GLOSSARY OF LIBRARY TERMINOLOGY

abstract: A brief summary of the content or essence of a book, article, speech, report, or dissertation. (usually no more than a few sentences).
annotation: A critical or explanatory note, usually included in a bibliographical reference or citation.

annual: Published once a year, every year.
anthology: A collection of stories, plays, or poems, selected by an editor.
article: A brief composition on a topic, usually published in a magazine or journal.
atlas: A book of maps.
author: A writer of a book, essay, story, play, poem or other work. Some works have two or more co-authors. In library catalogues authorship is sometimes attributed to an organization, conference symposium, or institution. Other individuals such as editor, playwright, director, composer, performer, or other, may also be considered an author.
autobiography: An account of one's life written by oneself. See also biography.

bibliography: A list of references at the end of a book or article. Long bibliographies may be published separately in a book form.

biannual: Published twice a year.
biennial: Published every two years.
biography: An account of a person's life, written by another. The person who writes a biography is the biographer. The person written about is known as the biographee. See also autobiography.
borrow: To check out or charge out library materials.
bound periodical: Older issues of periodicals that have been bound together between hard covers so they look like a book. This is done to preserve them and to make storing them easier.
call number: A unique location code that appears on the spine of a book or bound periodical.
catalogue: A catalogue contains records, with detailed descriptions and location information, of the materials in a library collection. In this Library the catalogue is online i.e. stored on a computer.

CD-ROM: An abbreviation for "Compact Disc Read-Only Memory;" A computer with a CD-ROM drive is needed to read this kind of disc.
circulation counter: The area where users have books issued to them, return, or renew books and other materials.
citation: A brief description of a text (book, article, report, World Wide Web page, or other) that has been quoted, or used as an authority.

A complete citation for a book includes author, title, place of publication, publisher, and year.

A complete citation for a periodical or magazine article includes author and title of the article, title of the periodical, volume number, page numbers, and the dates.

The elements of a complete citation for other types of publications are different. Furthermore, even for the same type of publication, the exact arrangement and formatting of a citation is dictated by a style manual. The choice of style manual depends on the discipline or subject matter. Lecturers and librarians will provide guidance to students as to which style manual to use for formatting complete citations.
classification: Classification is used in libraries to keep like subjects together on the shelves. The major classification scheme used in this library is the Library of Congress (LC) Classification. Books and journals are assigned a classification number (which in LC Classification is a combination of letters and numbers) that represents the general subject of the item. Additional letters and numbers are added (usually the first two letters of the author's last name and the date of publication) to form a call number. The use of classification allows library users to browse shelves to find additional items close by on the same or related subjects.
collected work: A book of works by different authors (essays, stories, poems, plays) selected for publication by an editor.
conference paper: The print version of a talk or presentation given at a conference or meeting.

conference proceedings.: The official record of the things said and done at a conference or meeting. Usually available as a booklet containing the print versions of the papers delivered at a particular conference
copyright: The legal right granted to an author, editor, composer, playwright, publisher, or distributor to exclusive publication, production, sale, or distribution of a literary, musical, dramatic, or artistic work. This legal right will limit what you may copy or quote from any published work.
cross reference: In a catalogue or index, a direction that leads a user from one entry or subject heading to another.
current periodicals: The most recent issues of a journal or magazine that a library has received. The current issues of a periodical are bound when enough have accumulated to constitute the size of an ordinary book (usually about a year's worth or less).
database: A comprehensive collection of related data organized for convenient access, generally in a computer.
Desk Copies: Materials which are in heavy demand and are stored separately behind the Circulation Desk. These items are available on request for use in the Library only.
dictionary: A book of alphabetically listed words in a language with generally accepted definitions, etymologies, pronunciations, and other information. Some dictionaries are specialized; for example, Dictionary of Sociology, Dictionary of Literary Terms.
directory: A book that lists the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of a specific group of persons, companies, organizations, or publications. Most directories are shelved in the Quick Reference Collection.
dissertation: An extended scholarly essay submitted for a degree or other academic qualification. See also Thesis
edition: Some books are revised and republished, particularly reference books. The new version may be called a "revised" or "second" edition. Subsequent editions are numbered sequentially. The latest edition is the most current, but older editions may contain useful information deleted from later editions.
editor: A person who selects and prepares the works of other writers for publication, by selection, arrangement, and annotation.
encyclopedia: A reference book containing information on all subjects, or limited to a special field or subject (sometimes in more than one volume).
electronic information resources: Any of several different categories of databases and machine-readable files, including, but not limited to electronic journals, online databases, World Wide Web sites, and CD-ROM databases.
fine: A fee charged for keeping a book or other library materials longer than the time allowed.
glossary: An alphabetical list of words related to a specific topic, with definitions, often placed at the end of a book.
government document: A publication of a government. Government documents include hearings, reports, treaties, periodicals, and statistics.
handbook: A reference book that provides concise, useful data and other information on a specific subject.
hardcopy: Printed material, as opposed to information in microform or digital (computerized) format.
holdings: All the materials (print, nonprinting, and electronic) owned by a library.
index: i) A back-of-the-book index is an alphabetical detailed list of the names, places, and subjects discussed in a book and the numbers of the pages on which each subject is treated.

ii) A periodical index is an alphabetical listing of magazine or journal articles by subject, and sometimes by author. Most periodical indexes cover a specific topical area or discipline.
information desk: The main service point for users to ask for directions to collections or other service points in the Libraries, guidance in using the online catalogue or help with information problems. May also be called the Reference Desk.
inter library loan: A library service in which libraries loan books and other materials to each other. If this library does not have the item you need we may be able to borrow for you from another library.
ISBN: Abbreviation for International Standard Book Number. A unique 10-digit number that is given to every book or edition of a book before publication to identify the publisher, the title, the edition, and volume number. The ISBN is usually printed on the reverse side of the title page of a book.
ISSN: Abbreviation for International Standard Serial Number. A unique 8-digit number that identifies a specific periodical title.
issue: All the copies of a specific periodical title published on the same date. A subscription entitles the subscriber to receive one copy of each issue.
journal: A publication published periodically (monthly, quarterly, or other), devoted to a specific field or subfield of knowledge, that contains scholarly articles written by researchers or experts in a subject area. Articles usually contain at the beginning an abstract summarising the main points, and a bibliography at the end to show other works cited. Journals are stored in the Serials Collection.
keyword: A word indicating a main term or concept or subject discussed in a document; used in searching catalogues and databases.
Library of Congress (LC) Classification: The classification system used in the Library of Congress, and used for arranging most of the University Utara Malaysia library collections.

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): A standard list of words or groups of words under which books and other material on a subject are entered in a catalogue. These subject headings can be helpful when searching the online catalogue. The full list of LCSH is kept near the online catalogue in three large red volumes.
magazine: A periodical intended for the general public rather than for scholars. Examples are Newsweek, Time, Business Week.
microfiche: A 4x6 inch sheet of film, used for storage of miniaturized text. Microfiche and reader/printers are stored in Microforms Cabinet on Level 4 .
microfilm: A continuous roll of film, used for storage of miniaturized text (usually journals or magazines). Microfilms and reader/printers are stored in the Microforms Cabinet on Level 4.
microform: Film medium for storage of miniaturized text. Includes both microfiche and microfilm.
monograph: A publication that appears one time only. Books or reports are monographs; periodicals or serials are not.
newspaper: A serial publication printed and distributed daily or weekly containing news, opinions, advertising, and other items of general interest.
non-print: Materials published in a format other than print on paper. e.g. audio cassettes, compact disks, videocassettes.
online: Accessible via a computer or computer network. Also called "automated," "computerized," or "electronic."
online catalogue: A computer database that lists most books, serials, and non-print items owned by a library. Also referred to as the Library catalogue and is called LINTAS
outsize: Shelving areas in the library holding items taller than 28 cm. Usually these exist where space is at a premium.
overdue: An item has been kept by the borrower past its due date. There are usually fines for overdue items.
oversize: Something that will not fit on the regular or outsize shelves
periodical: Journals or magazines which are published at regular intervals longer than a day but shorter than a year (weekly, monthly). See also Serials
periodical index: A cumulative listing of citations to periodical articles, arranged alphabetically by subject and by author's last name. Most periodical indexes are devoted to a specific field or discipline or type of periodical (for example, newspapers).
plagiarism: An unacceptable practice of using other people's work or ideas without acknowledgement.
publication date: Year in which a book or periodical was published. The publication date usually can be found on the back of the title page of a book or on the cover of a periodical. This is usually an essential part of a citation.
quarterly: Published four times a year. Many scholarly journals are published quarterly.
Quick Reference Collection: Frequently-used books such as telephone directories, English dictionaries, encyclopedias and other materials used by librarians and staff to look up quick answers to enquiries. Most quick reference books may not be borrowed because they are needed on a daily basis to answer questions by and for library users.
recall notice: If a user requests a book which is issued to someone else, library staff will request that the borrower return the material, whether finished with it or not. This procedure helps to share library materials among all users.
reference book: A book such as a dictionary, encyclopedia, or directory, that contains specific facts, data, or other brief bits of information. Most reference books may not be borrowed because they are needed on a daily basis to answer questions by reference librarians and library users.
reference librarian: A specialist in the field of information retrieval, and often, in other subject areas as well. Reference librarians have a qualification in librarianship and usually other graduate degrees also. Based at the Information Desks, they help users find materials needed for research, and teach users how to use library resources.
Reference-only: Materials which can be consulted in the library, but may not be borrowed.
renew: To extend the loan period of a book.
serials: Also known as periodicals. A term that describes a wide range of publications that are issued in successive parts with no predictable end in sight. Periodicals, magazines, journals, newspapers, annual reports, series, some conference proceedings, and annual reviews are all examples of serials.
style manual: A guide that provides rules and formats for arranging footnotes, citations, and bibliographies. Various style manuals are available in the Library. The choice of style manual depends on the discipline or subject matter. Departments will provide guidance to students as to which style manual to use for formatting complete citations.
subtitle: The portion of a work's title following the semicolon or colon.
Table of contents: A list of the chapter or article titles in a book or journal. This is usually found at the beginning of a book after the title page. The Library online catalogue lists the table of contents for some recent books. The table of contents for a journal may sometimes be found on the cover (back or front) of each issue, inserted in one issue of the volume (but covering all issues of a volume) or issued separately. The online catalogue does NOT list the table of contents for journals. There are databases which do this however.
thesaurus: Note two distinct meanings:
(i) a book of synonyms, sometimes including contrasting words (antonyms). The most well-know thesaurus of this type is Roget's.

(ii) An alphabetical list of terms and concepts representing the specialized vocabulary of a particular field. An example of one among many hundreds of this type is Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms. Thesauri of this type are used by librarians and others to conduct focused searches of online periodical indexes.
thesis: A dissertation to maintain or prove a proposition, especially one written as the principle requirement for a degree.
title: The name of a book, essay, story, play, poem, picture, statue, piece of music, film, etc.
weekly: Published once a week. Many popular magazines, and some newspapers, are published weekly.
yearbook: An annual documentary, historical, or memorial publication containing information about the previous year.