Which term is a searchable digital interface that allows patrons to locate library holdings?

Which term is a searchable digital interface that allows patrons to locate library holdings?

• A. OPAC
• B. MARC Records
• C. Graphic Novel
• D. Pluralistic Collection

Answer: (A)

An OPAC, or Online Public Access Catalog, is the searchable digital interface that lets patrons locate library holdings. You can search by title, author, subject, or keyword and see if the library owns the item, where it’s located, and its current status. Behind the scenes, librarians use MARC records to encode bibliographic information, but the user-facing tool you interact with is the OPAC. The other terms don’t describe a search interface—MARC records are data standards for cataloging, a graphic novel is a book format, and a pluralistic collection isn’t the term for a library search tool.

An OPAC, or Online Public Access Catalog, is the searchable digital interface that lets patrons locate library holdings. You can search by title, author, subject, or keyword and see if the library owns the item, where it’s located, and its current status. Behind the scenes, librarians use MARC records to encode bibliographic information, but the user-facing tool you interact with is the OPAC. The other terms don’t describe a search interface—MARC records are data standards for cataloging, a graphic novel is a book format, and a pluralistic collection isn’t the term for a library search tool.