With a few clicks of the mouse, Virginia Peterman can trace the path to your home, find out how much you paid for it and even check your neighbor's property assessment - all from a workstation at Howard County Central Library.

A partnership between the county's Geographic Information Systems, of which Peterman is coordinator, and library officials has paved the way for public access to county GIS software.

As Peterman explains, the partnership allows residents to bypass the paper trail for public records, and gain access to maps of properties throughout Howard.

Library patrons can gain access to GIS software from an upstairs workstation with a 19-inch computer screen, and print color maps from a wide-format printer. The software, developed by county GIS programmer Yut Phasukyued, has been used internally by county employees for some time.

"It's a whole lot of information, all in one spot," Peterman said. "[Before], you'd have to truck up to the county planning office, go down to central services, then go to the courthouse to [research] property ownership."

Peterman said the partnership eliminates those steps and allows residents to plan ahead. A homeowner who wants to build a deck, for example, can view a topographical map of his or her property before making construction plans.

She said county officials hope that the software will save time and money by enabling residents to view their properties before approaching the county with their plans.

"The public doesn't know this stuff exists," Peterman said. "[The software] gives them the information they need to make decisions."

The GIS software allows users to find day care centers, residences, assisted-living facilities, hotels and schools throughout the county.

A search for day care centers, for example, yields a map with clusters of black dots. One click gives users a center's address and map location.

Brian Auger, the library's associate director, said the library provided GIS training this month to 12 librarians at the central library. He said he hopes to bring the program to other branches.

"It really represents a convergence of interests because it enables us to make available this tool," he said of the software.

"You've long been able to find out what your neighbor's property values are. This just makes it a whole lot easier," Auger said. "It's really cool to see the car you had in your driveway that day they took the [aerial] photos."