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.Librarian
A library professional who is responsible for organizing, acquiring, and
making accessible the information and materials in a library. Librarians often
specialize, for instance a reference librarian is primarily responsible for
answering questions and providing users with instruction in the use of a
library, while a cataloger oversees the processing of library materials.
Librarians are required to have a Master’s Degree in Library and
Information Science. Library
of Congress (LC) The
national library of the United States. It was established in 1800 and is located in Washington, DC.
The Library of Congress serves as the research library for the U.S.
Congress, oversees the copyright office, and has led the way in establishing
many of the cataloging and classification standards for libraries in this
country and around the world. Library
of Congress Classification System (LCC) A
system for organizing books and other materials by subject.
It was developed by the Library of
Congress in 1899. The
system assigns 21 letters of the alphabet A – Z, with the exception of I, O,
W, X, Y, to broad subject areas. An
additional one to two letters may be added to create a more specific subject and
topics are made even more precise by the addition of the numbers
following the alphabetical letters.
Often a cutter number is added
to arrange the books in a subject area by author.
The classification number and cutter number (also know as the call
number) create a
unique location number for each item in the library.
In the following example the call number is in bold, it is followed by
the cutter number: Z6941.M23. Library
of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) A
five-volume set of books, located near the reference desk, that determines what subject
headings may be assigned to books and other library materials.
In any given subject area, only certain search terms may be used (i.e. controlled
vocabulary). This makes
information easier to locate by gathering together all the materials on a
particular topic under the same search words. LCSH directs the user to the
appropriate search terms by using a series of abbreviations:
BT = broader topic; NT = narrower topic; SA = see also; RT = related
topic; UF = use for. For broad
topics, LCSH also designates the subheadings,
or secondary words that may be used to break the topic into more specific
subdivisions. Limits (or limiters)
Many
databases and search engines allow the user to make a search more exact by
applying additional limits such as time period, journal title, format
(i.e. magazine, book), country, language, etc. The options for limiting
the search are usually found on the initial search screen or by going to the
advanced search option. Link
see Hyperlink Logical operators see Boolean operatorsMagazine A
general interest or popular periodical. Magazines have glossy covers and are filled with ads and
illustrations. In addition, the
articles are short, usually 1 – 4 pages, the author and his or her credentials
may not be given, and a bibliography or list of works cited is not included. Manual see Handbook
Main entryIn
library catalogs this is the most important or primary access point for a book.
Usually the main entry is the author’s official name or the official
title of the book, if the book does not have an author. Metasearch Engines An
Internet search tool which checks several search engines at the same time.
Dogpile (www.dogpile.com) and
Ixquick (www.ixquick.com) are examples of
metasearch engines. MicroficheA
format for storing information on a flat 4 x 6 sheet of film.
The actual image of a book, magazine, or other document is photographed
and then reduced in size. Many
pages can fit on a single piece of fiche. Fiche
are usually bundled together in an envelope, each envelope containing one issue
of a magazine, or a single document. MicrofilmA
format for storing information on a 35 mm role of film.
Newspapers, magazines and other documents are photographed and the images
are reduced to fit on the film. A
reel of microfilm can often contain two weeks worth of a major newspaper or
several months of a journal. a b c d - f g - k l - m n - o p - q r - s t - z
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