Library and Information Literacy Terminology From The Elements of Library Research: What Every Student Needs to Know, by Mary W. George (pp. 165‐189) * On reserve in the Library And Joan M. Reitz’s ODLIS — Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science at http://lu.com/odlis/odlis_n.cfm Abstract – A brief description or summary of the contents and/or composition of a book, article, or other document, published or unpublished, usually accompanied by a citation or bibliographic reference to it. Access – Refers to the availability of sources. Researchers want access to information and specific sources, whether or not a library owns the actual item. A library can provide access to material it does not own by borrowing it, by obtaining a photocopy from another library, or by licensing a full ‐text database that includes the source. Advanced search – One method of keyword searching in an online catalog or article database. An advanced search screen usually provides multiple boxes where the researcher can enter terms and phrases, plus a way to connect those ideas. Also called a guided search. See also Boolean logic; connectors; logic. Annotated bibliography – A list of books, articles, or other documents on a topic or by a particular author containing a citation of each item, as well as a brief description and/or a critical evaluation of it. Annotation – A brief note, usually no longer than two or three sentences, added after a citation in a bibliography to describe or explain the content or message of the work cited or to comment on it. Example: Bradbury, Malcolm, ed. The Atlas of Literature. London: De Agostini Editions, 1997. A heavily‐illustrated international thematic history of the relationship between geography and literature, from the Middle Ages and Renaissance to the post‐Cold War era. Includes references for further reading and a list of places to visit by country. In a more general sense, any brief explanatory or descriptive comment added to a document, text, catalog entry, etc. In a critical annotation, the commentary is evaluative. Also refers to the process of annotating a document or entry in a bibliography or catalog. APA style – A set of rules and guidelines for citing references as well as preparing and submitting manuscripts for publication from the American Psychological Association. These rules are detailed in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (the most recent version is available at the Reference Desk.) Article – A piece of writing shorter than a book, appearing in a newspaper, magazine, periodical, journal, or anthology. To be scholarly, an article must be based on research and include documentation of all sources. See also essay; peer‐reviewed article. Article database – Any large group of articles whose descriptive records or full texts can be retrieved via the accompanying search feature. An article database may be multidisciplinary or specific to a discipline and is usually licensed to libraries for a fee by the company that creates and maintains it. Often called just a database. See also article; Boolean logic; database; hits; limiting. Barcode – A unique number sequence printed on a small label and used by libraries to keep track of volumes in their collection. Borrowers' cards also have barcodes allowing a library's electronic circulation system to pair the item with the user. See also circulation. Bibliography – A compilation of citations of works by a given author or works on a particular subject. A finding tool that lists the sources consulted or used by a researcher. The other major types of finding tools are catalogs and indexes. See also works cited; APA style; Chicago style; MLA style; Turabian. Book – A print publication with its own title and that is fifty pages or longer. Boolean logic – The usual way to combine concepts when seeking sources in an online catalog or article database. Boolean logic allows the researcher to group similar aspects of a topic and relate them using the terms and (to narrow a search), or (to broaden a search), or not (to exclude a factor). Boolean operators – Terms (and, or, not) used in searching online resources (such as the library catalog or periodical indexes) that determine the relationship between two or more search terms (i.e. how to combine the words). Browse – The activity of looking at adjacent books on the same shelf or articles within the same periodical. Browsing can also be done in many online catalogs and article indexes by skimming the titles, subject terms, tables of contents, or abstracts of items that appear in search results. Call number – A unique set of letters and numbers designated according to a classification scheme, by which an item in the library's collection is labeled, identified in a catalog, and may be located. Catalog – A finding tool that identifies the books, serials, and other types of sources in a library's collection. The other major types of finding tools are bibliographies and indexes. See also Online library catalog/Online catalog/OPAC. Chicago style – The documentation format specified by The Chicago Manual of Style and used in books intended for both general readers and specialists. The version for academic essays and articles is by Kate Turabian. See the bibliography of this book for a complete citation. Also called either CMOS or CMS. Circulation – The unit responsible for keeping track of materials in a library's general collection, including charging books out to users, looking for lost items, reshelving returned volumes, and similar functions. Circulation desk – The desk at a library where materials are checked out or returned. Materials on reserve are stored here as well. Citation – Information about a book or article that is used to identify or locate that book or article. A citation usually includes the author, article title, book or journal title, date, volume number, and/or publication information. Classification – Any scheme for organizing concepts or physical objects, such as books. Most American libraries use either the Dewey or the Library of Congress classification system, but there are also unique ones still in use, especially in large research or special libraries. Collection – (a) A library's or archives' holdings, either in total or a specific part. (b) A published work containing contributions on different topics or by different authors. Controlled vocabulary – A means of searching a resource using words or terms selected by the creator of the resource or by an organization or individual other than its user. In contrast to a keyword, which can be any word or term selected by the user of the resource. Searching a resource using controlled vocabulary is usually more precise and focused than searching by keyword. Descriptors and subject headings are types of controlled vocabulary. Data – Information expressed in numeric form. Database – An organized collection of records containing data (citations, statistics, text, etc.) that can be searched and retrieved. The library catalog and many online periodical indexes are examples of databases. Dewey Decimal classification –A call number system used to classify and organize material in libraries. The Dewey Decimal system is based ten primary categories with each category being further subdivided into more narrow and specific topics. Public libraries and most school are organized by the Dewey Decimal system. Document – Common term for written evidence. It is a synonym for source in many contexts. As a verb, to indicate the sources used for research. Documentation – The notes and bibliography provided by researchers to support their own work. Editor – Someone who prepares a text for publication. Editorial – A short opinion piece appearing in a newspaper or other serial publication. E‐journal – A general term for any serial publication that exists in digital format. Encyclopedia – A hybrid tool with entries that summarize knowledge on a topic and list several significant sources about it. Encyclopedias can be either general or specialized in scope. Field – An individual component of a record within an index or database. Examples from the online Library Catalog are: Location, Call Number, and Status. Field limiter – In the library catalog, and many online indexes and databases, a means of limiting a search to a particular field or fields. Imposing a field limiter on a search term(s) results in the retrieval only of those records containing the term(s) as searched within the specified field(s). Frequently called limits or limiters. Format – The physical aspect of a tool or source. Full‐text database – See database Government document – Any source produced for or issued by a ruling organization. Also called an official publication. Hits – The records retrieved from an online catalog or article database search. The number of hits resulting from a search can usually be reduced or increased by entering different criteria. Index – An alphabetized table, file, or list designed to facilitate the reference of subjects, names, or places in a particular work or set of works. Information – The facts and ideas conveyed via any medium from one person to another. Information literacy – the ability to identify, locate and use information effectively Inquiry – The term for any type of planned research, whether quantitative, qualitative, or speculative. Inquiry always relies to some extent on sources. In‐text citation – The documentation format that inserts a brief parenthetical note into a sentence, with the complete citation given at the end of the essay. Item record – A record in the library catalog which describes a book, document, periodical or other material of which the library owns a copy or to which its users may have access. It consists of fields specifying for each item the author's name(s), title(s), place of publication, publisher name, edition statements, date of publication, physical description. Also included in the item record is the location of the item in the library, its call number, and its status, or if it is accessible via the Internet, a link to it. Journal – A periodical published by an academic press, learned society, government agency or professional organization, intended for scholars, students, professionals or experts, and featuring articles which disseminate results, critical interpretations or reviews of scholarly or scientific research in a particular subject discipline or profession. Keywords – Words or terms, chosen by the user, that best summarize the information being sought. A user can search the library catalog or other database for either a single keyword or a combination of keywords in order to retrieve records containing the keyword(s). Keyword searching – One of the search options available in the library catalog. When searching by Keyword, the user may combine words or terms using Boolean operators. Library – From the Latin liber, meaning "book." In Greek and the Romance languages, the corresponding term is bibliotheca. A collection or group of collections of books and/or other print or nonprint materials organized and maintained for use (reading, consultation, study, research, etc.). Institutional libraries, organized to facilitate access by a specific clientele, are staffed by librarians and other personnel trained to provide services to meet user needs. By extension, the room, building, or facility that houses such a collection, usually but not necessarily built for that purpose. LC/Library of Congress classification – A system of organizing material owned by a library, created by the Library of Congress. Library privileges – The arrangements a visiting researcher may need to make in order to use the collection of another library or archival collection. Limits – In the library catalog and some other databases, a means to restrict a search to include only items that contain a certain characteristic. Common characteristics for limiting a search include: date of publication, periodical title, type of resource (book, video, periodical, etc.), language, and availability in full‐text. In the library catalog, the limits feature is not available for Author, Subject or Call Number searching. Literature – The previous scholarly work on a research topic. Logic – The method of reasoning a researcher uses to combine concepts or search criteria. Magazine – A periodical published by a commercial press, intended for a general readership. Usually features news stories or articles on popular topics written by journalists, reporters or others rather than by scholars, professionals or experts. MLA style – A set of rules and guidelines for citing references as well as preparing and submitting manuscripts for publication from the Modern Languages Association. These rules are detailed in the MLA Handbook and MLA Style Manual (the most recent versions are available in most libraries.) Newspaper – A serial publication, usually printed on newsprint and issued daily, on certain days of the week, or weekly, containing news, editorial comment, regular columns, letters to the editor, cartoons, advertising, and other items of current and often local interest to a general readership. Some national newspapers are issued twice daily in early and late editions or in different editions for different regions of the country. Online library catalog/Online catalog/OPAC – A specialized index that contains records describing the material available or accessible at a library. The library catalog is accessible via the Internet and available to the public freely and without restriction. Outline – The structure of an argument. Peer review – A process that articles in many scholarly journals go through before they are published. Once an article is submitted for publication, it is sent to an editorial board comprised of experts in the field to be evaluated. The submitted article must receive the approval of the editorial board before it is published. The editorial board is usually identified at the beginning of each issue of a journal. Peer‐
reviewed journals may also be called juried or refereed journals. Periodical – A serial published indefinitely at regular or stated intervals, generally more frequently than once a year. Each issue is numbered and/or dated consecutively and contains articles, stories, or other writings. Journals, magazines and newspapers are periodicals. Periodical index – An index to selected journals, magazines, or newspapers (periodicals), usually organized by a particular subject or periodical type. Used to find information about articles contained in the periodical(s) covered. Plagiarism – Taking someone else's work or ideas and using them as one's own, without acknowledgment. This is a form of lying and is intellectually dishonest. Primary source – Evidence produced as dose as possible in time or place to an event, individual, or phenomenon. Most primary sources kept in libraries are written accounts or images made by participants, witnesses, investigators, journalists, and people in similar roles. A primary source can also be anything recorded by researchers, such as laboratory measurements or tape‐recorded field notes that represents what they studied and that can be transmitted to other people. The researcher's questions determine the nature of a given source whether primary or secondary, for a specific project. Print – The traditional format for materials held in libraries. Reference desk – The location in the library where you can find a reference librarian and ask for help in finding information or using the library's resources. Reference material/Reference work – Material designed to be consulted for brief items of information such as facts, statistics, background information, etc. Reference material can either be general in nature, such as the Encyclopedia Britannica or more specific, such as the Encyclopedia of Women and Sport in America. Relevance search – One of the search options available in the library catalog. When searching by Relevance, the retrieved records are automatically ranked according to how relevant they are to the keywords that were entered. The scheme give more importance to records that have the words in the title and subject headings, and records that have frequent occurrences of the words. Research – Systematic, painstaking investigation of a topic, or in a field of study, often employing hypothesis and experimentation, undertaken by a person intent on revealing new facts, theories, or principles, or determining the current state of knowledge of the subject. The results are usually reported in a primary journal, in conference proceedings, or in a monograph by the researcher(s) who conducted the study. In the sciences, methodology is also reported to allow the results to be verified. In academic libraries, instruction is designed to teach research skills. Reserves – Material that has been set aside in the Library by an instructor for the use of her students. Reserves may either be available in print/hard copy (ask at the Circulation Desk) or online in the Library Catalog. To locate reserve material, use the Course Reserves search in the catalog. Scholarly journal – A periodical devoted to disseminating original research and commentary on current developments in a specific discipline, subdiscipline, or field of study (example: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology), usually published in quarterly, bimonthly, or monthly issues sold by subscription (click here to see an example). Journal articles are usually written by the person (or persons) who conducted the research. Longer than most magazine articles, they almost always include a bibliography or list of works cited at the end. In journals in the sciences and social sciences, an abstract usually precedes the text of the article, summarizing its content. Most scholarly journals are peer‐reviewed. Search – A systematic effort on the part of a library user or librarian to locate desired information by manual or electronic means, whether successful or not, as opposed to browsing a library collection casually with no clear intention in mind. Search statement – A phrase or combination of words that are entered into the library catalog or other database in order to find information. Search strategy – In information retrieval, a systematic plan for conducting a search. In most cases, the first step is to formulate a clear and concise topic statement. The next step is to identify the main concepts in the topic. Then the most appropriate finding tools for the subject must be identified and located. Lists of authorized subject heading(s) and descriptors in the appropriate indexing systems can then be consulted to find preferred terms to represent the main concepts. In computer‐based information retrieval, keywords can be combined using Boolean logic to form one or more queries expressed in syntax acceptable to the catalogs, bibliographic databases, and search engines most likely to contain information on the subject. If the initial results of a search are unsatisfactory, the user can modify the search statement by adding related terms or substituting broader terms to expand retrieval, or by substituting narrower terms to restrict retrieval. In most systems, limiting can be employed to restrict retrieval to entries that meet specific parameters. Search term – A word that is entered into the library catalog or other database in order to find information. Secondary source – Any published or unpublished work that is one step removed from the original source, usually describing, summarizing, analyzing, evaluating, derived from, or based on primary source materials, for example, a review, critical analysis, second‐person account, or biographical or historical study. Also refers to material other than primary sources used in the preparation of a written work. Serial – A publication issued in successive parts bearing a numerical or chronological designation and intended to be continued indefinitely. Source – (a) In general a tangible object containing information of any sort in any format. (b) Any evidence a researcher uses to substantiate an argument. Special library – A collection serving researchers who have very focused information needs, such as lawyers in a firm, scientists in a laboratory, or medical personnel in a hospital. Special libraries also exist at universities to support research and teaching in certain disciplines such as agriculture or art history. Stacks – Units of connected book cases or shelves, usually arranged in rows, for storing the library's collection. Statistics – The data that result from a quantitative study and have been analyzed by researchers. Style manual – A fact tool that describes a standard format for documenting sources in notes and bibliographies. See also APA style; bibliography; Chicago style; documentation; in text citation; MLA style; Turabian. Subject encyclopedia – A reference work focused not on all knowledge but on a single discipline or broad interdisciplinary area. Extremely helpful for background information at the start of the library research process. Also called a specialized encyclopedia. Subject heading – Standardized term or phrase, often including subdivisions, used to categorize records of items related by subject, including persons, places, or things, often qualified by chronological period, geographical region, or type of document. Subject searching –The means of searching the library catalog in order to retrieve all records containing a specific subject heading. Subscription – An arrangement for acquiring newspapers, periodicals, and other types of serials automatically by paying in advance. Table of contents – A list of the major parts of a book or journal issue, giving their titles and beginning pages. Thesaurus – A reference tool which identifies and indexes synonyms and antonyms of words. In database searching, a thesaurus identifies controlled vocabulary to be used for information retrieval. Thesis – A written report of a research study, submitted as a requirement for an undergraduate honors or masters degree. Thesis statement – A researcher's own idea about a topic, based on insight derived from sources and reflection. A thesis statement forms the core of an argument intended to persuade an audience. Title – (a) The name given to a tool or source by its author or publisher. (b) Word used to refer to an entire work. Topic – The general concern of a research project. Truncation – When searching by keyword, a means of looking for all the variations of word, or root word, endings. Turabian style – A set of rules and guidelines for citing references as well as preparing and submitting manuscripts for publication developed by Kate L. Turabian. These rules are detailed in A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, These, and Dissertations. Users – Any person who uses the resources and services of a library, not necessarily a registered borrower. Synonymous with patron. Volume – In the bibliographic sense, a major division of a work, distinguished from other major divisions of the same work by having its own chief source of information and, in most cases, independent pagination, foliation, or signatures, even when not bound under separate cover and regardless of the publisher's designation. In a set, the individual volumes are usually numbered, with any indexes at the end of the last volume. For a periodical, all the issues published during a given publishing period (usually a calendar year), bound or unbound. The volume number is usually printed on the front cover of each issue and on the same page as the table of contents. In bound periodicals, it is impressed on the spine. Abbreviated v. or vol. In the physical sense, all the written or printed matter contained in a single binding, portfolio, etc., as originally issued or bound subsequent to issue. Often used synonymously, in this sense, with book. Volume as material entity does not necessarily coincide with volume as bibliographic entity. Works cited – Works Cited is sometimes referred to as References. The terms mean the same thing. Each is an alphabetical list of works cited, or works to which you have made reference. Works Cited is generally used when citing sources using MLA (Modern Language Association) style, while the title References is used when citing sources using APA (American Psychological Association) style. Works Cited and Bibliography are not the same. In Works Cited you only list items you have actually cited. In a Bibliography you list all of the material you have consulted in preparing your essay whether or not you have actually cited the work. JBS 2/2011