The following glossary should answer those frequently
asked questions about library usage.
Abstract - A summary of an article or book.
Bibliographic record - Complete description of
a book, document, recording, magazine or journal article
or other published item. The bibliographic record may
include author, title, publisher, publication date, and
other information about the item.
Bibliography - A list of source materials that
are used in a preparation of a research paper. The list
may be of items by one author or on one subject. A bibliography
is a required component of a research paper.
Boolean Operators -- Words (especially AND, OR,
NOT) used in electronic databases or catalogs to expand
or limit the results of a search.
Call number - A group of letters and numbers,
or just numbers, given to each item in the library. Call
numbers are used to locate items on the shelves.
Check out - To borrow library materials for a
specific period of time. A valid library card is required.
Circulate - To lend for use outside of the library
for a specific period of time.
Citation -- The written information about a book
or periodical article which you will need in order to
locate the item. A citation usually consists of author,
title, publisher and date, depending on the type of publication.
Also, called a reference.
Classification system - Items grouped together
by a category. In most libraries, materials are grouped
together by subject. The Library of Congress Classification
System is used in this library. However, the Dewey Decimal
System is used in the juvenile collection.
Current periodical - Issues of magazines or journals
published during the last year.
Current
source - Resources published at the contemporary
time.
Database - A collection of information that can
be accessed and searched through the Internet or CD-ROM.
Discipline-specific
source - A source limited to a particular discipline,
e.g. Encyclopedia of Psychology.
Field - A specified element of a bibliographic
record, such as the "author field" or the "title
field."
General
source - A source not limited to a particular
field or special subject, e.g. Americana Encyclopedia.
Government Documents - Materials published by
the U. S. and state governments.
Historical
source - Materials related to the past, e.g.
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Speech: "I Have a Dream".
Holdings -- the books, periodicals, and other
materials owned by this library.
Interlibrary
Loan (ILL) - If the Guarini Library does not own a
book or periodical that you need, you may request an Interlibrary
Loan form at the Reference Desk or print from the Library
home page. The ILL department will try to locate the requested
materials and contact you when they come in. Usually,
the process takes at least two weeks.
Journal - A magazine published by an institution
or professional society. It is more scholarly than a magazine
found at a local newsstand or drug store.
Keyword(s) - Word(s) in the title, abstract or
other field of a bibliographic record which is used as
a search term.
Local
source - Library resources that are available
in the Guarini Library.
Microforms - The general term used for printed
items which have been reduced in size. Microforms refer
to both microfilm and microfiche, and these must be read
at special designed machines.
Online catalog - A computerized catalog of a library's
collections. The online catalog for the Guarini Library
is OSCAR.
Online database - Electronic periodical indexes
that enable you to locate and retrieve articles in magazines
and journals through the Internet. A database's coverage
could be multidisciplinary, e.g. Academic Search Premier
, or on a particular subject, e.g. ERIC. A database could
contain full text articles, or only citations/abstracts.
The Guarini Library subscribes to over 60 online databases,
which can be accessed from off campus.
OSCAR - The Guarini Library's information system
which contains the online catalog, circulation information,
location of materials, etc. Users can access OSCAR from
offices or homes using computer modems.
Overdue - Material which is not returned to the
library by its due date is considered overdue. Fines may
be charged $.10 per day.
Periodical - A magazine, journal or newspaper
which is published at regular time periods. It may be
issued daily, weekly, or monthly.
Periodical index - A periodical index is used
to locate articles within magazines, journals and newspapers
by subject or author. The majority of periodical indexes
now are online or in CD-ROM, while some of them are printed
and bound/arranged by year in the library.
Reference book - A book you may use to find information
on specific facts rather than to read through. Dictionaries,
encyclopedias, and almanacs are all reference books. Reference
books do not circulate.
Reference area - The area where reference materials
are located. Librarians are on duty at the reference desk
to assist you in using online databases, reference books,
and finding the materials or information that you need.
Reserve - Library materials may be placed "on
reserve" by faculty members. Reserve materials are
kept in the Circulation Department at the Guarini Library.
These materials have very limited loan periods so everyone
in a class has a chance to use them. Reserve books are
arranged by the professor's name.
Serial - A publication that is issued at regular
intervals, for example, monthly or weekly. This includes
periodicals such as magazines, newspapers, and journals,
as well as books such as almanacs which is published annually.
Series - A group of related volumes published
under a collective title. Each separate part may be numbered
and have its own additional title.
Stacks - The shelves where books are located.
Subject Heading - The topic under which an item
has been identified. A subject heading can be used as
a point of access in print and computerized sources. The
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is an example
of an established list of subject headings.
Thesaurus - An alphabetical list of terms showing
synonyms and antonyms; or a set of controlled vocabulary
used to indicate the subject matter of an item. An index
term from a thesaurus is used as a subject point of access
in computerized as well as print indexes.
Glossary
of Library Terms
