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Glossary of Library Terms

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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- A brief description or summary of the contents and/or composition of a book, article, or other document, published or unpublished, usually accompanied by a citation or bibliographic reference to it.

See also -- Citation

Advanced Search - One of the search modes available in the library catalog. This search mode uses a series of dropdown menus and textboxes to construct a search.

For more information and examples -- Library Catalog Tutorial: Advanced Search
See also -- Keyword Search
See also -- Relevance Search
See also -- University Library Catalog

Almanac - An annual publication containing a variety of facts and statistics, often presented in figures, tables, or charts.
See also -- Reference Material

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.
See also -- Bibliography

Anthology - A collection of literary works by different authors, often limited to a specific subject, genre, or time period.

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.)

For more information and examples -- Citing References: APA Style - user guide
See also -- Citation

Ask a Librarian
See -- AskWisconsin Virtual Reference

AskWisconsin Virtual Reference - This is a collaborative virtual reference service of academic, private and public member libraries in Wisconsin. Chat reference is run on a consortial basis, which means that answers may come from a librarian at any of the member libraries. E-mail questions submitted from this site are answered by UW-W librarians. To use this service, go to the AskWisconsin Virtual Reference home page.

Atlas - A collection of geographic maps, tables, plates, etc.

Autobiography - An account of a person's life written by that person.

Bibliography - A compilation of citations of works by a given author or works on a particular subject.
See also -- Annotated Bibliography

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).
See also -- Search Term.

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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.
See also -- Dewey Decimal Classification
See also -- Library of Congress Classification
See also -- SuDocs Classification

Card Catalog - The set of records describing items in a library, kept on 3" X 5" cards and filed in cabinets by author's name, title, or by subject heading. The University Library's card catalog was discontinued and replaced by an online catalog.
See also -- University Library Catalog
See also -- Online Catalog

CD-ROM - Compact Disc-Read Only Memory. A technology that allows users to access and read information from a database imprinted on a compact disc. CD-ROMS are also used to store music, video and other audio-visual media.

Center - See Media Center

Circulation Desk - The desk at the entrance to the library where University Library, Interlibrary Loan and Universal Borrowing materials are checked out or returned. Materials on reserve in print are stored here as well.

For more information -- Circulation Service
See also -- Reserves

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.
See also -- APA style
See also -- MLA style
See also -- Turabian style

Citation Index - An index that consists of a list of works that have been cited in later works and a list of the works from which the citations have been collected.
See also -- Index

Collection - A set of book shelves, also known as stacks, where materials are shelved by type of material or content. For example, the Main Collection houses paperback and hardcover fiction and non-fiction in all subject areas. The Center Video Collection houses VHS and DVD videos.
For common collection locations see -- How to Find Books.

Compact Shelving - A set of movable book shelves, also known as stacks, Compact Shelving is designed to save space by lining stacks side by side, then creating an aisle for walking down at the touch of a button. The works shelved here are older, little used books that were moved from the Main Collection.

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.
See also -- Keyword
See also -- Subject Heading.

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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.
See also -- Field
See also -- Online Catalog
See also -- Periodical Index
See also -- Record

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. The juvenile collections in the University Library are organized by the Dewey Decimal system.
See also -- Call Number

Dictionary - A reference tool comprised of alphabetically arranged entries, each providing the spellings, pronunciations, origin and history, modern definitions, usages or translations of a word according to each of its parts of speech.
See also -- Reference Material

Encyclopedia - A reference tool containing articles about persons, places or things. General encyclopedias, like the Encyclopedia Britannica, address a wide range or topics, whereas a subject specific encyclopedia, like the Encyclopedia of Birds, is more specialized.
See also -- Reference Material.

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Field - An individual component of a record within an index or database. In the image below, taken from the Library Catalog, the fields are: Database, Location, Call Number, Number of Items, and Status.

Database, location, call number, number of items, status
See also -- Database
See also -- Record

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.

For more information and examples -- Library Catalog Tutorial: Setting Limits
See also -- Field
See also -- Limits
See also -- Advanced Search

Gazetteer - A geographical dictionary that includes location (often expressed in latitude and longitude), population, and other geographically related information of a given place.

Government Document or Publication - Any document issued by, under the authority of, or at the expense of a recognized government. Government documents include publications from states, the federal government, and transnational or international organizations such as the United Nations.
See also -- SuDocs Classification.

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Handbook - Intended for ready consultation or reference, a handbook (or manual) either compiles facts about a subject or provides instructions of methods or procedures for how to perform a specific set of functions.
See also -- Reference Material

Headings List - A button in the library catalog that, when clicked, returns the user to the list of headings (author or subject) that were retrieved by a search.

ILLiad - This is the name of the University Library's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) software.
See also -- Interlibrary Loan

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.
See also -- Citation Index
See also -- Periodical Index

Interlibrary Loan - (ILL) The process through which a library borrows material from another library or organization. If the item that you are looking for is not owned by the University Library in print or electronically, and you are a current faculty, staff or student at UW-Whitewater, you may request the item via Interlibrary Loan using ILLiad. Requests are made using the online Interlibrary Loan request form.

For more information -- Circulation Reserves Department
See also -- Universal Borrowing
See also -- ILLiad

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.

For more information and examples -- Catalog Tutorial: Search by Author: Item Record
See also -- Call Number
See also -- Field
See also -- Record
See also -- University Library Catalog.

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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.
See also -- Periodical
See also -- Magazine

Keyword - A word or term, chosen by the user, that best summarizes 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).

For more information and examples -- Library Catalog Tutorial: Search by Keyword
See also -- Database
See also -- Record.

Keyword Search - One of the search options available in the library catalog. When searching by Keyword, the user may combine words or terms using Boolean operators.

For more information and examples -- Library Catalog Tutorial: Search by Keyword
See also -- Boolean Operators
See also -- Advanced Search
See also -- University Library Catalog
See also -- Relevance Search

For more information and examples -- Library Catalog Tutorial: Search by Relevance
See also -- Advanced Search
See also -- Keyword Search
See also -- University Library Catalog.

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University Library Catalog - 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.

>For more information and examples -- Library Catalog Tutorial: Overview
See also -- Online Catalog
See also -- OPAC
See also -- Record

Library of Congress Classification - A system of organizing material owned by a library, created by the Library of Congress.
See also -- Call Number
See also -- Subject Heading

Library Home - A button in the library catalog that, when clicked, returns the user to the library portal/homepage.
See -- The Library home page < http://library.uww.edu/ >

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.

For more information and examples -- Library Catalog Tutorial: Setting Limits
See also -- Field Limiter.

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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.
See also -- Periodical
See also -- Journal

Media Center - Also known as the Center, this room on the first floor of the University Library is where audio-visual materials (video recordings, DVDs, films, CDs, cassettes, and albums) and the Compact Shelving collection of books are housed.

For a map of the library, see -- University Library Floor Plans.

Microfiche - A flat sheet of film containing photographic reproductions in miniature of a periodical or other publication, usually arranged in an array.
See also -- Microform

Microfilm - A reel of film containing photographic reproductions in miniature of a periodical or other publication usually arranged sequentially by date and page number.
See also -- Microform

Microform - A generic term applied to all forms of micro-reproduction including microfiche and microfilm.
See also -- Microfiche
See also -- Microfilm

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 at the Reference Desk.)

For more information and examples, check out the guide -- Citing References: MLA Style
See also -- Citation.

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New Search - A button in the library catalog that, when clicked on, takes the user to a blank search screen for the same search mode that was previously used. For example, if the most recent search was a Basic Search by Keyword, clicking on the New Search button would take the user to a blank Basic Search screen with Keyword already selected.

Newspaper - A periodical issued at frequent intervals (usually daily, semi-weekly, or weekly) containing news, opinions, advertisements and other information of current and often local interest.
See also -- Periodical

Online Catalog - The electronic version of a library catalog accessible hrough the Internet. Note: The library no longer has a print catalog.
See also -- University Library Catalog

OPAC - Online Public Access Catalog. See -- Online Catalog.

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Pamphlet File - File cabinets in the Reference Microform Room containing pamphlets and brochures on a variety of subjects, as well as annual and corporate reports. Arranged alphabetically by subject.
See also -- Reference Microform Room

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.
See also -- Journal

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.
See also -- Journal
See also -- Magazine
See also -- Newspaper
See also -- Periodical Index
See also -- Serial

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.
See also -- Index
See also -- Periodicals

Periodicals Microform Room - The room on the first floor of the University Library where microfilm, microfiche and ERIC documents are filed.

For a map of the library, see -- University Library Floor Plans.

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Record - An individual component of a database containing information such as citation(s), statistics, text, etc.
See also -- Database
See also -- Item Record

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.

For more information -- Reference Service

Reference Material - 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.
See also -- Almanac
See also -- Dictionary
See also -- Encyclopedia
See also -- Handbook
See also -- Yearbook

Reference Microforms Room - This area contains government documents published on microfiche, vital records for Jefferson, Rock and Walworth counties, and a pamphlet file on current topics.
For a map of the library, see -- University Library Floor Plans
See also -- Government Document
See also -- Pamphlet File

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.

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.
Use -- the Course Reserve Request Form to put materials on reserve
Note -- This is a MS Word document, if you need to download the viewer, see the footer of this page.
For more information -- Circulation/Reserves Department
See also -- Circulation Desk

Return to Library Catalog - A button that appears in the Library Catalog when using Universal Borrowing. When clicked, the portal to other UW-system library catalogs is closed, and the user is returned to the Basic Search screen prepared to search only local holdings.

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Search Statement - A phrase or combination of words that are entered into the library catalog or other database in order to find information.
See also -- Database
See also -- Search Term

Search Term - A word that is entered into the library catalog or other database in order to find information.
See also -- Database
See also -- Search Statement

Serial - A publication issued in successive parts bearing a numerical or chronological designation and intended to be continued indefinitely.
See also -- Periodical

Stack - A unit of connected book cases or shelves, usually arranged in rows, for storing the library's collection.

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.
See also -- Dewey Decimal Classification
See also -- Library of Congress Classification
See also -- SuDocs Classification

Subject Search - The means of searching the library catalog in order to retrieve all records containing a specific subject heading.

For more information and examples -- Library Catalog Tutorial: Search by Subject

SuDocs Classification - Superintendent of Documents Classification. A string of letters and numbers used to identify and label publications issued by the United States federal government. The letters beginning each SuDocs classification number refer to the government agency responsible for the publication.
See also -- Government Document
See also -- Call Number.

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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.
See also -- Controlled Vocabulary
See also -- Database

Title List - A button in the library catalog that, when clicked, returns the user to the list of titles that were retrieved by a search.

Truncation - When searching by keyword, a means of looking for all the variations of word, or root word, endings.
For an example see -- Keyword 4: Truncation.
See also -- Keyword

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 (the most recent version is available at the reference desk).

For more information and examples -- Citing References: Turabian Style - user guide
See also -- Citation.

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Universal Borrowing (UB) - This service is a type of Interlibrary Loan that allow the students, faculty and staff of UW-Whitewater to borrow materials from other UW System libraries for free. Not all materials are available (reference, periodicals, periodical articles, special collections, etc. are not lent) via this service. To use UB, from the Library Catalog, click on the UB & Other Catalogs button. Alternatively, from the Library homepage select Borrow from Other Libraries from the Services Menu, and click on Universal Borrowing in the left sidebar.
See also -- Interlibrary Loan
See also -- Universal Borrowing Tutorial

Virtual Reference
See -- AskWisconsin Virtual Reference

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Yearbook - An annual compendium of facts, statistics, articles or descriptions on a particular subject for the preceding year.
See also -- Reference Material

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For assistance, contact a reference librarian at (262) 472-1032, by email or chat or in person at the Library's Reference Desk.

Last Revised: MS - 8/22/2007