Library Lingo

Words in Bold refer to an additional entry.

ABSTRACT

A brief summary of the content or essence of an article or book.

ALPHABETICAL

Arranged by order of the alphabet.

ANNOTATION

A critical or explanatory abstract , usually included in a bibliographical reference or citation .

AUDIOVISUAL

Information in a format other than print. Films, slides, compact disks, videocassettes, and microforms are examples of audiovisual materials.

BARCODE

A small white label with closely spaced black stripes that can be read by a computer.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A list of citation references at the end of a book or article.

BOOLEAN SEARCHING

A method of combining concepts in a search that allows the searcher to make use of three logical commands:

AND	Narrows or limits the results by adding two or more terms together
OR	Broadens or expands the results by including related terms
NOT	Prevents unwanted records in a search by excluding a term or topic

BOUND PERIODICALS

Several periodical issues or volumes arranged together under one hardcover.

CALL NUMBER

A group of letters and numbers (or just numbers) given to each book in the library. This numerical arrangement acts like an address; each book carries its own unique number. Most academic libraries use the system developed by the Library of Congress most public libraries use the Dewey Decimal System.

CARREL

A study desk for one person. Carrels are located on all three floors of Poynter Library.

CHECK OUT

To borrow library materials for use outside of the library.

CIRCULATION

The lending of materials for use outside of the library.

CIRCULATION DESK

The counter at the entrance to the library where you check out and return circulating materials and obtain reserve items.

CITATION

Information that precisely identifies a book or journal article. Citations usually include such items as author, title, pages, volume numbers, dates, etc. The most commonly used citation styles at USF are APA, MLA, and Chicago. Sample sheets of each of these, showing both print and electronic formats, are available on the revolving rack by the Reference desk.

CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

Items grouped together by a category, usually a subject that allows easy access to the library's collection. The Library of Congress Classification System is used at USF (see call number ).

CONTROLLED VOCABULARY

Subject headings selected by index and catalogs to represent important concepts. Subject searches require knowledge of these headings.

COPY CARD

A plastic card that can be used at the photocopiers and microform reader/printers. To save on cost, use a copy card instead of coins in these machines.

DATABASE

An electronic collection of related information, updated on a regular basis, stored in a computer or on a disk. For example, the USF Libraries Online Catalog is a database with information on the books, periodicals , and audiovisual material holdings available at the Poynter and other USF Libraries. Other library databases may contain the citation , abstract , and full-text information for journal or newspaper articles.

DOWNLOAD

To transfer data or program files from a central computer to a peripheral computer or storage device, such as a disk.

DUE DATE

The date by which borrowed materials should be returned. At USF, undergraduates are given a three-week loan period for books, and graduate students are given six weeks.

E-MAIL [ELECTRONIC MAIL]

A method of sending and receiving messages through a computer. USF students may sign up for an e-mail account by creating a USF Net ID.

E-RESERVES

Materials selected by faculty members to be used in conjunction with a specific class. A digital (electronic) copy of the reserve items that can be accessed through the USF Libraries website under the menu heading Reserves . These E-Reserves can be downloaded to a computer and printed up in the library or by remote access through the Internet . See also Reserves .

EXPLORER

A software program used on the Internet for accessing sites on the World Wide Web . Explorer is available on most computers at Poynter Library.

FINE

The amount of money that is owed if borrowed materials are not returned by the due date .

FULL-TEXT

A digital (electronic) version of an article that can be read online or printed through a printer.

HARDCOPY

Printed material (usually bound) as opposed to audiovisual or digital (computerized) format.

HOLDINGS

Refers to the issues of a journal or a serial set held by the library; however, the term is also used to mean all the materials in the library's collection.

INDEX

Alphabetical list of topics treated in a printed work, giving the page where each item is mentioned. See Controlled Vocabulary.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN

A service offered to students and faculty where materials not owned by Poynter Library may be obtained from other USF Libraries and outside sources.

INTERNET

Used with a capital "I," this refers to the overall network of computers started in 1969 by the government as ARPAnet. Used with lower-case "i," this is a generic term for any international network of computer networks.

ISBN [INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBER]

This is a unique ten-digit publisher's identification number for the specific edition of a book. An ISBN number is different, however, from a call number.

ISSN [INTERNATIONAL STANDARD SERIAL NUMBER]

Similar in purpose to the ISBN , this is an eight-digit number assigned to every periodical or serial in the world.

JOURNAL

A publication that usually contains scholarly articles written by professors, researchers, or other experts in a subject area.

KEYWORD

A "natural language" method of searching for a topic that will retrieve citations wherever the requested words may appear in a database.

MICROFICHE

A flat sheet of film that reproduces periodicals or other documents.

MICROFILM

A roll of film, either 16 mm or 35 mm that reproduces periodicals or other documents.

MICROFORMS

The general term used for printed items that have been reduced in size. Microforms are either microfiche or microfilm and must be read with the assistance of a special machine.

ONLINE

Accessible via a computer or a computer network.

ONLINE CATALOG

A list of Holdings at a particular library or group of libraries. USF's online catalog is available in USF Libraries Online Catalog.

OVERDUE

Material that is not returned to the library by its due date . A fine is charged for overdue items.

OVERSIZE

Materials that are too large for normal shelves. Oversize books at Poynter Library are on the second floor on the first stack on the right.

PDF

A type of electronic file format. An analogy for a PDF file might be an electronic photocopy of a document. PDF files use Adobe software and are commonly used to display full-text scholarly articles.

PERIODICAL

A magazine or journal that is published at regular intervals. The time period may be daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly.

PERIODICAL INDEX

An alphabetically organized list of citations to articles published in periodicals. The list is generally arranged by either subject or author or both. Hardcopy indexes are normally bound annually (examples include the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature and Business Periodicals Index ) and are located in the Index Area at the end of the Reference Section. Many indexes, however, are available online through the USF Libraries webpage.

POYNTER LIBRARY

The library serving the St. Petersburg Campus of USF; the building was named in honor of Nelson B. Poynter, former publisher of the St. Petersburg Times.

READY REFERENCE

Located on the shelves behind the Reference Desk , these reference books are kept available because they are in high demand, such as the World Almanac and the Statistical Abstract of the United States.

REFEREED JOURNAL

Scholarly journals that publish articles which have been reviewed and evaluated by subject experts in the field. See also Periodical or Journal.

REFERENCE BOOK

A book that gives concentrated information, usually on a variety of subjects (or topics within a subject). Reference books are consulted for information on individual matters and are not meant to be read continuously, thus they do not circulate; examples of such books would be dictionaries, almanacs, and encyclopedias.

REFERENCE DESK

The information desk at the center of the Poynter Library first floor. Professional librarians are available at this desk to help you locate the information you may need.

RESERVES

Materials selected by faculty members to be used in conjunction with a specific class. Reserve items are kept at the Circulation Desk and are loaned for limited periods of time, from three to twenty-four hours. The fines for overdue reserve books are very high. See also E-Reserves .

SERIAL

A publication that comes out in parts. This includes periodicals, such as newspapers and journals, as well as books, such as almanacs, that come out annually.

STACKS

The shelves where books are located. Poynter Library has circulating book stacks on the second and third floors and reference book and periodical stacks on the first floor.

TRUNCATION

The root form of a word followed by a symbol; use of this method will retrieve variant endings. In USF's online catalog, the truncation symbol is the question mark (?). For example, use of the truncated term theat? will retrieve theater , theatre , theatrical , etc.

URL [UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR]

Used as a location address for each World Wide Web site. Poynter Library's URL is: http://www.nelson.usf.edu.

VOLUMES

Materials that are part of a single title but are issued as separate items.

USF Libraries Online Catalog

The USF Libraries catalog.

Originally created by KJ (2001) and updated by KT (2004).