Library Automation

Below is a free essay on “Advantages and Disadvantages of Opac” from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. The advantages and disadvantages of OPAC.

An OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) is an online bibliography of a library collection that is available in certain libraries for the use of the public. With the aid of the Internet, most libraries have made the OPAC accessible from a server to users all over the world. The OPAC is an online database of materials used by a library or group of libraries. Users search the library catalog mainly to locate books and other materials physically located at a library. The concept of OPAC has changed the previous system used in most libraries and how the people have gained access for information and materials. OPAC is also the key to finding books and other materials in the library. When you are looking for a book you will find that knowing to use OPAC properly will help you find the materials that you need.

There are a lot of advantages of OPAC. To use the OPAC system is very easy. A person does not have to be a skilled computer user to use the system. What the person need is just to know what a computer mouse is, can use it to point and click, is just all the computer skill a person needs. The access points or search capabilities are by using keyword, subject, author or title to find the materials. It is easy to use since the users just need to enter access point in order to locate any materials in the library. So, students can find books and materials needed easily. It will also save their time. By using this system, the materials that we want to find will become instant information.

Moreover, by using the OPAC, the students can find more detailed information about the materials that they need. As such, if the students find the books by typing the author’s name in the OPAC system, the information that possibly will appear on the screen are how many volume the books have or how many number of that books the library have. Besides that, the students can learn something new about technology and modern invention.