Glossary+of+Library+Terms

See also citation **Almanac** - An annual publication containing a variety of facts and statistics, often presented in figures, tables, or charts. **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. **Anthology** - A collection of literary works by different authors, often limited to a specific subject, genre, or time period. **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. These rules are detailed in the //Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association//. **Atlas** - A collection of geographic maps, tables, plates, etc. **Autobiography** - An account of a person's life written by that person. **Bibliography** - A compilation of citations of works by a given author or works on a particular subject. **Boolean Operators** - Terms (and, or, not) used in searching online resources (such as the library catalog or periodical indexes) that determine the relationship between two or more search terms (i.e. how to combine the words). **Call Number** - A unique set of letters and numbers designated according to a classification scheme, by which an item in the library's collection is labeled, identified in a catalog, and may be located. **Card Catalog** - The set of records describing items in a library, kept on 3" X 5" cards and filed in cabinets by author's name, title, or by subject heading. Westinghouse College Prep Stanton Payne Media Center uses an online catalog. **Citation** - Information about a book or article that is used to identify or locate that book or article. A citation usually includes the author, article title, book or journal title, date, volume number, and/or publication information. **Database** - An organized collection of records containing data (citations, statistics, text, etc.) that can be searched and retrieved. The library catalog and many online periodical indexes are examples of databases. **Dewey Decimal Classification** - A call number system used to classify and organize material in libraries. The Dewey Decimal system is based ten primary categories with each category being further subdivided into more narrow and specific topics. **Dictionary** - A reference tool comprised of alphabetically arranged entries, each providing the spellings, pronunciations, origin and history, modern definitions, usages or translations of a word according to each of its parts of speech. **Encyclopedia** - A reference tool containing articles about persons, places or things. General encyclopedias, like the //Encyclopedia Britannica//, address a wide range or topics, whereas a subject specific encyclopedia, like the //Encyclopedia of Birds//, is more specialized. **Gazetteer** - A geographical dictionary that includes location (often expressed in latitude and longitude), population, and other geographically related information of a given place. **Index** - An alphabetized table, file, or list designed to facilitate the reference of subjects, names, or places in a particular work or set of works. **Journal** - A periodical published by an academic press, learned society, government agency or professional organization, intended for scholars, students, professionals or experts, and featuring articles which disseminate results, critical interpretations or reviews of scholarly or scientific research in a particular subject discipline or profession. **Keyword** - A word or term, chosen by the user, that best summarizes the information being sought. A user can search the library catalog or other database for either a single keyword or a combination of keywords in order to retrieve records containing the keyword(s). **Keyword Search** - One of the search options available in the library catalog. When searching by Keyword, the user may combine words or terms using Boolean operators. **Magazine**- A periodical published by a commercial press, intended for a general readership. Usually features news stories or articles on popular topics written by journalists, reporters or others rather than by scholars, professionals or experts. **MLA style** - A set of rules and guidelines for citing references as well as preparing and submitting manuscripts for publication from the Modern Languages Association. These rules are detailed in the //MLA Handbook// and //MLA Style Manual//. **Newspaper** - A periodical issued at frequent intervals (usually daily, semi-weekly, or weekly) containing news, opinions, advertisements and other information of current and often local interest. **Online Catalog** - The electronic version of a library catalog accessible through the Internet. **Periodical** - A serial published indefinitely at regular or stated intervals, generally more frequently than once a year. Each issue is numbered and/or dated consecutively and contains articles, stories, or other writings. Journals, magazines and newspapers are periodicals. **Search Term** - A word that is entered into the library catalog or other database in order to find information. **Serial** - A publication issued in successive parts bearing a numerical or chronological designation and intended to be continued indefinitely. **Subject Search** - The means of searching the library catalog in order to retrieve all records containing a specific subject heading. For more information and examples. **Thesaurus** - A reference tool which identifies and indexes synonyms and antonyms of words. In database searching, a thesaurus identifies controlled vocabulary to be used for information retrieval. **Turabian style** - A set of rules and guidelines for citing references as well as preparing and submitting manuscripts for publication developed by Kate L. Turabian. These rules are detailed in //A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Thesis, and Dissertations//. 
 * abstract** - A brief description or summary of the contents and/or composition of a book, article, or other document, published or unpublished, usually accompanied by a citation or bibliographic reference to it.