Plan Library Information and Retrieval System (PLIARS)

The Plan Library Information and Retrieval System (PLIARS) is an electronic catalogue of microfilmed Contract and As-Built drawings of VA building plans and cemeteries. It is a single flat file list of the more than 500,000 aperture cards stored at the Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO). Each record contains an entry for Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) station number, date, building number, a code representing the discipline, project number, floor, and wing. Disciplines include architectural, electrical, mechanical, structural, etc. Hard copy of the plans are stored at each VAMC. The plans are microfilmed at the National Archives and aperture cards are produced for both Contract and As-Built stages of the contract. An original copy of each aperture card is kept at the National Archives, with copies to VACO and the VAMC. The Program Planning and Management Office enters a record into PLIARS for each new card the VACO receives. They are also responsible for maintaining the database. Primary users of the PLIARS database are contractors hired to do work. In-house technical staff and the Engineering offices at the VAMC's. Users of PLIARS can request aperture cards for the buildings, disciplines, projects and medical centers as needed. Staff pull the aperture cards from the files and make either half or full size blow-ups of the drawings.