1. OPAC
What’s That??

2. OPAC is…
Short for Online Public Access Catalog.
A searchable online database of materials held by a
library or group of libraries
Used to to locate books and other material physically
located at a library

3. What it does
Helps you to find library materials
Replaces card catalogs
Quick and easy to use
Searchable

4. In our library
You will find our OPAC system on the computers
located in the library.
Once logged on to the computers click on the Destiny
icon on the desktop.
Then make sure to click on the Wilmington Middle
School link
Make sure you are on the “catalog” tab and click
library search

6. Some Search Options
Keyword
Title
Author
Subject
Series

7. Searching by Keyword
When you enter a word or term and click Keyword,
Destiny returns a list of items with that word almost
anywhere in the record.
The Keyword Search is best used when you have a
complex search term that contains keywords from
more than one of the other searches (author, title,
subject, or series).

8. Searching for a title
When you enter a word or term and click Title, you
get a list of items with that word anywhere in the title.
Searching for an author
If you know the author of a book, and want to find
others written by the same one, enter all or part of
the name and click Author.

9. Searching for a subject
If you want to find items about a certain subject,
topic, person, or place, enter all or part of it and click
Subject.
Make sure to use the plural form, if your search term
has one, instead of the singular. Enter flies instead of
fly or lions instead of lion.

10. Searching for a series
If you enjoyed a book that belongs to a series, like
Goosebumps or The Hunger Games, and want to find
books in the same series, enter all or part of the series
name, and click Series.

11. Material Type
Lists types of media that will be searched.
What kind of results are you looking for?

12. For your project…
Log into the computers using the login, no password
Click on the Destiny Icon on your desktop
Click the link for Wilmington Middle School
Make sure that “books” are selected under Materials
Type the topic of your research into the search and click
“subject” or click “keyword”
Use your Dewey Research sheets to copy title, author, and
call number of 3 results you think are best for your topic
Find one of your books and fill out your research sheet