Glossary of Library and Internet Terms
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M |
N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | XYZ |
A
Abstract
A short summary of a written work. Sometimes an
article or a citation to an article is accompanied
by an abstract. It can be used to determine whether the article
is worth reading, or worth seeking out if you have only the citation.
Article
A relatively short piece of non-fiction (i.e., essay, report, etc.) appearing
in a periodical or newspaper.
Author
Someone who wrote something--an article, a
book, contents of a Web page, etc.
In databases such as a library
catalog or a collection of articles, it is one of the major ways to
look something up. An "author" may also include a person responsible
for a work other than a book, such as a composer, an artist, a playwright,
a director, et al. An organization, too, may be an author--a "corporate
author."
B
Bibliography
A list of writings used by an author in preparing a particular work.
The list is alternatively known as a "list of works [or references or sources]
cited." A bibliographic entry for a book includes
author, title, publisher, and
date of publication. An entry for an article
includes author, title, date, and information on the
periodical in which it was published. An
entry for a Web page includes similar information plus
the Web page address (URL), date of viewing the Web page, and name of online
service. Some style manuals also call for the place where the page
was accessed (e.g. Oakland Community College Orchard Ridge Library).
Two common styles of bibliography are MLA and
APA. Learn more; see examples.)
Blackboard
The brand name of the software system used by OCC to provide online instruction
utilizing the Internet.
Blog
Also know as "weblog" (from "web log"), a web-based journal, usually with
at least daily updates, about anything the creator wants it to be about.
Sites such as Blogger: Push-Button Publishing for the People have proliferated,
providing easy-to-use software that permits anyone to create and maintain
a blog. An example of a major type of blog is the political blog,
as seen in the presidential candidacy of Howard Dean, where blogs have proliferated
like mushrooms after a heavy rain.
Book
A book, compared to an article in a periodical
or to a Web page, pursues its subject or theme at greater
length and in greater depth. It is usually authored by one person
or a few persons. Why do we need books at all when everything is on
the Internet? Actually, everything is not on the readily accessible
Web. See, for example, the invisible web.
Also, much of what is in a good library is not on the Web. Many copyrighted
items are not available, and those that are may require payment of a fee.
Plus many sites on the Web are sales- and promotion-oriented, slanted, unedited
by experts, recreational (i.e., not scholarly), here today and gone tomorrow,
or just plain wacko. Books may have the same flaws, but a good college
library collection will not contain such books except to illustrate such
flaws.
Browser
Software on a PC that facilitates viewing internet
resources--web pages, PDF files,
graphics, email, etc. PCs in OCC Libraries utilize the most popular
browser, Internet Explorer (IE).
C
Call Numbers
OCC Libraries use the Library of Congress (L.C.) Classification System of
call numbers to arrange books on the shelves.
L.C. call numbers consist of letters and numbers and are assigned according
to subject so that books on the same subject are grouped together.
Honolulu Community College Library has an excellent tutorial on
Understanding Call Numbers. (Ignore the second part on "Location
Prefixes," which applies to locations in their library.) A
detailed outline of the
L.C. Classification System is also available.
Catalog
See Library Catalog.
Circulating
Refers to the type of books and other materials that
can be checked out of the library. As opposed to reference
materials.
Circulation Desk
The place in a library where you check out books.
It is also the place where you get a library card. HINT: You
can renew books (if they are not already overdue) online
or by phone; so you should never have
to pay a library fine!
Citation
Provides information about a published item: author;
title; name of periodical,
book, or Web source; page(s), etc.
It is not the full text of the article, book, etc. itself. If you
find a citation in a database of articles such as "Expanded Academic
ASAP" but the full text is not there, you may look for the text in two ways.
-
Beneath the citation will be "Check for Copy," which will look for the article in our other online databases. This can be rather complicated and, unfortunately, sometimes leads you right back to where you started. It would be wise to open a new window before selecting this link so that your original search is not lost. Contact a librarian if you have problems with this.
-
Check the library catalog to see if the print publication in which it appears is owned by an OCC library. OCC Libraries subscribe to over a thousand print magazines, journals, and newspapers.
Classification
See Call Number.
Cookie
A file sent from a web server to a web browser which
records information about what the browser has been doing at the
web site. If left in place, the cookie allows
the server to customize information for the browser and facilitate viewing
the site. For example, a password can be part of a cookie so that
it doesn't have to be re-entered at the next visit.
Copy/Holding information
Records of books and other library holdings in the
OCC Library Catalog show "copy/holding information," which
includes location (which campus library), collection (particular collection
in the library if other than circulating--e. g., reference, browsing, etc.),
call number, status (available or checked out), and due date if checked
out.
Copyright & Plagiarism
Copyright is the legal right of someone who creates an original work to
control that work--meaning that no one can copy or sell that work without
the creator's permission. Original works can take a variety of forms:
writing, music, movies, and images are the main types. Some things
cannot be copyrighted, such as government publications or recipes.
Plagiarism is a violation of copyright, an illegal use of copyrighted material,
in academia most commonly involving a failure to properly credit the author
when using his or her work. There is an educational exception
to copyright known as fair use. Learn more: See the
Library Instruction page for tutorials
about Plagiarism.
D
DALNET
See Detroit Area Library Network.
Database
A database is a collection of data (usually digitized) organized for relatively
rapid searching and retrieving. Examples are the
OCC Library Catalog and
databases of periodical articles such as Expanded Academic ASAP.
Detroit Area Library Network
DALNET is a library consortium, of which OCC is a member, located in
Southeast Michigan. Members include academic, public, school and special
libraries as well as information organizations in the seven county Metropolitan
Detroit region. (Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Monroe, Livingston and
Washtenaw counties). Members share a public online catalog as well
as a fully integrated library management system that libraries use to automate
and manage their operations.
Domain (Web)
In the United States a domain identifies a type of web site.
Outside the United States it identifies the place of origin of a web site
. Its designation is usually part of a Web site's URL (e.g. http://oaklandcc.edu/library/)
Common domains in the United States include com for a commercial site, edu
for an academic site, org for a non-profit or research site, gov for a governmental
site, mil for a military site, and net for a network-related site.
Web sites originating in other countries instead have country codes--e.g.,
uk (United Kingdom), jp (Japan), ca (Canada), ru (Russia), etc.
More information
is available at the InterNIC site.
E
Ebook
See Electronic Book.
Electronic Book
A book that has been digitized and is available electronically,
usually via the Internet. OCC students and employees
may access thousands of ebooks via the Libraries' Web site.
F
Fair Use
"Fair use" describes an exception to copyright laws which allows some limited
use, without permission of the creator of the work, of copyrighted materials.
The use must be for the purposes of education and commentary, including
parody. See the OCC subject guide
Copyright & Fair Use for sources of information on this topic.
See above for information about Copyright & Plagiarism,
which also involves some discussion of fair use.
Full text
OCC's Web-based periodicals databases contain
millions of full-text articles, meaning that the
entire text of the articles is available via the WWW. These databases
also contain millions more citations to articles.
G
Government Documents
The United States government publishes more information than any other entity
in the world. OCC's Orchard Ridge
campus library is a selective depository for the federal government and
is also a depository for State of Michigan documents. Types of
publications include statistical data, congressional hearings, agency reports,
maps, budget information, country studies, and pamphlets on popular issues.
Orchard Ridge's status as a depository also provides links to digital (largely
web-based) versions of government publications.
H
Holdings
See Copy/Holding Information.
Home Page
A single page, the introductory or contents page of a
web site.
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language: the code used to create web
pages that feature hypertext and can be read
by browsers.
Hyperlink
An image or a text string in which is imbedded a URL;
when clicked on by a computer mouse, the hyperlink opens another
web page or "jumps" to another spot in the current
page. (Both hyperlinks in the preceding definition are "jump" links.)
Hypertext
The primary feature of the WWW by which web pages on the same or different
servers are connected to each other via hyperlinks.
I
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
The practice whereby one library, if it does not own an item, will borrow
the item from another library. Libraries have well-established routines
for such borrowing, which serves to greatly expand the resources available.
Read more about interlibrary loan.
Internet
A worldwide network of computer networks connected via TCP/IP (Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) communications protocols for transfer
of information. See also Web.
Invisible Web
The "visible" web is that part of the WWW that
search engines can discover. The invisible
web comprises Internet resources that they cannot discover, such as the
results of dynamically generated searches in subscription
databases. Also, files which are not primarily
HTML-based (e.g., images, Flash, PDF) are generally
not accessible to search engines. For an excellent discussion of the
invisible web,
see this from UC Berkeley Library.
J
Journal
Journals are periodicals aimed at scholarly and
professional audiences, such as sociologists and accountants, and employ
the technical vocabulary of these audiences. They tend to have few or no
advertisements, but any advertisements they do have are aimed at their expert
audiences (e.g. an ad for an anti-cholesterol drug in a medical journal).
Articles in journals usually cite their sources,
lists of which can be lengthy. Most journals are "refereed"
publications. Compare this with magazines.
K
Keyword
A significant word used in a search in a database that looks for the keyword(s)
in titles, citations, abstracts, full
text, etc. Opposed to a subject search.
L
Library
A repository for books, periodicals,
newspapers, and other print media, as well as audio-visual and electronic
storage media. Libraries are also access points for Internet-based
information, with librarians employing the same general principles for acquiring,
organizing, and disseminating information in digital formats as they do
for traditional print materials. See OCC Libraries'
Mission Statement.
Library Catalog
A searchable database of records identifying the
holdings of a library. The online library
catalog at OCC libraries is versatile and powerful, allowing searches by
format (book, video, CD-ROM, ebook,
etc.) campus, and language; and featuring a personal-account function so
that lists can be created and managed, and checked-out materials renewed
via the web.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
A system of subject terms used by OCC Libraries and most academic libraries
to identify the main subject(s) of books and other materials.
The subject headings are in print form in OCC libraries (five large red
volumes--ask for them if you do not see them), and they appear in all records
in the library catalog. A "SUBJECT starts with"
search
in the library catalog employs L.C. Subject Headings.
M
Magazines
Magazines are popular publications with lots of photographs and advertising.
They may inform, but they are primarily intended to entertain and to sell
products for advertisers. Authors of articles are not necessarily experts
and usually their sources of information are not cited. Generally
more suitable for academic research are journals.
Microfiche
A three-by-five-inch piece of film on which is stored, in reduced size,
images of pages from periodicals or other publications.
A special reading machine is required for access. It is utilized to
save space; print versions take up much more space.
Microfilm
A roll of film on which is stored, in reduced size, images of pages from
periodicals or other publications. A special
reading machine is required for access. It is utilized to save space;
print versions take up much more space.
Microform
The generic name for microfiche and
microfilm. Microform is becoming less common
as it is supplanted by digital means of storage and dissemination.
N
No entries under letter "N."
O
Oversize
Some books are very large and are put on special big shelves away from where
they would be if they were of normal size. In the library catalog
in the "collection" section of copy/holding information
for the book it will say "oversize." Ask library staff where
the oversize books are.
P
PDF
Portable Document Format: A file format that makes a document accessible
via the internet as an image of its original, non-Internet form (i.e., as
it appeared in a desktop publisher or word processor format); not conveyed
in HTML format. It was developed by Adobe Systems
and requires their free Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing.
Periodical
A publication that come out on a regular basis (i.e., periodically) more
than daily--such as weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, etc. It
has articles written by various authors.
Magazines and journals are the main
types of periodicals. Although "periodical" does not apply to
daily publications, newspapers are often lumped in with periodicals as regards
location in a library, or inclusion in some electronic databases of articles.
See also Book. See also Serial.
Plagiarism
See Copyright & Plagiarism.
Q
No entries under letter "Q."
R
Refereed Publications
Periodicals that have expert boards of editors
("referees") who review articles before publication are referred to as "refereed
publications." These reviewers are "peers" or experts in the same
field as the writer and help ensure that the articles meet professional
or scholarly standards. Most journals are refereed
publications, while magazines generally are not.
Reference
1. What librarians call the activity of answering your questions and helping
you find information. 2. Materials that cannot be checked out but
must be used in the library; as opposed to circulating
materials.
Reference Desk
Where the librarian sits in the library waiting to help you.
Reserves
Library materials reserved by instructors for their particular classes.
They either can be checked out for a short period or must be used in the
library.
S
Search Engine
A search engine has one or more programs (sometimes called a "spider" or
a “bot”) that searches the web for Web pages and creates a vast database
of pages. When a search is submitted to a search engine, another program
involving algorithms (that count how often the words you entered occur,
where they occur, etc.) searches the database and posts the results in a
ranked order. Algorithms and search protocols vary from search engine to
search engine, and so results vary also.
Serial
A publication issued in successive parts, often on a regular basis.
"Serials" include "periodicals" but also
books in a numbered series and other publications such
as annuals, almanacs, yearbooks, conference proceedings, etc.
Subject Directory
A subject directory comprises links organized into subject categories by
human beings. Subject directories are intended primarily for browsing; that
is, the searcher may peruse a subject hierarchy in search of information.
Many also feature a search program.
Subject Heading
See Subject Search below.
Subject Search
A search in a database employing a standard set of subject headings assigned
by the makers of the database. Opposed to a keyword
search using "natural language." Subject searches look for search
terms in indexes of subject headings, which then are linked to particular
items (e.g. articles) in the database, while keyword searches are directed
to titles, abstracts, and the actual items or articles themselves.
In databases such as a library catalog or a collection of articles, it is
one of the major ways to look something up.
Subscription (Online) Database
A database which is not free. Individuals or institutions must pay
a fee to access such a database. OCC libraries provide many subscription
databases via the web which are highly useful for college research.
See also Database.
T
Title
The official name of a book, article,
play, musical piece, play, etc. In databases
such as a library catalog or a collection of articles,
it is one of the major ways to look something up.
U
URL
Uniform Resource Locator: the address of a file on the Internet, as in this
example: http://oaklandcc.edu/library/glossary.asp.
V
Volume
A single book is a volume. Also, individual units in a series are
volumes. Several issues of a periodical may be bound into a single
unit, also called a volume.
W
Weblog
See Blog.
Web Browser
See Browser.
Web Page
A single page on the World Wide Web represented by a
URL.
Web, World Wide Web, WWW
A subset of the internet, a network of computers
which provide information resources primarily based on HTML,
accessed by a browser.
Web Site
An organized set of interrelated (hyperlinked) web pages on the World Wide
Web.
XYZ
No entries under letters "XYZ."
