OPAC is your key to finding books and other materials in the Lowell library.  When you are looking for a book you will find that knowing how to use OPAC properly will help you find the  materials that you need.

Where Can I Find The OPAC?

 At this time, the Lowell library is the only place you can find the OPAC stations on campus.  However, when our new school network is in place you will be able to access the OPAC from any computer connected to the school network.

What Will I Find On  The OPAC?

 Use the OPAC to find books and media such as video tapes. It does not index magazines.  If you want to search for a magazine, we suggest use the print index, The Readers Guide To Periodical Literature”
 

Do I Need To Be A Skilled Computer User To Use The OPAC?

 No! If you know what a computer mouse is, and you can use it to point and click, that is all the computer skill you need. In addition, assistance is always available in the library if you need help.

How Do I Conduct A Search On The  OPAC?

 There are six main ways you can search for books and media in the OPAC. They are as follows: KEYWORD, TITLE, AUTHOR, SUBJECT, CALL NUMBER and POWER SEARCH.

Title Search

 One of the most direct way to find a particular book is to use a title search. If you know the title of the book you want,  type in its full title, or as much of it as you know, in the search box and then use your mouse to click on the “TITLE” box. If the library has that particular book it will appear in an alphabetical listing of titles. The title will be highlighted. At that point, if you double-click the entry the book information, along with its availability status, will appear on the screen. As an exercise, try a search for “ The Fellowship of the Ring”. How many copies does the library have?

Author Search

 Another specific search is an author search.  This search will take you to an alphabetical listing of author names and if the library has any books by the author you want, they will be listed. As an exercise, try a search for the author J.R.R. Tolkien. Type in “Tolkien, J.R.R.” in the search box and click on “AUTHOR”.  If the library has books by that author the name will appear and be highlighted.  Double click on the name you want and a list of titles by that author will appear. From there, you can select the title you want by clicking on it and the information about the book and its availability status will come up on the screen.

Subject Search

 A subject search can be a useful approach when you do not have a specific author or title in mind but you have a general idea of the topic you would like to research. For example, type in “acid rain” and then click on the search box for “SUBJECT”, you will be directed to an alphabetical listing of subjects.  In this case, we do have “acid rain” as a subject heading. Double click on  the topic and you will find a listing of all books the library has under that subject heading. Double click on the title of your choice to get the full information on the book and its availability status. If you do not find material under the term you have used, try and think of alternative or related terms.

Keyword Search

 A “KEYWORD” search can be useful when you are not sure  of the details of the subject you want to search.  In this example, suppose that you knew there was an environmental problem associated with rain but you were not sure what the proper term would be. Type in ‘rain”  in the search box and then click the “KEYWORD” box.  A list of titles that contain the word  “rain”,  and related subjects, will appear. You will find that in our library, the words
“acid rain” are among them.

Call Number

 A “CALL NUMBER” search can be useful if you know the precise call number of the book. Perhaps your  teacher has given you a list of book titles and their call numbers. In that case you could use this approach in place of the other methods we have discussed.

Power Search

 A “POWER SEARCH” is a bit more complex than the other searches we have covered.  In this example, type in “acid rain” in the search box.  Then, click on the “POWER SEARCH”, box  and you will see that you get a series of search boxes that allow you to further refine your search. With “acid rain” in box number 1, check the “and” box between box 1 and 2. Next, type “ecology” in the second search box. In this example we will leave the “all fields”  on as our default. Click the “search” box and you will find that in our library we have a book that meets the requirements you have listed. the book is” An Application tragedy: air pollution and tree death in the eastern forests of North America”. As you can see, using the search guidelines “and”, “or”, and “but not” phrases can help us limit or expand our search.

Getting Help In Using The OPAC

 Whichever method you use, the OPAC is your key to finding books and media in the Lowell library. If you have trouble using it remember that the OPAC has a built in “help” function which you can access by clicking on the “HELP” box. However, if you are still having trouble finding what you need, ask one of the librarians for assistance.