dogs” in the text box and selected “Keyword.” This is the list that comes up. (To go back a screen at any time press the “ESC” key on the computer keyboard.)

The small icon of a book means this title is a book. There are pictures of CD’s, maps, microphones, videos, newspapers, etc., each listing a type of material in the library.

This is the Title column. This is the Author column. This is the Year of publication.

This is the Call Number. It tells you where to find the book in the library. All non-fiction books have Dewey numbers, all fiction books are marked as “FIC” and the author’s last name.

The last column is labeled “Status.” This will have either an “Out,” meaning the book is checked out, or “In,” meaning the book is on the shelf.

You can move from title to title by using the arrow bars on the right side of the screen. The small arrow bar on the top and bottom will move the blue line (cursor) up and down one title at a time. The large arrow bar will move the the screen up or down one page at a time.

This screen is called the first page of cataloging. It gives you a lot of information, but you will need more if you are doing research. From this page you can either double- click on the blue line to find more in- formation on the book, or click on the “Select” button in the lower right corner of the screen...

This is the second page of cataloging. the word “dogs” is highlighted because that is where the catalog found the key- word we asked it to search for. This page provides you with a lot of additional information.

This page will give you your bibliographic information (Title, Author, Publisher and Date, and Number of Pages.) It will also tell you the edition if needed. In the “Notes” section you may find a summary of what the book is about.

Subject headings are very important in doing research. They are excellent ways to narrow or broaden your research and to find all the books on your topic. The call number is listed in the upper right hand side of the screen and the lower left part of this screen.

On this page anything highlighted in blue is a direct link to another part of the catalog. I would like to narrow my search to only fiction books about dogs. By double-clicking on the subject heading “Dogs – Fiction” the catalog will take me to a list of all of the books the library has that are fiction books about dogs.

This screen tells me that there are 57 fiction books about dogs in the library. To find out what the titles are double-click on the blue line or click on “Select” in the lower left corner.

This is the list of titles of fiction books about dogs. Notice that they are not all books. For research I would always look at the second page of cataloging and select the books I would like to look at. I can do that by creating a “Bookbag”

To create a Bookbag highlight the title you want and click on the “Add to Bookbag” button in the lower left hand corner, or…

Click on the “Add to Bookbag” button on the right of the second page of cataloging.

After you have viewed all of the titles you are interested in and have added them to your Bookbag, select the “Bookbag” icon at the top and this pop-up window will appear with all of the books you are going to look for.

You can even name your Bookbag. I will call this one “Books about Dogs.” Once I have all of the titles in my Bookbag and have named it, I can print it out.

This is what a Bookbag printout looks like. It has all of your bibliographic information on it, the call number, as well as the summary of your book. It will help keep your research in order. Make notes on this page, mark off the titles that don’t work, and use the information to make the bibliography for your paper. Be smart doing your research; use a Bookbag!

In the Accelerated Reader program you can find out what books are available in your reading level by selecting the “AR” icon and filling out the information on this pop-up window.

The AR pages will give you the reading level and the points value of each of the AR books. Remember, just because they are listed as AR books we do not necessarily have a test for them. Always check the spine of the book to see if it has an AR sticker. If it does, it has a test.

You have now learned how to use the library’s OPAC! If you have any questions about the program after you have completed this lesson Please ask Mrs. Gale, the Librarian.

References Bowen, Shirley. "How to use OPAC." WHS Lion's Library, 21 Oct Web. 20 Nov