Why We Love Reading Lists

Creating a reading list from the BA Library's OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) has several valuable benefits:

1. Curated Resources: It helps in curating a collection of resources that are relevant to your research or reading interests. By creating a list, you can systematically gather and organize materials that are pertinent to a particular topic or theme.

2. Efficient Resource Management: It allows for efficient management of resources. Instead of browsing through countless titles, you can create and keep track of a focused list of books and materials you plan to explore or use.

3. Enhanced Organization: A reading list can be categorized and organized by subject, author, or type of material, making it easier to navigate and locate specific resources later.

4. Time-Saving: It saves time by providing a ready reference of materials to consult, which can be especially useful when preparing for research projects, studying, or simply planning your reading schedule.

5. Library Utilization: It helps in maximizing the use of the library’s resources. By identifying and listing the materials you need, you can ensure you make the most of what the library offers, potentially discovering resources you might not have come across otherwise.

6. Collaboration and Sharing: Some OPAC systems allow you to share your reading lists with others or collaborate on lists with peers. This feature can be beneficial for group projects, book clubs, or academic courses.

7. Monitoring Availability: You can track the availability of items on your list and receive notifications or updates about their status, which is useful for ensuring you get access to the materials you need in a timely manner.

8. Personal Tracking: For personal readers, it provides a way to track books and resources of interest that you might want to read in the future, helping you to keep your reading goals organized and manageable.

Overall, using the OPAC to create a reading list enhances the effectiveness of utilizing library resources, whether for academic, professional, or personal purposes.

Make Use of the Library’s Online Public Access Catalog

Teachers and students would often depend on the services librarians and library staff provide. However, it is also important that they learn independent searching and locating skills. Only when researchers are stumped and at a dead end can librarians be asked for help. Then again, we also initiate. 

Here are some important reasons why we encourage students to use the library OPAC.

1. Using the OPAC is an application of research skills namely, identifying needed information- in this case, the author’s name; determining and choosing needed information - title of the book written by the author; locating information within a source - the call number of the book as shown in the OPAC; and locating and accessing the book on the shell using the call number. These skills come into play when students are also using Google and other online databases. 

2. Using the OPAC is an experience of understanding technology particularly metadata. We learn by doing.

3. Exposure to the data and information an OPAC provides is exposure to bibliographic instruction.

4. All universities have an OPAC. So, this exercise of using it prepares them for academic work in college. 

So, there. The school library OPAC is both a learning tool and a learning environment. Librarians create this tool and this environment. We are very much a part of the teaching and learning process.