Searching the Library Catalog (OPAC)

The library catalog is where you search for books, periodicals, and other materials in your school's library.

Basic Search

1. Go to the Library Catalog (OPAC). You can find it in the sidebar menu, or your school may have a direct link.
2. Type what you are looking for in the search box. You can search by:
   • Book title
   • Author name
   • Subject
   • ISBN number
3. As you type (after 2 characters), suggestions appear below the search box. Click a suggestion, or press Enter to see all results.

What you'll see: A list of books matching your search. Each result shows the title, author, and whether copies are available.

Using Filters

After searching, you can narrow down your results using filters:

• Material Type -- Book, periodical, etc.
• Subject -- Filter by subject area
• Language -- Filter by language
• Year Range -- Filter by year of publication
• Campus -- Filter by campus location (if your school has multiple campuses)
• Reading Level -- Filter by grade level (Kindergarten through Post-Graduate)
• Collection -- Browse special collections like Staff Picks or Curriculum Reading

Saving a Search

If you want to run the same search again later:

1. Run your search with the filters you want.
2. Click Save Search.
3. Give it a name (for example, "Filipino novels for Grade 10").
4. Next time, click on your saved search to run it again instantly.

Discovery features you might enjoy:

• New Arrivals -- Books added in the last 30 days
• Popular Books -- The most borrowed books
• Trending by Grade Level -- What students in your grade are reading
• Recommendations -- "Readers Also Borrowed" suggestions based on your reading level
• Recently Viewed -- Books you looked at recently (up to 10)
• Staff Picks -- Collections curated by your librarian
• External Search -- Toggle this on to search online databases like Open Library and Google Books alongside your school's catalog

Clicking on a book opens a detail panel showing the full information: authors, subjects, shelf location, publisher, cover image, and which campuses have copies available.

What you'll see in the book detail panel:

• Book title, cover image, and edition
• Author name(s) and their roles (author, editor, illustrator, translator)
• Subject headings (topics the book covers)
• ISBN number
• Publisher name
• Classification/call number (tells you where to find it on the shelf)
• Physical location: which campus, which shelf
• Available copies: how many copies are available right now at each campus
• Reading level: what grade level the book is appropriate for
• "Readers Also Borrowed" -- recommendations based on what other readers with similar interests have checked out

From this panel, you can:

• Place a hold if no copies are available
• Add to your reading list to remember it for later