Abstract - a brief summary of an article or a book that includes bibliographic information such as author, title, source, subject headings or descriptors, etc.

Accession Number - a unique number or combination of letters and numbers that are assigned to each record in a database.

Adobe Acrobat Reader - program for viewing PDF files, used in many full-text electronic journals. The reader program is free and can be downloaded from the Web.

Almanacs - annual publications that contain calendars, facts, statistics, and other miscellaneous information.

Annotation - a note that describes, explains, or evaluates a particular document.

Annotated Bibliography - a list of books, articles, or other documents on a topic or by a particular author containing a citation of each item, as well as a brief description and/or a critical evaluation of it.

APA Style - a set of rules and guidelines for citing references as well as preparing and submitting manuscripts for publication from the American Psychological Association (APA). These rules are detailed in the Publication Manual of the APA (the most recent version is available at the Reference Desk.)

Article - an essay or research report on a subject. Articles appear in magazines, journals, newspapers and other sources such as encyclopedias.

Atlases - Collections of maps.

Archives - an organized body of documents made or received in connection with the function of the institution or the library. Archives are maintained and preserved as a part of the record-keeping process and usually collected in a separate physical location.

Barcode - the code and the 14-digit number appearing on the beginning or end papers of a book. The barcode is used to charge, discharge, and renew books on the online computer system.

Bibliography - a list of books, periodical articles, government documents, or other materials systematically arranged by author, title, date and place of publication, publisher, details of edition, and page numbers. Published bibliographies on specific subjects are often found in the Reference Collection. See also Webography.

Biography - a written account of a person's life. Also refers to the group of literature concerned with people's lives.

Boolean Operators - words such as AND, OR, and NOT that are called "logical operators" and are used to combine search terms to either broaden or narrow the retrieval results of a search in a database. Boolean Searching describes the method of searching in which terms are combined to either recall more documents or to retrieve a more precise set of documents.

CD-ROM - a computer-based format that means Compact Disk-Read Only Memory and is used for storing and retrieval of information from a compact disk using a CD player and a computer. The information on a compact disk is in a Read Only format and cannot be amended or altered by the user.

Call Numbers - a combination of numbers or letters and numbers that indicates the address or location of an item in the library. Materials in the library are organized by call number into specific groups based on subject according to the Library of Congress (LC) classification system. The University of Akron Libraries uses LC call numbers, which combine letters and numbers, such as PQ 1756 .I15 1990.

Circulating - library materials that may be checked out by patrons.

Circulation Desk - the service desk where books and other materials are loaned or checked out.

Citation - a reference to a text or publication that includes the bibliographic information--author, title, name of journal or name of publisher, date, pages, volumes and other information that is necessary to locate a book, a magazine or journal article, or some other material.

Cross Reference - a term used in catalogs, thesauri and indexes that leads to another term or name where additional or similar information may be found, as in "Use" or "See Also." (e.g., Computer Programs - See Also under topical headings and titles of actual software programs).

Database - a collection of data or file of information in a form accessible by computer or indexed in machine readable form. In a sense, a database is a computerized library in which individual records can be retrieved.

Descriptors - A word or a group of words used as a subject to describe the content in books, articles, and other materials for the purpose of indexing or organizing these items by topic. As an important element of effective research, descriptors are used to search by subject in a specific database or catalog. See also Subject Headings and Thesaurus.

Directory - a systematically organized list of persons, businesses, organizations, or associations that provides addresses, affiliations, telephone numbers, and similar information.

Field - a portion of a database record used for a defined category of data such as title (TI) or author (AU). Other fields might include are journal (JN), descriptor (DE), or abstract (AB). The set of fields is uniform for each record in a particular database.

Format - the organization or arrangement of information in a particular display or print mode; the type or manner in which information is provided, displayed, or retrieved (e.g. Citation only; Citation and abstract; Citation, abstract, and descriptors; etc.).

Gazetteer - a dictionary of geographical information and data about places.

Government Document - a publication or any printed matter originating or printed by the authority of any office of a legally organized government body.

Hold - a hold allows a person to acquire material that is either currently checked out or is lost. A hold is placed on a book at the circulation desk or by using the library’s online catalog. When the material is returned or found, the person placing the hold can receive a copy.

Holdings - a set of fields in a record that shows exactly which years and volumes of a periodical or serial are available.

Hyperlink - a hypertext link; a graphic or text string which, when clicked, opens a new web page or jumps to a new location in the current page.

Hypertext - the basic concept behind the WWW, whereby one resource can be linked to other relevant information elsewhere on the WWW.

ISBN - International Standard Book Number - a numerical code given to a book that uniquely identifies it.

ISSN - International Standard Serial Number - a numerical code given to a serial (periodical) that uniquely identifies it.

Interlibrary Loan - an interlibrary loan is a function of the lending and borrowing services that provides access to materials not owned by the library. In the University of Akron Libraries, Interlibrary loan may be used for books not owned by the library and not available through OhioLINK, and for copies of periodical articles not held by the library.

Internet – The vast network of computer networks which operates world-wide using a common set of communications protocols.

Journal - periodical publication in which researchers report the results of their work to their peer community. Articles are reviewed by an editorial board of scholars in the field prior to acceptance for publication and generally include an abstract and numerous citations to previous work. The writing style in journals is formal rather than engaging, and journals generally have little or no advertising or glossy, catchy graphics and illustrations. See also Magazine and Refereed Journal.

Keyword Searching - a method or strategy of constructing a search by looking for a word or combination of words that describe a document in a natural language as opposed to the controlled language of subject of descriptor searching. A keyword search generally searches across number of fields at once, such as Title, Subject, and Abstract.

Library Catalog - a database that contains records describing the material available or accessible at a library. Sometimes known as an OPAC. (Online Public Access Computer). The University of Akron Libraries Catalog may be accessed via the Internet.

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) - terms used by the Library of Congress to describe and classify areas of knowledge, listed in a four-volume set of books located in the library’s Reference area.. These are the subject terms under which books are listed in the library’s online catalog.

MLA Style - a set of rules and guidelines for citing references as well as preparing and submitting manuscripts for publication from the Modern Language Association (MLA). These rules are detailed in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (the most recent version is available at the Reference Desk.)

Magazine - a periodical, generally with a more "popular" style and presentation than a research journal. Usually, magazine articles are authored by staff writers for an audience of the general public or interested amateurs in a given field (rather than by researchers for their peers), and edited by a magazine employee rather than an independent board of scholars. Style tends to be engaging and eye-catching, and magazines often include substantial advertising. See also Journal.

Microforms - a general term used to describe the microfilm, microfiche, or microform formats used for the storage of documents that have been photographed and reduced in size to reduce in order to conserve space or to preserve materials that deteriorate rapidly. Newspapers, magazines, journals, college catalogs, government documents, and Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC) documents are some examples of the materials stored on microform.

Non-circulating - items that must be used in the library, i.e., reference books, periodicals and some reserve materials.

Peer Review - a process that articles in many journals go through before they are published. Once an article is submitted for publication, it is sent to an editorial board comprised of experts, or a panel of experts, in the field to be evaluated. The submitted article must receive the approval of the editorial board before it is published. See also Refereed Journal.

Periodicals - publications issued in successive parts at regular intervals, including journals, magazines and newspapers. In printed format, current periodicals are ones that have arrived recently within the last six months to two years; bound periodicals are back issues which have been sent to the bindery, covered with a binding, and placed in the stacks. Many periodicals are published electronically and made available to the library’s patrons through library subscriptions. See also Serials.

Periodical Database - a computer-accessible periodical index and abstract which allows searching on many access points (e.g., title, subject, keywords, journal title, author, etc.). Many periodical databases also supply a link to the full-text of articles and to library holdings information. Some examples of periodical databases are Academic Search Premier, ERIC, and PsycINFO. See also Periodical Index.

Periodical Index - an access tool that locates and lists articles which have appeared in journals, magazines, or newspapers. A periodical index lists the author, title, name of periodical, volume, pages and date of publication. Some indexes supply abstracts that summarize the content of articles. While the library maintains many printed indexes, most periodical indexes and abstracts are available in CD-ROM format or by subscription through the Internet. See also Periodical Database.

Primary Source - A document which describes an event by its witnesses or first recorders. Some types are: diaries, speeches, letters, interviews, newspapers, autobiographies and official records including government publications, legislation, court reports, etc. See also Secondary Source.

Recall - a notification that is sent out to inform a borrower that material currently checked out has been requested by another individual. Recalled materials should be returned as soon as possible or usually within a week.

Refereed Journal - a journal in which articles have been evaluated by an independent expert, or a panel of experts, in the field of research before acceptance for publication. See also Peer Review.

Renewal - an extension of the loan period for material that has been previously checked out. Renewals can be made by accessing one’s online patron record, in person at the circulation desk, or by phone.

Reserve Materials - a selection of specific books, periodical articles, and other materials that a faculty member has set aside for all students to read for a particular course. These materials are usually kept together in one area of the library and circulate only for short periods of time. Reserve materials may be in hard copy at the Reserve Desk or available online through the UA library’s electronic reserves system, ERes.

Reference - a department within the library where librarians can provide assistance or help in locating information or researching a topic. The reference area also contains a selection of materials such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, directories, or statistical sources as well as periodical indexes, and subject bibliographies. Computer workstations near the Reference/Information Desk provide access to the library’s catalog, OhioLink, and research databases.

Reference Collection - materials such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, directories, etc., kept in a separate collection and not allowed to circulate, so that they will always be on hand when needed.

Reference Librarians - specialists in the field of information retrieval who hold Masters degrees in library and/or information science. As subject specialists, reference librarians generally have other graduate degrees as well. They are available at the Reference desk, through email, through online chat or instant messaging, or by appointment to help people find the information they are looking for. See also Subject Librarians.

Record - a collection of related data that is arranged in fields forming a unit. The data for a book in the library’s online catalog or for an article in a periodical database such as Academic Search Premier makes up a record.

Scholarly Journal - usually contains articles on research and development, news, proceedings, or transactions in a particular field. See also Journals and Peer Review.

Search Strategy - a logical series of steps for planning and preparing an efficient way to collect pertinent information on a given topic. Search strategy sometimes refers to the chosen terms used in a database search for materials. A search strategy varies depending upon the topic, the nature of the subject, and what type of information is needed, and often needs to be revised upon review of the results.

Secondary Source - materials or sources that contain information that has been cited, translated, or based upon another--primary or original source. See Primary Source.

Serials - publications issued at regular intervals--daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, or biannually-- and are generally intended to be continued indefinitely. Serials include Periodicals as well as annual publications, proceedings, and transactions.

Stacks - the sections or areas of the library where the collection is stored. Books are arranged on shelves in the stacks and grouped by call numbers; periodicals are shelved in assigned stacks and grouped alphabetically.

Subject Headings - a word or groups of words that are assigned to books, articles, and other materials in order to indicate the subject matter and to group or organize similar materials by topic. As an important element of effective research, subject headings are needed to determine the correct headings as indexed within a specific database or catalog. A major set of subject headings is the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), used to identify the subjects of books in the library’s online catalog. See also Descriptors and Thesaurus.

Subject Librarians - specialists in the field of information retrieval who hold Masters degrees in library and/or information science and generally other graduate degrees as well. They are responsible for selecting books, helping students and faculty with library research, and teaching library sessions in their respective academic subject areas. They are available at the Reference desk, through email, through online chat or instant messaging, or by appointment. See also Reference Librarians.

Subject Search - to seek information by topic (as opposed to author or title). In many indexes and catalogs, a "subject" search implies searching by the use of standardized subject headings assigned by the indexers, as opposed to keyword searching, where the user essentially guesses at words included in titles or abstracts of relevant items. The standardized subject terms used in a particular database can be found in the database’s Thesaurus.

Thesaurus - a list of words or group of words that can be used as subject headings or descriptors in a particular database, catalog, or index. The Library of Congress Subject Headings is used as a thesaurus for the library’s online book catalog. Many periodical databases, such as ERIC, MedLINE, and PsycINFO, include a searchable thesaurus of their descriptors.

Truncation - The method of using a special symbol at the end of a word to retrieve the stem or the root and all possible endings of that word in a database search. To truncate a word while searching the library’s catalog or OhioLINK, and most periodical databases (such as EBSCO’s Academic Search Premier and others) use an asterisk (*). Entering comput* will retrieve compute, computes, computing, computer, computers, and so on. In some databases, the question mark (?), the pound sign (#), or the dollar sign ($) are used to truncate terms.

Turabian Style - a set of rules and guidelines for citing references as well as preparing and submitting manuscripts for publication as contained in Kate L. Turabian’s Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. These most recent version is available at the Reference Desk.

URL - Uniform Resource Locator - an address that specifies the location of a file on the Internet (e.g., http://www.uakron.edu)

Webography – A listing of selected World Wide Web sites on a particular topic. See also Bibliography.

World Wide Web - A global, network based hypertext information system that uses the Internet as its transport mechanism to display computer screens (or Web pages) of graphical, video, textual, and audio information. See also Internet.