The OPAC Secret

I didn't know that the database of books available in the UP libraries can be accessed online. Thanks to my sister, who is not from UP, for helping me discover this secret.

One of my professors required our class to submit some sort of research paper as our final exam. Of course I needed to do some research and lucky me because UP has the best libraries. I used the OPAC or Open Access in the law library to search for relevant books available in the UP libraries. The OPAC's really useful because it gives you all the details you need regarding the book such as its author, call number, accession number, etc. and it points you to the library where the book is located. The first few minutes of my interaction with the OPAC was okay. But after some time, it stopped working. I tried to transfer to the other computers but I encountered the same problem. So I decided to go home instead.

When I got home, I asked my sister who studies in another school to help me look for books in their library. A few minutes later she told me that there were books available in their school. I was surprised. I didn't know how she managed to get that information in a short of span of time. Well, she told me her secret. The database of the books in their library can be accessed online. Interesting. But I didn't want to be outdone so I decided to check if I can do the same with the database of the UP libraries. And yep, it was possible. I was able to access the OPAC right here at home. No, I didn't need to go to the library to get a list of the books I needed. With my computer and internet connection here at home, I was able to come up with a list of the reference materials for our research paper. Afterwards, I just went to the proper libraries to borrow the books.

So, remember this tip - the next time you're given an impromptu research, try using the OPAC from your house or from your own computer. It will definitely save you more time.

Try it out here.