the user should scour the catalogue for all the relevant items they can discover. Having found the appropriate shelfmarks, it can be beneficial to peruse the shelves in those areas as there is always the possibility that relevant titles on a similar topic have been overlooked when searching. The library’s catalogue should always be used to check the correct locations. The following information may be found using an OPAC: . a bibliographic (or otherwise) description of the item . numbers of copies . location of items . status of items (for example, on loan to another user, on order and not yet in stock) . details of serial holdings . personal borrower record . reading list information, that is, details of the reading list on which an item appears, the name of the lecturer plus access to that lecturer’s complete lists Online catalogues are useful for linking to electronic formats. But electronic resources: may be on a separate list or Web page