Abstract: "A summary or brief description of the content of another longer work.

An
abstract is often provided along with the citation to a work."

Almanac: "1. A collection, usually annual, of statistics and facts, both current and
retrospective. May be broad in geographical and subject coverage, or limited to a
particular country or state or to a special subject. 2. An annual containing
miscellaneous matter, such as a calendar, a list of astronomical events, planting
tables, astrological predictions, and anecdotes" (Definition from Yale University
Library )

Annotation: "1. A note that describes, explains, or evaluates; especially such a note
added to an entry in a bibliography, reading list, or catalog. 2. Process of making
such notes. Annotation is the end product of making such notes." (Definition
from Colorado State University Libraries )

Archives: "1. A space which houses historical or public records. 2. The historical or
public records themselves, which are generally non-circulating materials such as
collections of personal papers, rare books, ephemera, etc."

Article: "A brief work—generally between 1 and 35 pages in length—on a topic. Often
published as part of a journal, magazine, or newspaper."

Atlas: "A book or bound collection of maps, illustrations, etc.; Volume of maps,
plates, engravings, tables, etc., which may be used to accompany a text; or it may be
an independent publication." (Definition from Colorado State University Libraries )

Attachment: "A separate file (e.g., text, spreadsheet, graphic, audio, video) sent with
an email message."

Authentication: "A security process that typically employs usernames and

passwords to validate the identity of users before allowing them access to certain
information."

Author: "The person(s) or organization(s) that wrote or compiled a document.

Looking for information under its author's name is one option in searching."

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B
Bibliography: "A list containing citations to the resources used in writing a research
paper or other document." See also: Reference .

Book: "A relatively lengthy work, often on a single topic. May be print or electronic."

Book stacks: "Shelves in the library where materials—typically books—are stored.

Books in the book stacks are normally arranged by call number . May be referred to
simply as the “stacks.”

Boolean operator: "A word—such as AND, OR, or NOT—that commands a computer

to combine search terms. Helps to narrow (AND, NOT) or broaden (OR) searches."

Browser: "A software program that enables users to access Internet resources.
Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and Mozilla Firefox are all
browsers."

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C
Call Number "A group of letters and/or numbers that identifies a specific item in a
library and provides a way for organizing library holdings. Two major types of call
numbers are Dewey Decimal Call Numbers and Library of Congress Call Numbers."

Catalog "A database (either online or on paper cards) listing and describing the
books, journals, government documents, audiovisual and other materials held by a
library. Various search terms allow you to look for items in the catalog."

CD "An abbreviation for compact disc; it is used for storing digital information."

Chat "The ability to communicate with others, computer to computer, via typed
messages."

Check out: "To borrow/rent/loan/issue an item from a library for a fixed period of time
in order to read, listen to, or view it. Check-out periods vary by library. Items are
checked out at the circulation desk."

Circulation desk: "The place in the library where you check out, renew , and return
library materials. You may also place a hold , report an item missing from the shelves,
or pay late fees or fines there." Also called a Loan desk .

Citation "A reference to a book, magazine or journal article, or other work containing
all the information necessary to identify and locate that work. A citation to a book
thus includes its author's name, title, publisher and place of publication, and date of
publication."

Controlled vocabulary: "Standardized terms used in searching a specific database."

Also see: Descriptors , Subject heading .

Course reserve: "A selection of books, articles, videotapes, or other materials that
instructors want students to read or view for a particular course. Print reserve
materials are usually kept in one area of the library and circulate for only a short
period of time." See also: Electronic reserve .

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D
Database: "A collection of information stored in an electronic format that can be
searched by a computer."

Descriptor "A word that describes the subject of an article or book; used in many
computer databases."

Dial-up: "A device using telephone lines that allows a computer to access the
Internet or two computers to communicate."

Dissertation: "An extended written treatment of a subject (like a book) submitted by a

graduate student as a requirement for a doctorate."

Document delivery - A service that retrieves or photocopies information sources for

library users." Also see Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery (IDD) , our guide on
USC's document delivery system.
Download: "1. To transfer information from a computer to a program or storage
device to be viewed at a later date. 2. To transfer information from one computer to
another computer using a modem."

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E
E-book (or Electronic book): "An electronic version of a book that can be read on a
computer or mobile device."

Editor: "A person or group responsible for compiling the writings of others into a
single information source. Looking for information under its editor's name is one
option in searching."

Electronic reserve (or E-reserve): "An electronic version of a course reserve that is
read on a computer display screen." See also: Course reserve .

Encyclopedia: "A work containing information on all branches of knowledge or

treating comprehensively a particular branch of knowledge (such as history or
chemistry). Often has entries or articles arranged alphabetically."

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F
Full-text: "A complete electronic copy of a resource, usually an article, viewed on a
computer display screen. The term "full-text" is often used to refer to the electronic
version of an article or book that is also published in print."

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G
Glossary: "An alphabetical list of terms specialized to a field of
knowledge with definitions or explanations."

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H
Hardware: "The physical and electronic components of a computer system, such as
the monitor, keyboard and mouse. Hardware works in conjunction with software."

Hold: "A request by a user to a library that a book checked out to another person be
saved for that user when it is returned. “Holds” can generally be placed on any
regularly circulating library materials through an in-person or online circulation
desk."

Holdings: "The materials owned by a library."

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): "The computer language used to create

documents on the World Wide Web so that they are readable by Web browsers."

Hyperlink: "An image or a portion of text which a Web user can click to jump to
another document or page on the Web. Textual hyperlinks are often underlined and
appear as a different color than the majority of the text on a Web page."

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I
Icon: "A small symbol on a computer screen that represents a computer operation or
data file."

Index: "1. A list of names or topics—usually found at the end of a publication—that

directs you to the pages where those names or topics are discussed within the
publication. 2. A printed or electronic publication that provides references to
periodical articles or books by their subject, author, or other search terms."

Instant Messaging (IM): "An Internet-based service allowing real-time, text

communication between two or more users. Instant messaging is also known as chat,
especially when more than two people are communicating."

Interlibrary Loan (ILL): "A service that allows you to borrow materials from other
libraries through your own library." See also: Document delivery .

Internet: "A worldwide network of computer networks that allows for the
transmission and exchange of files. The World Wide Web is part of the Internet."

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J
Journal: "A publication, issued on a regular basis, which contains scholarly research
published as articles, papers, research reports, or technical reports.: See
also: Periodical .

Journal title: "The name of a journal. Journal title is one common search term."

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K
Keyword: "A significant or memorable word or term in the title, abstract, or text of an
information resource that indicates its subject and is often used as a search term."

Known Item Search: "A search for an item or article when you have some or all of
the citation information ."

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L
Limits/limiters: "Options used in searching that restrict your results to only
information resources meeting certain other, non-subject-related, criteria. Limiting
options vary by database, but common options include limiting results to materials
available full-text in the database, to scholarly publications, to materials written in a
particular language, to materials available in a particular location, or to materials
published at a specific time."

Link: See Hyperlink .

Loan Desk: See Circulation desk .

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M
Magazine: "A publication, issued on a regular basis, containing popular articles,
written and illustrated in a less technical manner than the articles found in a journal."

Microform: "A reduced sized photographic reproduction of printed information on

reel to reel film (microfilm) or film cards (microfiche) or opaque pages that can be
read with a microform reader/printer."

Mouse: "A device that allows the user to move and click the cursor on a computer
screen for different functions."

Multimedia: "Any information resource that presents information using more than
one media (print, picture, audio, or video)."

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N
Newspaper: "A publication containing information about varied topics that are
pertinent to general information, a geographic area, or a specific subject matter (i.e.
business, culture, education). Often published daily."

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O
Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC): "A computerized database that can be
searched in various ways—such as by keyword, author, title, subject, or call number
—to find out what resources a library owns. OPAC’s will supply listings of the title,
call number, author, location, and description of any items matching one's search.
Also referred to as “library catalog” or “online catalog.” You can search USC's
OPAC (or USC Library's Catalog) here .

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P
Page/Paging: "To summon or call by name" (Definition from The Free Dictionary ). If a
book or other library item is located at another location, you can page, or "summon"
the book to be sent to your location. For example, to obtain a book from Grand
Avenue Library, an off-site USC Library, will require you to page the item and pick it
up from Leavey Library. This generally takes one business day. For more
information on paging from Grand, click here .

PDF: "A file format developed by Adobe Acrobat® that allows files to be transmitted
from one computer to another while retaining their original appearance both on-
screen and when printed. An acronym for Portable Document Format."

Peer reviewed journal: "Peer review is a process by which editors have experts in a
field review books or articles submitted for publication by the experts’ peers. Peer
review helps to ensure the quality of an information source by publishing only works
of proven validity, methodology, and quality. Peer-reviewed journals are also called
refereed or scholarly journals."

Periodical: "An information source published in multiple parts at regular intervals

(daily, weekly, monthly, biannually). Journals, magazines, and newspapers are all
periodicals." See also: Serial .

Primary source: "An original record of events, such as a diary, a newspaper article, a
public record, or scientific documentation."
Print: "The written symbols of a language as portrayed on paper. Information sources
may be either print or electronic."

Print Card: "A card that enables its user to print from a computer, or to make copies
of a document at a photocopy machine. Student ID cards sometimes serve as copy
cards." For more information see the "Library Printing and Copying " page.

Proxy server: "An Internet server that acts as a “go-between” for a computer on a
local network (secure system) and the open Web. Often checks to determine “right of
access” to the secure environment and speeds up requests by caching frequently
accessed Web pages. Can also act as a firewall."

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R
Recall: "A request for the return of library material before the due date."

Refereed journal: See Peer reviewed journal .

Reference: "1. A service that helps people find needed information. 2. Sometimes
"reference" refers to reference collections, such as encyclopedias, indexes,
handbooks, directories, etc. 3. A citation to a work is also known as a reference."

Remote access: "The ability to log onto (or access) networked computer resources
from a distant location. Remote access makes available library databases to students
researching from home, office, or other locations outside the library."

Renew/Renewal: "A lengthening (or extension) of the loan period for library
materials."

Reserve: "1. A service providing special, often short-term, access to course-related

materials (book or article readings, lecture notes, sample tests) or to other materials
(CD-ROMs, audio-visual materials, current newspapers or magazines). 2. Also the
physical location—often a service desk or room—within a library where materials on
reserve are kept. Materials can also be made available electronically." See
also: Course reserve , Electronic reserve .

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S
Scholarly: See Peer reviewed .

Search statement/Search Query: "Words entered into the search box of a database or
search engine when looking for information. Words relating to an information
source's author, editor, title, subject heading or keyword serve as search terms.
Search terms can be combined by using Boolean operators and can also be used
with limits/limiters."

Secondary sources: "Materials such as books and journal articles that analyze
primary sources. Secondary sources usually provide evaluation or interpretation of
data or evidence found in original research or documents such as historical
manuscripts or memoirs."

Serial: "Publications such as journals, magazines and newspapers that are generally
published multiple times per year, month, or week. Serials usually have number
volumes and issues. The words journal, magazine, periodical, and serial may be used
interchangeably."

Software: "The programs installed on and used by the components of a computer

system (or, hardware)."

Stacks: See Book stacks .

Style manual: "An information source providing guidelines for people who are writing
research papers. A style manual outlines specific formats for arranging research
papers and citing the sources that are used in writing the paper." See Citation . Also
see our Citation Guide .

Subject heading: "Descriptions of an information source’s content assigned to make

finding information easier." See also: Controlled vocabulary , Descriptors .

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T
Thesaurus: "A list of terms which serves as a standardized or controlled
vocabulary for identifying, locating, and retrieving information." (Definition from New
York Public Library )

Thumb drive: "A small portable device for storing computerized information. A thumb
drive can plug into the USB (Universal Serial Bus) port of any computer and store
electronic information."

Title: "The name of a book, article, or other information source."

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U
Upload: "To transfer information from a computer system or a personal computer to
another computer system or a larger computer system."

Uniform Resource Locator (URL): "The unique address for a Web page which is used
in citing it. A URL consists of the access protocol (http), the domain name
(www.nmsu.edu), and often the path to a file or resource residing on that server."

User ID: "A number or name unique to a particular user of computerized resources. A
user ID must often be entered in order to access library resources remotely."

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V
Virtual reference: "A service allowing library users to ask questions through email or
live-chat as opposed to coming to the reference desk at the library and asking a
question in person. Also referred to as “online reference” or “e-reference.”

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W
Wireless: "The name given to any electronic device that sends messages through
space via electric or electromagnetic waves instead of via power cords."
World Wide Web: "A network of information, as a part of the Internet, that includes
text, graphics, sounds, and moving images. Also know as the Web or WWW or W3. It
incorporates a variety of Internet tools into one method of access, such as the Web
browser Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox."

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Z
Zip drive/zip disk: "Devices used in the creation of compressed (or “zipped”)
electronic information."

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Multilingual Library Terms
Resources retrieved from ACRL's Instruction Section Multilingual Glossary for
Today's Library Users

 Multilingual Glossary Language Table

 Multilingual Glossary Definitions

See Also:

 New South Wales State Library Multilingual Glossary database is a

professionally generated signage tool designed for libraries by the Library
of New South Wales. It contains common library phrases in 49 languages.
Further Reading
 Dictionary for library and information science

 ALA glossary of library and information science

 LibrarySpeak: A glossary of terms in librarianship and information

management

 Harrod's librarians' glossary and reference book

Christal Young, Librarian
 Christal Young

she/her/hers
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 Last Updated: Sep 22, 2022 11:20 AM
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