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April 01, 2005
library jargon glossary
abstract
a summary of an article or a book.
annotation
a brief description of an item, usually found with its citation. for example, an Annotated Bibliography.
barcode
Machine readable strips used by libraries to uniquely identify materials and users.
bibliography
a list of materials on a subject or by an author. bibliographies are very useful in locating materials with a common theme.
Blais
Blais is our online catalog that indexes the holdings of the Claremont Libraries. visit Blais here.
blog
made from the combination of 'web' and 'log', a blog is an online journal or interactive website hosting discussions through commenting features.
boolean logic
a way to combine terms using operators such as AND, OR, NOT. AND includes terms, OR is either/or terms, and NOT excludes a term.
call number
A combination of letters and numbers used to organize and identify library materials.
catalog
A listing of what the library owns. Our catalog is Blais.
citation
Information that identifies a book, article, conference proceeding, or similar. Citations include things like source title, author, volume, issue, pages, and date.
circulation desk
the desk located towards the entry/exit of the libraries that provides the circulation functions of the libraries’ physical materials. course reserves, cds, and videos are also held here.
controlled vocabulary
Words assigned to a specific subject area creating subject headings. Controlled vocabulary brings together items with similar subjects under one term. Libraries usually use the Library of Congress Subject Headings.
course reserves
Reserves are items held at the circulation counter for specific courses. They normally have limited check out periods.
database
an organized collection of records of items. indexes and catalogs are examples of databases.
Denison Library
located on Scripps campus, and houses collections in fine art, fine press (printing), women's studies, and humanities subjects. see Denison's website for more info.
depository
a library that receives government publications.
descriptors
words or phrases used as subject headings.
electronic journal
A journal that is accessible online.
fifth (5th) floor storage
5th floor storage is the location of older math journal titles from 1996 back, located in the south west corner of the 5th floor of Sprague library, in more or less alphabetical order by title. ask staff if you can't find what you're looking for.
folio
books too large to fit in the regular shelves, and are thus shelved in a separate location. read more about the anatomy of books here.
full text
a full text article contains both the citation and the article itself in an online format.
hold
request that an item be kept for a library user until retrieved from the circulation desk. most commonly used when an item is recalled from another user.
holdings
materials available in the libraries, indexed in Blais.
Honnold/Mudd Library
the main library to the Claremont Library system, providing access to collections in multiple subjects, reference assistance, library instruction and workshops, and many other services. see the Libraries' website for more info.
Ibid.
latin abbreviation for ibidem, "in the same place." used in citations to refer to the last work cited.
index
a list of bibliographical information to a body of literature arranged usually in alphabetical order of some specified datum such as author, subject, and keyword, among others. aka databases
interlibrary loan
a way for libraries to share materials. see the interlibrary loan entry for more information.
ISBN (International Standard Book Number)
unique standard number that identifies a book. the ISBN is an international notation.
ISSN (International Standard Serial Number)
a unique standard number that identifies a periodical publication. the ISSN is an international notation.
jargon
language known to a select group of people, typically terminology associated with a subject, profession, activity, &c.
journal
a periodical which deals with a specialized topic(s), often published by a professional society or universities.
keyword
a word used to identify items containing that word; used for locating materials in online indexes and catalogs.
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
The multi-volume set, Library of Congress Subject Headings, is an alphabetic guide to and list of the official subject headings used for searching in the on-line catalog. See The Big Red Books for detailed information.
Link+
Link+ is a consortia of libraries in California and Nevada that share books. Access to the Link+ catalog is found through the main Blais homepage or from the maroon Link+ button located at the top of item records and the results screens. see the Link+ entry for more information.
literature review
reviewing written literature on a specific topic, most relevantly for research. the best way to approach this is to begin with subject indexing databases, such as MathSciNet or Web of Science.
manuscripts
documents such as letters, diaries, or an author's original work that have not been printed.
microforms
documents that have filmed and reduced in size. formats include microfilm and microfiche.
multimedia
an item that encompasses several media, such as text, graphics, audio, or video.
offsite storage
a storage facility that houses library materials that either have infrequent use or an online alternative.
OPAC
Online Public Access Catalog, in our case, Blais. lots of libraries shorten it to PAC and will refer to their web catalog as their Web PAC
oversize/folio
books too large to fit in the regular shelves.
periodical
works published on a regular basis, like journals or conference proceedings.
physical collection
physical items like books, journals, magazines, maps, CD ROMS, dvds, microforms, &c, as opposed to electronic collections accessed online.
primary source
first-hand research data. also first-hand accounts of events, like diaries, letters, interviews, memoirs, photographs, transcripts, maps, government documents and artifacts.
rare books
books with a high value attached to them, due to their content, scarcity, the date of publication, their physical condition, &c.
recall
request that a book checked out be returned to the library. users have 2 weeks to return the item once the recall was made. look for the maroon Recall This Item at the top of the item's record in Blais.
record
information on a specific item in the libraries' online catalog, Blais.
reference/info desk
a service area in the library where a patron can get assistance with research from a reference librarian, as well as general information about the library.
reference librarian
a librarian with specialized knowledge of information resources who can help you find information for research.
repository
an area for the storage of materials, usually separate from the physical library space and with limited access for users
reserves
materials kept at the circulation counters or on the electronic server Eres for specific courses with a limited loan period, from 2 hours to 2 days.
Seeley G Mudd Library
one of 2 science libraries, and houses collections in biology, chemistry, geology, and physics, as well as provides a variety of services. visit Seeley G Mudd on Pomona's campus for more info.
special collections
special collections is an area separate from the main library's collections that contains materials of a high worth for a variety of reasons such as uniqueness, rareness, or age. each library has their own special collections areas.
Sprague Library
located on Harvey Mudd's campus, Sprague houses collections in math, computer science, engineering, as well as a nice recreational reading collection of books and magazines. see Sprague's website for more info.
subject headings
words or phrases expressing a subject, under which all items on that subject are indexed. See The Big Red Books for detailed information.
thesaurus
a list of synonyms a database uses to find matches for particular words if the words themselves don't appear in documents.
unbound
a term used to distinguish loose issues of periodicals which have not yet been bound. most often, these are the newest issues.
volume
a collection of issues of a periodical specified by the publisher.
Posted to library 101 by jez at April 1, 2005 08:57 AM