Glossary of Library Terms

 

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Complete Glossary  of library and internet terms created by the University of South Dakota (please note that their glossary has location information that pertains only to their own library, not to Forsyth Library).

 

 

Note: Definitions marked AHD are taken from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. www.bartleby.com/61/.

 

Abridged: A shortened version of a work that retains the essential elements.

 

Abstract:  A summary of an article.

 

Annotated Bibliography: A bibliography in which a brief description and evaluation is given for each item 

 

Author: The writer of a book, article or other text~ AHD.  Compare to editor.

 

Bibliography: The list of the citations of all books, articles, websites or other materials quoted from or consulted when writing a paper. It usually appears at the end of the paper, and follows a precise format, such as MLA: Modern Language Association rules, APA: American Psychological Association rules, Turabian, a variant of the Chicago Manual of Style devised by Kate Turabian, or Chicago: based on the Chicago Manual of Style.Your professor will tell you which style to use.

 

Call Number: The letter/number combination that tells you where to find a book on the shelf. We use the Library of Congress call number system, which starts with one or two letters, followed by numbers. The books are on the shelves in alphabetical order, then numerical order by their call number. For example, books with the call number that begins E337….. would be ordered like this:

E337 .G32

E337.8 .A21

E337.8 .B9

E337.87 .B4

 

Citation: The brief, identifying information which helps you find the material again. Usually contains author or editor, title, (plus title of periodical if the item is an article) volume and issue numbers, date of publication, and page number(s). Book citations also contain the name and city of the publisher. Compare to Record (see definition below).

 

Database:  A searchable collection of citations, articles, and sometimes books and dissertations, in electronic form.  The library's databases contain scholarly information which is not generally accessible for free on the Internet.

 

Dissertation: the research paper (usually book-length) that is required to obtain a Ph.D.

 

Editor: An editor gathers information that was written by others; the editor may also add commentary. For example, a book which is compiled of works by various authors would have the editor’s name on the cover. When searching, use the editor’s name as you would an author’s.

 

Embargo: The period of time during which a publisher will not allow a periodical to appear in electronic form in a certain database. For example, the Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal is contained in the database Wilson Omnifile from 2005 to the present, but has a 6 month embargo. That means issues from the latest 6 months will not appear in the database. Issues from this period may be available in a different database, however.

 

Peer-Reviewed: An article, published in a scholarly journal, which has been evaluated by fellow scholars and experts in the field, prior to publication. These are also called refereed publications. Contrast with popular articles (see definition below).

 

Periodicals: Items that are published at intervals throughout the year, such as journals, magazines, newspapers, and newsletters.  The name comes from the fact that they are published “periodically”—whether daily, weekly, monthly, etc. 

 

Popular: Articles, generally appearing in magazines, newspapers and on some websites, that are written by non-experts, using everyday language, that appeal to and can be understood by the average person. The information contained in popular sources should be verified by consulting other, more scholarly sources.  Click here for more information..

 

Record: A longer, more detailed description of the item. In addition to the citation information, it includes subject headings, notes the presence of illustrations, indexes, or bibliographies, and may contain a summary of the contents (abstract). Records can be found in the online catalog, or in databases.

 

Scholarly: Articles that report on original research, written in advanced or technical language by scholars in that field, for other scholars. See also Peer-Reviewed.  Click here for more information. 

Search Term(s): The topic(s) you want to find information about; the words you enter into the search box.

 

Subject Heading: Word or phrase that describes the major topic(s) of an article, book, or other resource.  For example, a book on the Great Depression may have the subject headings:

         Depression--1929--United States

         United States--Economic History--1918-1945

         United States--Social Conditions

 

      Subject headings can be worded differently in different databases.  Searching by subject is a quick way to locate all information on a particular topic, in one search.  To find subject headings for books in the online catalog, click on the title, then on the gray "Bibliographic" tab. The location of subject headings in databases varies, but they can usually be found by clicking on the title of the item, and scrolling through the next screen to find the subjects, which are hyperlinked.  Click on them to perform a new search for just that topic. 

 

Thesis: The research paper often required for the Master's Degree

 

Thesis Statement: an unproven statement to be tested through research.