Glossary Of Terms Used In The Library
- Abridged
- A shortened version of a book, document, etc.
- Abstract
- An objective summary of an article, book, or other written publication.
- Acronym
- A word formed from the initial letters of a series of words. (e.g., IEEE is an acronym for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).
- Annotated Bibliography
- A bibliography in which each citation is followed by an annotation containing a brief descriptive and/or evaluative summary, synopsis, or abstract.
- Annotation
- A brief, critical or evaluative summary of the content of an article accompanied by a bibliographic citation.
- Bibliography
- A listing of bibliographic citations to books, articles, and other materials that are related to a topic; usually found at the end of the book or article. Published bibliographies on specific subjects are often found in the reference collection.
- Call Numbers
- Each item, primarily books, in a library collection is assigned a number referred to as a call number. These call numbers represent a variety of subjects and are placed on the spine of the book to help you find it on the shelf. So, most books on a given subject will be found together in the same area. Call numbers are entered on the book records in the online card catalog to also help you identify the subject of the book. At Franklin we use the Dewey Decimal Classification System for our call numbers. Most call numbers have two parts:
701.17 Dewey Classification Number Ber Author Code Some call numbers have an extra three letter code, especially books about a person:
813.54 Dewey Classification Number Hem About Hemingway Mil By Miller
Take a closer look at what subjects correspond to the Dewey Decimal classifications.- Circulating Materials
- Any library materials which can be checked out of the library. (Some materials do not circulate i.e., periodicals and reference materials).
- Citation
- Information which fully identifies a publication: a complete citation usually includes author, title, name of journal (if the citation is to an article) or publisher (if to a book), and date. Often pages, volumes and other information will be included in a citation.
- Full Text
- When you can access an entire article online, you are accessing the full text version as opposed to a summary of an article or the abstract. Online article indexes often will not include images of graphics, etc in the full text format.
- Full Image
- An online article may appear as a full image, i.e. the original pages are represented as an entity and not just textually. Often in online databases the full image format will be indicated by the acronym PDF or an icon of a camera. This means that photos, graphics, etc. are included.
- Interlibrary Loan
- Interlibrary lending and borrowing services provide access to materials that cannot be found in the Franklin system. To borrow such materials, check with a reference librarian.
- Online Database
- A computerized file, often of periodical indexes.
- Periodical
- Publications issued at regular intervals of less than a year. Periodicals can also be referred to as serials. (See also, "evaluating what you find") Examples:
-
- Scholarly Journal
- usually contains articles on research and development, news, proceedings, or transactions in a particular field.
- Magazine
- contains news stories or articles on various subjects and written for a general audience.
- Trade Journal
- is published for particular business/industry. Typically includes a great deal of advertising. Often the subscription is free.
- Periodical Indexes & Abstracts
- Periodical indexes list articles which have appeared in journals, magazines, or newspapers. They list author, title, name of periodical, volume, pages and date of publication. Abstracts are indexes that also contain summaries of the content of the article. Both indexes and abstracts are found in reference departments. Some electronic periodical indexes and abstracts, e.g. ProQuest, EBSCOhost, contain full text articles as well.
- Reserve Reading
- A selection of specific books, periodical articles, videotapes, and other materials which faculty have indicated that students must read or view for a particular course. These materials are usually kept together in one area of the library and for the most part do not circulate.
- Subject Heading
- Words or phrases assigned to books and articles and used to index these items by topic. Determining the correct headings for a specific database or catalog is an important part of effective research. See also Thesaurus.
- Thesaurus
- A list of all the subject headings or descriptors used in a particular database, catalog, or index.