Library Lingo

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Library Lingo: Useful Phrases to Know When Using the Library

Libraries use a number of special terms which can be confusing to library users. Below is a list of these terms with definitions.

Abstract: A non-evaluative summary of a book, journal article, or other information source.

Almanac: A usually annual reference book containing lists, charts and tables of useful factual and statistical information either on a wide variety of topics or a single subject.

Anthology: A collection of works (poems, stories, articles) by various authors and collected in a single volume.

Archives: Documents created by a person or organization in the course of the conduct of affairs and preserved for their historical value. Also the location where archival materials are kept.

Bibliographic Record: An individual record in a database that describes and identifies a specific item (such as a book or video) by fields (e.g., title, author, publication date, etc.).

Bibliography: A list of information sources. Bibliographies usually include citations to book, journals, or other publications.

Boolean operators (logical operators): Terms such as "and," "or," and "not" used to express the relationship of one term to another when searching databases.

Examples:
violence and television -- (finds ALL keywords)
violence and (television or media) -- (finds 1st keyword and either one or both other keywords)
violence not television -- (finds 1st keyword, excludes the other)
Bound Periodical or Journal: A single hard-bound volume comprised of several consecutive issues of a magazine or journal. For many titles a single bound volume contains an entire year of the title, although this can vary depending on the size and frequency of the publication.

Browser: Software program used to view and interact with various types of Internet resources available on the World Wide Web. Netscape and Internet Explorer are two common examples.

Call Number: The number assigned to library materials for the purposes of shelving and location. Peace Library uses the Dewey Decimal System.

Check Out: To borrow library materials for a specified period of time. Materials may be checked out at the circulation desk.

Circulation Desk: The counter in the library where users can borrow materials from the library by checking items out.

Citation: The basic information needed to find specific materials. For books this information usually included the author, title, place of publication, publisher, and date. For articles, the citation usually includes author, title, name of journal, date, volume, and pages. A collection of citations is called a bibliography.

Controlled Vocabulary: Assigned standardized terms used in searching a specific database or catalog. These terms will differ for each database.

Copyright: Legal privilege granted to an author, composer, etc. for exclusive rights of publication and distribution of a work.

Database: A body of information in machine readable form which is searched on a computer terminal. Records for materials owned by the Peace College Library comprise the Peace Online Catalog database.

Dissertation: A text written in completion of requirements for a doctoral degree at a university.

Due Date or Date Due: The date by which borrowed materials must be returned to the library.

Fields (Electronic databases): A particular section of a bibliographic record, containing specific information such as the author, title, or publication date of an item.

Format: The physical form of information as opposed to the content. Examples of formats include books, journals, newspapers, electronic, and microforms.

Full-Text Database: A database where the entire text of an article can be viewed, printed or downloaded directly from the computer terminal.

Hits: Results retrieved from a search in an electronic database.

Hold: A service provided by the Library where a patron can request an item which is checked out to another patron. When the item is returned it will be held for the patron who requested it at the Circulation Desk.

Index: A systematically arranged list giving enough information for each item to be found. Periodical indexes list articles in magazines, journals, and newspapers. An index of a book lists names and subjects with the page numbers where they can be found in the book.

Interlibrary Loan: A service which allows users to obtain materials not owned by Peace Library.

Journal: A periodical which is usually considered more scholarly than a popular magazine. Journal articles usually contain footnotes and/or bibliographic references.

Keyword Search: A search method which allows the search for the occurrence of a word anywhere in a record.

Library of Congress (LC) Subject Headings: A word or phrase which indicates a book's subject. Our Online Catalog uses terms from the Library of Congress Subject Headings.

Magazine: A periodical publication usually considered to be of more general or popular interest than a journal.

Microfiche: A sheet of film on which a printed book, journal, or other publication has been reduced in size.

Microfilm: A roll of film on which a book, journal, newspaper, or other publication has been reduced in size.

Microforms: Printed books, journals, or newspapers which have been reduced in size so that they must be read with special equipment. Microforms include microfiche and microfilm.

Online Catalog: A computerized system for finding out what materials are owned by the library, the call number, location, and whether or not the item is checked out.

Peer-Reviewed Journal: See Refereed Journal.

Periodical: A magazine, journal, newspaper, or annual publication which is published at regular intervals.

Recall: The procedure by which the library can request that materials currently checked out be returned to the library so that another person who has requested the materials can use them.

Record: In databases, citations are called records.

Refereed Journal: A journal where articles are reviewed and selected by professional colleagues for publication.

Reference Collection: A collection of library materials useful for supplying authoritative information or for identifying information sources. These materials are kept together and can not be removed from the library.

Renew: To extend the amount of time that materials can be borrowed. Renewal are done at the Circulation Desk.

Reserve Collection: A collection of library materials that can only be checked out for a short period of time. Circulation is limited to assure access to all students who might need the materials.

Scholarly Journal: See Journal and Refereed Journal.

"See" or "See Also" Reference: Directions in an index or other finding aid that direct you to look under a different or related term. These are also called cross references.

Serial: A publication issued in successive parts usually at regular intervals. Examples of serials include periodicals such as journals, magazines, newspapers, and annuals.

Stacks: The book shelves where most books are located.

Subject Guide: A bibliography prepared by the reference librarian which identifies research tools (indexes, abstracts, handbooks, etc.) related to a specific subject.

Subject Heading: A term or phrase which describes the subject content of a work. Most academic libraries use the Library of Congress Subject Headings.

Thesaurus: A list of subject headings or descriptors assigned in a particular database, index, or online catalog that can be used to search that database.

Truncation: In computer searches, you may use a symbol (often an asterisk) to shorten or "truncate" a word to retrieve a root word and any ending; for instance, truncat* will retrieve truncate, truncated, truncation, etc. Choose carefully which words to truncate.

URL: Uniform Resource Locator. The unique address of every item on the Internet used to locate and retrieve a particular page. Example: http://www.peace.edu

Volume: While volume can be used to describe any group of pages bound together, it usually refers to a full set of issues which make up one year's worth of a single serial. Some periodicals publish more than one volume per year, while other serials may issue a single bound volume at irregular intervals.

Sources: Naomi Lederer, et. al, Glossary of Library Terminology for International Students (ASU Libraries, November 1991); Heartsill Young, ed., The ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science (Chicago: American Library Association, 1983).