Introduction
to Library Research
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Glossary Of Library and Research Terms a b c d - f g - k l - m n - o p - q r - s t - z Note: The words that appear in bold in the text of the definitions are also explained in this glossary.Call numberIn libraries the call number consists of a unique series of numbers and/or letters that has been assigned to a book, video or other library item. The call number for a particular item will be found in the library’s catalog and also on the item, itself, where it is usually located on the lower spine. The call number not only serves to locate a book in the library, but to group books or other items on related topics together. See also: Library of Congress Classification System and Dewey Decimal Classification System. CatalogA
list of all the books, periodicals, or other materials that make up a specific
collection. The library’s public
access (PAC) is an example of an online catalog.
It lists all the books and periodicals in the library’s collection.
The (Bakersfield College Library Periodicals
& Index Guide is an example
of a print catalog. It lists all
the periodicals in the library’s collection.
Catalogs are usually arranged alphabetically and usually allow the user
to locate a particular item by author, title, subject, or other access point. CD-ROM
(Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) A
format for storing information on an optical disc that can be read by a
computer. The disc looks like an audio CD-disc. One disc can store the
equivalent of about 1,000 books! Chronological orderA method of organizing items by date order starting with the earliest date and ending with the latest date. When the dates are arranged from most recent to earliest it is called reverse chronological order. Chronology
A list of key dates and events associated with a particular time period, person, field of knowledge or other development. Usually the chronology is arranged in outline format, in date order, at the beginning, the end or as a link to the main text to help place the information in context. CitationThe
essential information for locating a book, periodical article or other source of
information. Author, title, publisher, periodical title, publication date and
page are some of the key elements of a citation. The format of a citation is
often determined by a particular style
manual. See also: Title page. Contributor ListingMany reference books, subject encyclopedias, and other authoritative works produced by an editor or editorial staff will have a list of all the authors, or contributors, who wrote articles for the publication. This list is often entitled “Contributors” or “Authors” and is usually located at the front or back of a single volume, and in the first or last volume in a multi-volume set. The “Contributor List” may contain information on an author’s credentials or professional affiliation. Controlled vocabulary In indexing, this refers to a system which assigns subject terms (subject headings) to books, journal articles, and other library materials from an acceptable list. The Library of Congress Subject Headings list is an example of a controlled vocabulary system. A cataloger or indexer actually looks at the item and assigns appropriate subjects using the standardized vocabulary from the Library of Congress Subject Headings thesaurus. It is the opposite of a Natural language or Keyword searching. See also: Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and Subject Headings. CopyrightThe
legal rights that are granted to an author to protect his or her ideas and
publications (i.e. book, journal article, video, web site, etc.) from theft or
misuse. You must obtain
permission from the copyright
holder to use copyrighted materials, unless the material will be used for
educational purposes and adheres to the fair-use
guidelines. See also:
Fair-use, Plagiarism, and Public domain. Credibility An
important measure of the reliability of the information found in books, journal
articles and on the web is how worthy of belief the source is or how credible.
To establish credibility it is important to know who produced the
information and check their credentials. Is the author an authority or expert in
the field? Does the author identify
his or her information sources? What is the reputation of the journal or web site that
contains this information? It is
the responsibility of the researcher to determine that a source is credible.
See also: Bias, Currency, and
Qualifying sources. Cross-referenceIn
catalogs and indices that use a controlled vocabulary to assign subject headings,
a cross-reference directs the user from a word or phrase that is not used to
the correct search term(s). This is often called a see reference
because the note “See:” precedes the terms you are directed to use.
Another form of cross-reference is the “See also:” reference that
directs the user to closely related subject headings. See also: See
also reference. CurrencyIs
the information source up-to-date? Is
the publication date available? In
many rapidly changing fields such as science, medicine, technology, locating
up-to-date information is vital for valid research. a b c d - f g - k l - m n - o p - q r - s t - z
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