GLOSSARY and definitions |
|
abstract |
A
summary of the contents of an article. |
| accession
number |
Unique
number assigned to records in a database. Used in many databases,
such as PsycInfo and ERIC. The ED accession numbers in ERIC
are used to locate ERIC documents in the ERIC microfiche
cabinets. |
| bibliography |
A
listing of articles, books, dissertations, and other works
used to write an article or paper that documents the sources
used. Various style sheets (i.e., APA, MLA, Chicago Manual
of Style, Turabian) have various terminology for the elements
of style. See also References; Works Cited. |
| BLC |
The
Boston Library Consortium consists of several colleges and
universities in the Boston area that share library materials
with each other’s patrons. See also Inter-library loan. |
| Boolean
search |
An
information search that uses the words “and,”
“or,” “not” to focus a search. “And”
narrows a search by requiring all key words to be present
in the retrieved records. “Or” broadens a search,
retrieving records with one, two, or all of the key words.
(Tip: Use “or” with synonyms or words related
to you key word.) “Not” excludes a word or words
from the search. |
| call
number |
A
number comprised of letters and/or numbers that are part
of a system used to classify and arrange books in a library.
Call numbers appear in the library
catalog and on the spines of books and bound journals. Research
and academic libraries usually use the Library of Congress
classification system. |
| charge
out; check out |
To
borrow a book from a library for a specific period of time. |
| circulation
desk |
The
place in the library where books are checked out and checked
in when they are returned. |
| citation |
The
information, e.g., author, title, publisher, year of
publication,
volume
number, page numbers, which enables the reader to find
the works cited or
referenced in a paper or article. |
| database |
An
indexed collection of records that may contain citations,
abstracts and full-text records of journal articles and/or
other documents. Databases are usually searchable by key word
and/or subject headings. |
| descriptors |
Key words that are used to retrieve documents in a database.
Often the
descriptors are fixed terms, or subject headings, that are
derived from Library of Congress or Sears Subject Headings
lists. See also Subject Headings. |
| document
delivery |
The
process of locating, obtaining, and providing copies of
published or unpublished materials in hard copy, microform
or digitized format upon request by a patron. |
| full
text |
The
entire document, as originally published. It may also be
text only, without graphics. The entire journal may be included,
or the full-text document may be extracted from the journal.
Databases vary in their definitions of “full-text.”
These documents may be available as either a .pdf or .html
file. |
| government
document |
A
report, often statistical, published by a federal, state,
or local government. |
| index |
A
list or collection of key words that are linked to the key
words in the title,
author, abstract or text of an article in a database. A periodical
index is a listing by subject of periodical articles and other
documents that may contain abstracts. |
| InterLibrary
Loan (ILL) |
A library
service that provides materials, or photocopies (in the case
of journal
articles) to patrons from another library. Also known as “ILL.”
|
| journal |
A
monthly or quarterly review containing scholarly articles
in a particular
academic discipline or field of study. See also Peer-reviewed
journal. |
| Kerberos
password |
A
password distributed by IT at 111 Cummington Street when patrons
open a
B.U. e-mail account. This password allows you remote access
to the databases. |
| magazine |
A
continuing publication of popular interest containing articles
on a variety of
subjects, usually with a specialty for one topic.Less scholarly
than a journal. See also Periodical. |
| microforms |
A
collective name for various types of print information that
has been
transferred to a film format. Two formats used to store information
in a
small space are microfilm and microfiche.
Since the print is reduced in size
machines called readers or reader-printers are needed to read
and print the
information. |
| monograph |
A library term for book. |
| peer-reviewed
journal |
A
journal that has a review process for the selection of articles
for
publication. Reviewers are scholars and experts in an academic
discipline or
field of study that is the focus of the journal. Also known
as a refereed journal. |
| periodicals |
A general term for a newspaper, magazine, or journal that
is published at
regular intervals, e.g., weekly, biweekly, bimonthly, quarterly.
Periodicals are
usually bound in hard cover, cataloged with call numbers and
inter-shelved with library books. Libraries often display
current periodicals in a designated section of the library.
See also Magazine; Journal. |
| primary
sources |
First-hand accounts and original works, which may include
research. Examples are diaries, letters, photographs, interviews,
newspaper clippings, government records and historical documents.
Original research that includes data collected in a study
that conforms to quantitative or qualitative research standards,
or both, are considered primary sources. |
| recall |
A request by a library to a borrower to return a book before
its original due date because another library patron has requested
the material. Patrons may place recall requests at the Circulation
Desk. |
| reference |
Another
name for citation; a bibliography
is a list of references to other works. |
| reference
books |
Non-circulating
books that are designated R or REF in the call number and
shelved in a separate section of the library. They include
dictionaries,
encyclopedias, periodical indexes, handbooks of research,
directories. |
| reference
librarians |
Library
staff holding specialized degrees who help library users find
and use library materials. |
| renew |
To extend the amount of time materials can be borrowed. Patrons
who want to
renew their borrowed materials online at the B.U. catalog
site must have a pin
number. |
| reserves
materials |
Used for course readings that are requested by faculty for
special library status, they may be checked out for a limited
time - usually two hours. Patrons can look up reserves in
the library catalog using the professor’s name or course
number. |
| reshelving
room |
Area where materials are placed prior to being put back on
the shelf. At Mugar Memorial Library, the Reshelving Room
(also known as "Intermediate Shelving") is on the
first floor next to Photocopy Services.
|
| secondary
sources |
Documents that are derived from or based upon the study and
analysis of
primary sources. Secondary sources include reviews, critiques,
editorials, and
analysis. Journal articles that are not original research
and that provide analysis, interpretation, or evaluation are
secondary sources. |
| serial |
A magazine, newspaper, or journal. See Periodicals.
|
| setting
limits |
Defining the scope of an
information search in order to retrieve more relevant
and fewer irrelevant hits. Most electronic databases allow
users to limit their
searches by date, field (e.g., title, author, subject headings),
and document type. |
stacks
areas |
Areas
of the library where books are shelved. Some libraries have
closed stacks that require assistance to retrieve a library
materials. Boston University stacks are open. |
| subject
headings |
Fixed
terms that are used to retrieve documents in a database, including
a library catalog. See also Descriptors.
|
| thesaurus |
A
listing of subject headings for a specific periodical index
or database. |
| works
cited |
A
listing of articles, books, dissertations and other works
that are quoted or
paraphrased in an article or paper. See also Bibliography;
References.
|