Library Tour and Orientation
	A Glossary of Library & Electronic Research Terms

This glossary has definitions and other information about terms and concepts that will help you understand and complete successful library and electronic research. Many of these terms are explained more fully in the other OWLS. Browse through the glossary now, noting unfamiliar terms, and refer to it as needed for your various research projects.

If any of the definitions in this glossary are confusing to you, or if there are other terms you'd like to add, please let us know. There is a link to an email contact at the end of the glossary.

A

abstract

1. a brief summary of a book or article 2. an index which includes abstracts
SEE ALSO periodical indexes and abstracts

anthology

a collection of selected musical or literary works or excerpts

archive

a repository of documents or other material, usually of historical value

article

a brief self-contained essay on a topic, usually found in periodicals or encyclopedias

audiorecording

a recording of sound; LP or phonorecords, compact discs, and tapes are all audiorecording formats

B

bibliographic record

the unit of information fields (e.g. title, author, publication date, etc.) which describe and identify a specific item in a bibliographic database

bibliographic database

a database which contains information pertaining to publications such as books, periodical articles, essays, and government documents

bibliography

a list of books, articles, electronic sources, scores, etc. on a specific topic

Boolean searching

named for mathematician George Boole, Boolean searching uses mathematical set logic to combine search terms. Boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT are used in Boolean search statements to specify the logical relations among terms. Boolean searching is explained in OWL 4.

browse searching

Browse searching is limited to one field, such as author or subject heading, and the computer matches the search statement exactly, so word order and spacing are important. This is in contrast to keyword searching, which may involve more than one field, and where word order is not important. A browse search results in a list of entries from the one field, and one scroll may through the list, either forward or backward, as far as one wishes, potentially through all the entries in the list.

browser (web)

a software program that accesses and displays information from the World Wide Web

C

call number

an identification number assigned to a library collection item (e.g. book, periodical, manuscript, videorecording, musical score, etc.) which allow patrons to locate the item in the collection or to request ("Call") the item from a closed stack area. Most items in the HSU Library collection have Library of Congress call numbers. These numbers reflect the subject of the item, according to the Library of Congress Classification System.

CASE

a closed stack area in the basement of the Library. It contains some older issues of print periodicals, items too large or too small to fit on standard library shelving, and material too valuable or fragile to be in the main collection. Items that are likely to be vandalized because of their subject content are sometimes placed in the CASE, too. Items in the CASE have the word CASE at the beginning of their call numbers. They are paged by Circulation desk staff on request.

Circulation Desk

a public service desk where books and other materials are checked out to library users. Print reserve material for classes is also at the Circulation Desk, as are LP and CD recordings. CASE materials are paged from the Circulation Desk.

citation

information which fully identifies a publication; a complete citation usually includes author, title, name of journal (if the citation is to an article) or publisher (if to a book), and date. Often pages, volumes and other information will be included in a citation.

conference report

papers generated at or for a conference; may include minutes, transcripts, papers, and presentations

copyright

the exclusive legal right to reproduce, distribute, publish, and sell certain types of intellectual property, such as literary or artistic work, software programs, music, films and videos, etc. Ideas cannot be copyrighted, but their forms of expression can be. Most uses of copyrighted material require the permission of the copyright owner. OWL 6 has more information on copyright.

D

database

an organized collection of information. Databases are discussed in OWL 4.

descriptors

see subject headings

discography

a list of audiorecordings on a particular subject, similar to a bibliography

document delivery

see interlibrary loan

E

encyclopedia

a compilation of individual articles by authorities giving a broad overview and background information. Articles typically include references to authoritative books and articles on a subject. General encyclopedias cover all areas of knowledge; there are also specialized encyclopedias that cover more limited subjects in greater depth

F

festschrift

a collection of articles by scholars published on a special occasion, or in someone's honor

field

the part of a record used for a particular category of data. For example, the title field in a database record displays the title for the record. Fields are discussed in OWL 4

fulltext database

a database which includes the complete text of items (such as periodical articles) which are indexed in the database

G

gopher

a computer program developed at the University of Minnesota to allow computer users to find information on other computers. Gopher was a predecessor of the World Wide Web.

H

hold

an HSU student, faculty, or staff member may place a hold on a library item checked out to another person; this ensures that the person placing the hold will be next in line to receive the item when it is returned. Place holds at the Circulation desk.

holdings

the materials owned by a library are sometimes referred to as its holdings

home page

the entry point or introductory page to a website. It can also be a web page designed by an individual to present personal or professional information.

Humboldt State University (HSU) Library Catalog

the database of materials owned by the Humboldt State University Library. OWL 3 explains how to use the HSU Library Catalog.

hypertext

a document format which includes the use of specially coded, terms or images which, when selected or "clicked", connect to a linked location or file, or carry out a command to run an application or program

I

index

a list of terms (such as subject headings or descriptors, author names or title words) describing journal articles, books, etc., and giving information needed to locate the articles, etc. Indexes are explained in OWL 3.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)/Document Delivery

HSU students, faculty, and staff may obtain materials not owned by our Library through this service. There is usually no charge. For more information about Interlibrary Loan, please go to the Reference Desk.

Internet

a worldwide network of millions of computers

Internet service provider (ISP)

an agency or company that assigns an Internet address to individual users, enabling them to access the Internet.

J

journal

a periodical containing scholarly articles written by authorities or experts in a given field of study. The difference between journals and magazines is explained in OWL 5 . See also periodicals.

K

keyword

any word or phrase associated with a record in a database that is indexed for searching

keyword searching

keyword searching results in a list of database records that contain all the keywords entered as search terms, according to the logic of the search. A keyword search may be performed in one index, or it may be performed in more than one index combined. Keyword searching is explained in OWL 4.

L

M

media

films, tapes and other audio-visual materials that require the use of special listening or viewing equipment

microform

a publication format in which documents are produced in reduced size on transparent or opaque thin plastic. Microfilm is in reels, microfiche in on cards ("fiche" is a French word for "card"), and microcards are opaque cards. Microform was a popular storage medium before there was digital storage, which allows much greater compression of data, but microform has never been popular with those who must use it to retrieve information.

monograph

mono = one, graph = writing, so a monograph is "one writing," or a book

N

O

ONCORES

ONline COurse REServe is a Library service offering online, fulltext access to reserve materials for some courses. Access to ONCORES materials is password protected in compliance with copyright law requirements. See also reserves

P

peer review process

method used by scholarly journals to assure the quality and relevance of the articles they publish. When an article is submitted, the editor sends copies to several reviewers (or "referees") who are recognized experts in the subject of the article. Each reads the article and offers an opinion on whether it is worthy of publication in the journal, using such criteria as soundness of investigative method, whether the author shows adequate knowledge of research on the subject to date, and whether the article adds to knowledge in the field. Only if the reviewers agree that it meets the relevant criteria will the article be published.

peer-reviewed article

a scholarly article published in a peer-reviewed journal

peer-reviewed journal

also called a "refereed" journal. A scholarly journal that uses the peer review process to select material for publication

periodicals

items published regularly at least twice a year. Daily and weekly newspapers, weekly news magazines, monthly hobby magazines, quarterly and semi-annual scholarly journals are common types of periodicals. See also serials

periodical indexes and abstracts

periodical indexes list articles which have appeared in journals, magazines, or newspapers. They list author, title, name of periodical, volume, pages and date of publication. Abstracts are indexes that also contain summaries of the article. (These summaries are also called abstracts.) Both indexes and abstracts may be in print or electronic form. Indexes and abstracts are discussed in OWL 3.

precision

In a computer search, the higher the precision, the fewer the unwanted results obtained. Some desired results may be excluded in high precision searches. Precision is related to recall. High precision searches tend to have low recall.

primary source

1. an account by an eyewitness or the first recorder of an event, in written or other form, including microform and electronic reproduction (e.g. diaries, letters, minutes of meetings, news footage, newspaper articles) 2. data obtained from original research, statistical compilations or legal documents (e.g. reports of scientific experiments, U.S. Census records, public records) 3. creative works such as poetry, music, or art 4. physical artifacts such as stone points, pottery, furniture, and buildings. See also secondary source.

public domain

Material in the public domain is not copyrighted and may be used freely for any legal purpose. Works may be in the public domain for several reasons. For example, the copyright may have expired or the owner may have given up their copyright. Material published by the federal government is not copyrighted. OWL 6 has more information on the public domain.

publisher

the entity (person, company, non-profit organization, or other group) that selects the content, produces, promotes, and distributes a book, periodical, or other item

Q

R

recall

In a computer search, the higher the recall the fewer the relevant results excluded. Undesired results may be included in high recall searches. Recall is related to precision. High recall searches tend to have low precision.

record

a collection of related data, arranged in fields and treated as a unit. The data for each item in an electronic database makes up a record. Records are discussed in OWL 4.

refereed journal or article

see peer-reviewed journal or article

Reference Collection

>reference materials either provide specific information such as an address, a date, or a definition, or they have overview information on a subject, or they indicate sources for more information. The Reference Collection, on the first floor of the Library, is often a good place to begin academic research. Reference and the research process are explained in OWL 2.

Reference Desk

a public service desk where all library patrons can obtain assistance with research and other library or campus related information.

renewal

an extension of the loan period for checked out library materials. Renewals may be handled in person at the HSU Library Circulation Desk or by calling 826-3191

reserves

materials which a professor has placed on reserve for a class to use. These materials may be checked out at the Circulation Desk in the Library lobby; checkout periods vary. See also ONCORES

S

secondary source

an information source that uses, interprets, or comments on primary source material or describes it at second hand. Textbooks and encyclopedias, biographies, or reviews are some examples of sources that are usually secondary in nature.

serials

items which are published, regularly or not, on a repeating basis. Serials published at least once every five years are considered regular. If more than five years goes by between volumes, they are considered irregular. Periodicals are serials. Other examples are annual publications like the phone book and biennial publications like the HSU Catalog. See also periodicals

series

serial publications that have a common theme or subject, usually issued in the same format by the same publisher

server

a computer connected to others which is used to share (serve) file resources (web or network files or both) among the connected computers

stacks

areas where large amounts of library material are shelved. One can speak of the reference stacks, the periodical stacks, the main book stacks, the documents stacks, etc.

stop words

common words that have no subject content, such as articles (a, an, the) and prepositions (at, by, of, on, with, etc.) and which are usually not needed in an electronic search statement.

style manual

a publication that sets forth the rules for composition, including format and manner of citing sources, to be used in a particular discipline or profession or by a particular publisher. OWL 6 has more information on style manuals.

subject headings

words or phrases assigned to books and articles and used to index these items by topic. Subject headings are also called descriptors. Determining the correct subject headings for a specific database or catalog is an important part of effective research. See also thesaurus.

T

term

a word or a phrase, may be a subject heading, title, or name of a person or group

textbook

a book written specifically for an academic course, often containing valuable summary information on a topic

thesaurus

list of all the subject headings or descriptors used in a particular database, catalog, or index, showing relationships among them

truncation

using a special symbol instead of the end of a word in an electronic search to retrieve all possible endings of that word. Sometimes truncation can be used within a word to retrieve variant spellings or at the beginning of a word to retrieve all prefixes. Truncation is explained in OWL 4.

U

Uniform Resource Locator

also referred to as URL; a unique address for a specific file available on the Internet, such as:
http://library.humboldt.edu/owls/owl1-Glossary.htm

http:// = protocol; tells your browswer that this is a website
library.humboldt.edu = domain name; tells your browser which server is hosting the site (the suffix .edu tells what kind of site this is; OWL 5 has more information on domain name suffixes)
owls = directory
owl1-Glossary.htm = file name
   directory and file name tell your browser where to look on the site for the page you want

W-Z