LIBRARY TERMINOLOGY
Using the library involves learning how to use its resources and also acquiring a new library vocabulary. This guide defines some basic library terms as simply as possible. In some instances, a term is used in context to aid in understanding. If a term used in a definition is also defined, it is in boldface type. Please remember that the library meaning of these terms are provided.
Services and Related Terms
| Check out | To borrow material from a library |
| Circulation Desk | In most libraries the place where books and other library materials are borrowed |
| Copy Card | Card that is paid for in advance for use with copy machines and/or printers that charge for printing. Sometimes called a debit card. |
| Hold | To have a book that has been borrowed by another person kept for you when it is returned; the request must be made at the Circulation Desk |
| ILL | Interlibrary Loan; a service provided by the library which gets books and/or articles that are not available in our collection from another library |
| ISL | Intersystem Loan; a service provided by the library which gets materials from other libraries in the UH System |
| Information/Reference Desk | The place where a librarian is available to help people locate information or use the library |
| Renewal | To borrow library material again for another loan period. |
Collections and Related Terms
| Call Number | The "address" of a single item within a library. It is a unique code made up of letters and numbers, that identifies exactly where an item would be found in the library (for example PS628 .A85 P65) |
| Circulating collection | Collection of materials that can be borrowed |
| Closed | Materials that are shelved behind the Circulation Desk; you must ask for them |
| Folio/Grandfolio | Oversized books that are too big to fit on regular shelves; folios and grandfolios are found at the end of regular sections of books on shelving spaced for taller books |
| Government Documents | Materials published by the government; in our library most federal government publications are found in Government Documents |
| Library of Congress (LC) Classification System | System used to create call numbers made up of letters and numbers which indicate the subject of material. This keeps books on the same topic together (for example call numbers beginning with L are used for education material); used in this and most college libraries |
| Location Symbol | Codes that are found before a call number that indicate the item is shelved in a special location (like Closed, Folio, etc.) |
| Reference | Collection of books that must be used in the library; usually encyclopedias, directories, statistical sources, etc. |
| Reserves | Materials that are available for only limited time periods because they are required reading for a course. Your instructor decides what is placed on reserve. |
| Search | To request that the library look for missing books, journals, etc. |
| Stacks | Rows of book shelves |
Types of Materials and Related Terms
| Abstract | 1) A summary of an article or book; 2) An index which also provides summaries |
| Annotated | Includes a summary, like an annotated bibliography |
| Bibliography | A list of materials on a subject, usually found at the end of books or articles; sometimes it can be an entire book |
| Citation | Information about a particular reference source (a book or article for example) that identifies it uniquely, such as the author, title, publisher of a book or the name of the journal an article appears in, the date of publication, etc. |
| Directory | A list of persons or organizations usually in alphabetical or other order which gives addresses, telephone numbers, and other information (for example a telephone book) |
| DVD | Digital Video Discs are double sided compact discs that can hold a full length movie, a complete soundtrack and more, up to 4.2 gigabytes |
| General encyclopedia | A book or set of books with informational articles on subjects in every field of knowledge arranged in alphabetical order |
| Index | 1) An alphabetical list of terms found in the text at the end of a book or set of books with the page number(s) these terms are found on; 2) A list of articles available in periodicals or newspapers usually arranged alphabetically by subject |
| Journal | A periodical containing articles, current news and reports of activities and work in one subject area |
| Magazine | A periodical for general reading containing articles on many subjects by different authors |
| Microfiche | A sheet of film with photographs of printed material; some periodicals and government documents in this library are found in this format; a special machine to read it is needed |
| Microfilm | A roll of film with photographs of printed material; all older newspapers and some periodicals in this library are found in this format; a special machine to read it is needed |
| Periodical |
Usually called magazines or journals, a publication containing articles that is published at regular times (weekly, monthly, etc.) |
| Serial | A publication that is published at regular intervals; includes periodicals |
| Series | A group of materials on the same subject that is published by the same publisher and is treated as a unit and kept together (for example the Twayne's Critical History of Poetry Series) |
| Subject encyclopedia | A book or set of books containing informational articles about a special subject area |
| Thesaurus |
1) A list of specialized words or terms of a particular subject area; 2) a list of synonyms, words with similar meanings |
| Videodisc | An optical disc that can be used to store full-motion video. It is 12 in. in diameter |
Computer Terms
| Bibliographic Record | Information about a single item in a computer database which includes author, title, publisher, publication date, etc. |
| Browser | Software used to access what is available on the WWW such as Netscape or Internet Explorer |
| CDROM | Compact Disc Read Only Memory; a compact disc that is read by a computer; in libraries they contain information, usually an encyclopedia, a reference book, or an index |
| Database | A collection of facts, statistics, or items of information organized for access by computer |
| Download | To copy information retrieved from a computer database to a computer disk. |
| Fields | Parts of a bibliographic record that provide specific information about an item, like the author field, title field, etc. |
| Full text | The complete article or book; usually this term is used with computerized sources of information |
| Internet | Worldwide interconnection of computer networks used for email, online discussions, accessing databases, and the WWW |
| Laptop | A portable computer with wireless internet access. |
| Laptop lines | Similar to telephone lines. Available on the library main level to provide internet access to personal laptops. |
| Log on | The process of entering a computer database |
| Multimedia | Material presented in a combination of text, graphics, video, animation, and sound. A PC capable of showing multimedia materials is called multimedia station |
| Online catalog | A computerized listing of materials, usually books, available in a library |
| PAC | Public Access Catalog; term used for the electronic or online catalog of library materials |
| Pharos | Printing system used in UHH Library which allows printing from the computer stations for a fee; a copy card is required |
| Printout | Paper copy of information found on a computer |
| Search engine | A program that enables searching of web sites using key words such as Alta Vista, Lycos, Yahoo |
| Search statement | When looking for information in a database, the term(s) typed in to tell the computer what you are looking for |
| Status | The line on the online catalog screen that tells you if a book has been checked out or is available |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator; the "address" which specifies exactly where a web page is located that begins with an "http://" prefix |
| Web page | Document accessed via the WWW that is usually written using HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) that enables the user to link to graphics, other words, or other web pages; also called a home page |
| Web Site | Address on the WWW that contains one or more web or home pages |
| WWW | World Wide Web. Part of the Internet with multimedia capabilities (text, audio, video, etc.) |