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LIBRARY LINGO: A Guide to Library Terminology

Do you sometimes feel that the library staff is using a different language than you are? Find out the definitions of some common terms used in the library.  Entries are in alphabetical order, follow the links for further information, or visit the Information Commons Desk if you have questions! 

--  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z  --

~A~

• Abstract – A brief summary that gives the essential points of a book, pamphlet, or article.  Abstracts can help give you an idea of what the document is about without reading the whole document.  Some abstracts are descriptive, while others are evaluative; check with your instructor to see which type you need to be identifying and/or writing.  

• Academic journal -   A periodical issued by an institution, corporation, or a professional or scholarly society containing current news and/or reports of research activities and work in a particular field. Examples of academic journals are Harvard Business Review, Film Quarterly, or the Journal of Family Studies.  Current issues of academic journals can be found in the periodicals section on the 1^st floor of the Campus Library.  Previous issues can be found in the microform section on the 1^st floor, or bound in the stacks on the 3^rd floor.  See also electronic journals, peer review, and refereed articles.

• Annotation – A note that describes, explains, or evaluates; especially such a note added to an entry in a bibliography, reading list, or catalog.

• APA – American Psychological Association; The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association sets the documentation style for psychology and other behavioral and social sciences, as well as nursing, criminology, and personnel management.  Copies of the manual are available in the Campus Library's Writing Collection on the 1^st floor, an abbreviated handout can be obtained at the Information Commons Desk, or you can use the online APA guide.  Check with your instructor to find out if APA is the style you are to use for your project.  See also CBE, Chicago Manual of Style, MLA, and Style Manual.

• Appendix - A part of a written work, not essential to the completeness of the text, containing complementary information such as statistical tables or explanatory material.

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• Bibliography -  A list of the works referred to in a text or consulted by the author in its production.  There are also subject bibliographies.  These are publications, sometimes book-length, consisting of lists of books, articles, and other works on a particular topic. Bibliographies may also be annotated with abstracts summarizing the important features of the works.

• Boolean operators - Words such as AND, OR, or NOT that are used to combine search terms to broaden or narrow a search of an electronic database, index, or catalog.

• Bound journals - Complete or partial run of journals bound together into a single physical piece resembling a book. The Campus Library's bound journals are located in the stacks on the 3^rd floor in their own section.

• Browser – see Web Browser. 

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• Call number - A notation used to identify the placement and location of particular publications in the stacks.  The call number is found on the spine of the book and on the page following the title page.  The Campus Library uses the Library of Congress (LC) Classification call numbers.  To see how the call number is displayed in the UW Libraries catalog, click here.

• Catalog - List of library materials contained in a collection.  A catalog records, describes and classifies the resources of a collection, a library, or a group of libraries, typically in a computer database.  For example, the UW Libraries catalog contains records for the combined holdings of each of the eighteen branch libraries within the UW Libraries system.  The Cascade catalog contains records for the combined holdings of each of the six, 4-year public universities in Washington state.

• CBE - Council of Biology Editors; The Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers lists examples using the CBE style of documentation.  Copies of the manual are available in the Campus Library's Writing Collection on the 1^st floor, or an abbreviated handout can be obtained at the Information Commons Desk.  Check with your instructor to find out if CBE is the style you are to use for your project.  See also APA, Chicago Manual of Style, MLA, and Style Manual.

• Chicago Manual of Style - A book describing examples using the documentary-note or humanities style of documentation.  This style is often used as the standard style of many professional publishing houses.  A modified version of the Chicago style for student and academic work, Turabian style, is often the preferred style for History and Humanities scholars. Copies of the Chicago and Turabian complete manuals are available in the Campus Library's Writing Collection on the 1^st floor, or an abbreviated handout can be obtained at the Information Commons Desk.  Check with your instructor to find out if the Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian style is the style you are to use for your project.  See also APA, CBE, MLA, and Style Manual.

• Circulation - Refers to the checking out and return of library materials. This process is handled at the Information Commons Desk.  For more information on circulation procedures and policies, click here.

• Citation - Information that precisely identifies a book, article, web site, video, or map, for example.  It typically includes author, title, volume, publication information, page numbers, and sometimes an abstract. Other information such as subject headings or index terms may also be included in a citation. Scholars cite sources in their work so others may verify their work, build on it, or examine their subject matter in more depth.

• Citation index - A special type of index that lists works cited in later works, including a list of the sources from which the citations were gathered. Used to locate sources related by subject to a previously published work.

• Controlled vocabulary - A standardized lexicon of words and phrases used by information professionals when creating subject headings for an item (article, document, video, or book for example), for a specific index or catalog. This provides consistency and order in the chosen words and phrases used to catalog the item.  Library of Congress Subject Headings are an example of a controlled vocabulary.

• Copy Card - A card purchased at the vending machine in the Information Commons used to pay for printing in the Information Commons or the copy machines.  Cards are sold for $5.00.  More money can be added to your card via the vending machine or the copy machines.

• Course reserve materials – Materials which, upon request by faculty, are shelved separately from the regular stacks and temporarily assigned a shorter loan period to ensure that all the students taking a course will be able to share the materials, as reserves are designed to provide a high level of access to material that is in demand by a large number of students.  Loan periods and other restrictions are determined by the faculty placing them on reserve.  Fines are set at a high level to motivate borrowers to return material on time for use by other borrowers.  ALL RESERVE MATERIALS ARE DUE AT A SPECIFIC HOUR. Overdue fines are $2.50 for the first hour, then $.50 for each additional hour up to a $30 maximum fine.  The Open Reserves area is on the 1^st floor of the Campus Library.  Some reserves are also available electronically through ERes.

• Curriculum materials - Collection of elementary and secondary school texts and other educational materials, such as multimedia or kits, at the secondary and elementary levels.  These materials are located on the 3^rd floor of the Campus Library.

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• Database - Collection of data organized for rapid search and retrieval via computer.  In academic research, databases are commonly used to obtain citation information about articles and other publications from indexes and abstracts.  It is important to note the scope of the database your are using for your research, as some cover different time periods or subjects.  Items you find in a database will not always be available through the UW Libraries system, these items can be obtained through Interlibrary Loan or Document Delivery.  Many UW Libraries databases provide items in full text.  Some UW Libraries databases are UW Restricted.  To see a list of the UW Libraries Databases, click here.  To see a list of databases by subject, click here.

• Directory - A directory provides systematic access to concise factual information on specific subjects, people, or organizations and contains lists of persons, companies, publications, or organizations, systematically arranged, giving names, addresses, phone/FAX numbers, email addresses, and affiliations.  Some directories may include additional information.  Examples of directories are the Encyclopedia of Associations/Associations Unlimited, Reference USA, and the United States Government Manual.  Current editions of most directories are in the Reference section of the Campus Library on the 1^st floor or online, while older editions are in the stacks on the 3^rd floor.

• Dissertation - A formal and often lengthy written discourse or treatise, required by universities in partial fulfillment of requirements for a Ph.D.  Read more about using or finding dissertations in your research here.

• Document delivery – A service that provides journal articles or other documents that are not located at the Campus Library.  Read more about the Campus Library’s Document Delivery service here.  Read how determine when you need document delivery and steps to ordering articles here.  See also Interlibrary Loan.

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• Electronic journals - A journal published electronically and available online.  Some electronic journals have print counterparts while others are only online.  Many electronic journals are in the UW Libraries catalog, or can be found here; most will be UW Restricted.

• Email notification - A service where you are notified through your email account when an item is on hold for you, an item you have checked out is overdue, or when an item checked out to you has be recalled by another patron.  To sign up for email notification, click here.

• ERes - The electronic reserves system used at the Campus Library.  ERes allows you to access reserve materials electronically from any computer provided you have the password (if you do not have the password, please ask at the Information Commons desk, or call the Campus Library).  For directions for using ERes, click here.  See also course reserve materials.

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• Field - A part of a record used for a particular category of data, for example the title field displays the title for each record in a database.  Other fields include author, subject, call number, and circulation status.

• Folio – An oversize book.  The Folios in the Campus Library are located on the 3^rd floor in their own section of the stacks.

• Full text – Refers to a database or other electronic resource that provides the entire text of some or all of the works it contains, and usually the citation and abstract of each work.  Some of the UW Libraries' full text databases are UW Restricted.

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• Hard copy - A printed document on paper, as distinguished from a microform or electronic copy. 

• Holdings - Records of the items the library contains.  This term is often used as a synonym for collection.  To see how the UW Libraries catalog displays its holdings, click here.

• Home page - Usually the main page of a web site.  The home page indexes and organizes the other web pages that are a part of the web site.  The Campus Library's home page is here.

• HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol; the Internet standard that enables the creation of hyperlinks between documents on the World Wide Web.  Most URLs for Web pages begin:  http://.

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• Index - An ordered list, as in the index of a book, where references or topics of a book are arranged alphabetically by subject.  Reference librarians often use this term to refer to a list of citations usually arranged by author, title, or subject.  Some indexes are electronic while others are available in print.  An electronic or digitized index is also a database. Examples of indexes are Poole's Plus, an online index of the 19th Century, or Reader's Guide, an index covering popular, general interest magazines published in the United States and Canada since 1901.  Sometimes items you find in indexes are not always at the Campus Library, for these items you can use Document Delivery or Interlibrary Loan to obtain them.  See also periodical index.

• Information literacy - A set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.  An information literate individual is able to: determine the extent of information needed, access the needed information effectively and efficiently, evaluate the information and its sources, incorporate the information into their knowledge base, use the information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose, and to understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use the information ethically and legally.  For more information on Information literacy, click here.

• Interlibrary loan - A library service whereby users of one library may request to borrow materials not owned by their own library from another library.  Read more about the Campus Library’s Interlibrary Loan service here.  See also document delivery.

• Internet Explorer (IE) – Microsoft’s web browser for searching the World Wide Web. 

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• Journal - see academic journal.

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• Keyword - A word indicating a subject discussed in a document; used in searching catalogs and databases.  For example, keywords could be people, places, or topics.

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• Library of Congress (LC) Classification  - The classification system used in the Library of Congress, and used for shelf arrangement by call number of most of the collections in the Campus Library.  Read more about LC Classification here.

• Library of Congress (LC) Subject Headings - A standardized list of words, or groups of words, under which books and other material on a subject are entered in a catalog.  LC subject headings are more precise search tools than keywords.  LC subject headings are an example of the controlled vocabulary used in the cataloging of materials.  To see how LC subject headings are displayed in the UW Libraries catalog, click here.

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• Microfilm - Film bearing a record at a reduced scale, most often copies of newspapers or journals.  It may be negative or positive and of varying lengths and widths, depending on the number of exposures.  The microfilm in the Campus Library is located on the 1^st floor.  See also microfiche and microform.

• Microfiche - Transparent microform on a single sheet, 4 x 6 inch sheet.  For example, ERIC documents requested through document delivery arrive as microfiche.  See also microfilm.

• Microform - An arrangement of photographic or text images in reduced size.  For example, microfilm and microfiche are two different kinds of microforms.  Microforms are used to store material in a compressed form, and are beneficial to the preservation of materials. The microforms section of the Campus Library is located on the 1^st floor.

• MLA – Modern Languages Association; The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers includes advice on writing a research paper, the mechanics of punctuation, editorial principles, the format for research papers, and a sample research paper.  Copies of the complete manual are available in the Campus Library's Writing Collection on the 1^st floor, an abbreviated handout can be obtained at the Information Commons Desk, or you can use the online MLA guide.  Check with your instructor to find out if MLA is the style you are to use for your project. .  See also APA, CBE, Chicago Manual of Style, and Style Manual.

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• Netscape - A web browser used to search the internet. 

• Non-circulating - Any library material that cannot be checked out. Such materials are labeled "library use only.”  For more information about circulating and non-circulating materials, click here.

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• Online - Used in conjunction with computer databases or the internet; generally means that the user is in direct contact with the electronic content and can interact with it, usually via a computer terminal.

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• Peer review – When documents such as articles or books are reviewed by those in the author’s field of work.  Many scholarly journals are peer reviewed. To be accepted for publication in a given journal the author of an article must submit his or her article to be reviewed, usually anonymously, by a panel of experts in the field or the journal's editorial board.  Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory vol. 5, located in the Reference section of the Campus Library on the 1^st floor, is a directory of serials containing a section of peer reviewed, or refereed sources.  See also academic journal and refereed articles.

• Periodical - A publication that is issued at regular intervals two or more times a year containing articles on various subjects. Intended to continue indefinitely. Examples of periodicals include Time magazine, New York Times, Film Quarterly, or Hispanic American Historical Review.  The periodicals section of the Campus Library is located on the 1^st floor.  Previous issues can be found under the display copy, in the microform section on the 1^st floor, or bound in the stacks on the 3^rd floor. 

• Periodical index - A cumulative listing of citations, summaries, or abstracts to periodical articles.  Most periodical indexes are devoted to a specific field or discipline or type of periodical (for example, newspapers).  They are available in an electronic database or in print. To select the most appropriate periodical index for researching a topic, ask the reference librarian at the Information Commons Desk for assistance.    

• PIN - A password created by users allowing access to library account information such as books checked out, fines, and due dates. You can create your PIN here. (PIN=Personal Identification Number).

• Primary source - In history, primary sources are considered to be materials that originate in the time period you're studying, such as accounts by eyewitnesses, or the first recorder of an event in written or other form.  Historical primary sources can include newspapers, interviews, diaries, interviews, photographs, or speeches.  For more information on finding primary sources, click here.

• Proxy server - The proxy server will allow you to search the UW Restricted Library databases from home via an Internet service provider (ISP) such as Earthlink, AT&T, or MSN.  If you are a UWB student, and do not have an ISP, you may be able to use UWICK to access these resources.  Learn how to use the proxy server here.  

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• Recall – When the library requests the return of a borrowed book for another patron who has requested it.  

• Record - A collection of related data, often including author or title, arranged in fields and treated as a unit when searching a database.

• Refereed articles – Articles that have passed through a rigorous and often anonymous review process sometimes referred to as a "blind review."  To be accepted for publication in a refereed journal, the author of an article must submit his or her article to be reviewed by a panel of experts in the field.  Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory vol. 5, located in the Reference section of the Campus Library on the 1^st floor, is a directory of serials containing a section of peer reviewed, or refereed sources.  See also academic journal and peer review.  

• Reference book - A book such as a dictionary, encyclopedia, or directory that contains specific facts, data, or other information. Reference books are non-circulating, as they are high-demand sources with multiple applications.  Reference materials, like subject encyclopedias can provide an overview and background to help students formulate their paper topics.  Other ready-reference materials can provide quick facts, dates, and statistics.  Some reference books can be found online here.  The Campus Library’s Reference collection is located on the 1^st floor near the Information Commons.

• Reference librarian - A specialist in the field of information retrieval, and often in other subject areas as well. Reference librarians have a Master's degree in Library Science, and help users find materials needed for research, show them how to use and evaluate various resources, and teach workshops and classes about the research process.  Campus Library reference librarians are available at the Information Commons Desk, by appointment, or via our online "Ask Us a Question" service.  

• Reserves - see Course reserve materials.  See also ERes.

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• Scholarly - This term usually denotes written material or intellectual activity which is often intended for an academic audience, is based on rigorous research, makes a unique contribution to the general body of academic knowledge, and is subject to review, revision, and interpretation by others in the scholarly community (see refereed or peer reviewed).  Most scholarly works use language typical to that of the discipline covered.  For more information on distinguishing a scholarly work from other works, click here.

• Search engine - Search engines are huge databases of web page files assembled automatically by machine that are used to search the Internet, for example, Google.com or Hotbot.com.  Whenever you search the web using a search engine, you're asking the engine to scan its index of sites and match your keywords and phrases with those in the texts of documents within the engine's database.  It is important to remember that when you are using a search engine, you are not searching the entire web as it exists at this moment. You are actually searching a portion of the web, captured in a fixed index created at an earlier date.  With the wealth of information search engines are capable of finding, it is also important to evaluate any internet or web sources you use, for more information about evaluating web resources, click here.  For a list of more search engines and web search tools, click here.

• Secondary sources - Works that are not original manuscripts, contemporary records or documents associated with an event, but rather analyze, evaluate, interpret, or criticize other primary sources and/or secondary sources.

• Serial - A publication which is issued in successive parts at regular or irregular intervals bearing numeric or chronological designations. Serials are usually intended to continue indefinitely. Serials can include periodicals; directories; newspapers; annuals (reports, yearbooks, etc.); the journals (magazines, memoirs, proceedings, transactions, etc.) of societies; or numbered monographic series.  In the Campus Library, serials can be found in the periodical, microform, and reference sections on the 1^st floor, while some can be found in the stacks on the 3^rd floor.

• Stacks - Shelves on which library materials are arranged.  

• Style manual - A guide that describes conventions of writing style, usage, manuscript formatting, and citation rules. Some of the style manuals and handouts available at the Campus Library are the APA, CBE, Chicago, or MLA style guides.  Different styles are provided for differing disciplines, for example the ALA style is used in the social sciences, and the CBE style is used in the biological sciences.  Professors will provide guidance to students as to which style manual to use for formatting complete citations.  

• Subject heading - Word or phrase indicating the subject under which all material dealing with the same topic is entered in a catalog, bibliography, or an arranged file. The Campus Library uses Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).  Many databases have specialized subject headings using language typical to that of the discipline covered.

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• Truncate - To shorten a word; cut off at a given point as opposed to abbreviation. Used in computer searching to retrieve variants of a word or a list of items beginning with a phrase or string of characters.  For example, if you search for “librar*,” the system will find entries containing “library,” “libraries,” “librarian,” and “librarians.”  

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• URL - Universal Resource Locator or Uniform Resource Locator; identifies the exact location of an Internet resource.  For example, http://bothell.washington.edu/library is the URL for the Campus Library's Web page.

• UW Restricted – Refers to databases contractually restricted to University of Washington or Cascadia Community College faculty, students, and staff, or to persons physically present in the University Libraries. If you are a UWB/CCC, faculty, student or staff member and want to access these databases from home, learn how here.

• UWICK – UW students, staff and faculty can purchase UWICK (UW Internet Connectivity Kit) at the University Bookstore. UWICK includes Adobe Acrobat Reader, Netscape Communicator, and Microsoft Internet Explorer.  UWICK will allow you to access your UW email account and search the UW Libraries databases from home.   Because you must have a UW NetID to use UWICK, this service is currently not available to Cascadia students, staff, or faculty.  See also proxy server.

• UW NetID - Your UW NetID (with password) is your personal identification for using UW online resources. A UW NetID is required of everyone associated with the University of Washington who plans on using online central administrative and computing programs.  These programs include Web interfaces used to check your personal information (grades, schedules, etc.), and to set up your UW email account and your MyUW customized web page.  Currently, CCC students, staff, and faculty do not have UW NetIDs.

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• Web - see World Wide Web.

• Web browser - An application used to retrieve and display World Wide Web pages.  Examples are Netscape and Internet Explorer.  

• Web page - A file with text and/or pictures which is created with HTML and accessed via the World Wide Web.

• Web site - Several web pages that are usually linked together.  Most web sites have a home page to organize and index the other web pages within the web site.

• World Wide Web – (www); a collection of interlinked documents, usually viewed using a web browser.  Commonly referred to as “the web;” part of the Internet.

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