Article
A brief report on a topic, commonly published in a journal, magazine, or newspaper.
Anthology
A compilation of literary works, such as fiction, plays, short stories, poems, etc. selected by an editor.
Biography
A written account of one’s life.
Book
An extensive work on a single topic. Typically offered in print or electronically.
Bound
A set of issues from a periodical, such as a magazine or a newspaper, organized chronologically and fastened together with hard covers.
Curriculum
A plan that dictates what students will learn and how in an academic course or program.
Digital publication
A book, article, or other resource that has been published electronically and can be read online.
Dissertation
An extensive research paper written by a student to complete a doctoral degree.
eBook
Short for “electronic book”. A digital version of a book that can be viewed online or downloaded.
Excerpt
A portion of a larger work selected for a specific purpose or significance.
Full text
A complete version of an article or book available online, as opposed to an abstract or excerpt. Can refer to items also published in print. Full text scholarly publications will include the abstract and the citation.
Government documents
Publications from various government agencies. Examples include reports, statistics, memos, records, and censuses.
Journal
A periodical centered around a discipline that contains peer-reviewed articles, papers, research reports, or technical reports written by scholars. Commonly referred to as a Scholarly or Academic Journal.
Magazine
A periodical containing popular articles for a general audience.
Microform
A miniaturized format for storing documents. Commonly used for accessing older periodicals that are out of print. Can be viewed and copied via microform scanner.
Monograph
A detailed book or report on a specific topic, usually published as a standalone work.
Newspaper
A periodical that publishes news, current events, features, and other topical articles.
Periodical
A recurring publication that releases on a regular or stated schedule.
Print
Written or typed language on paper.
Thesis
A research paper written to complete a master's degree. At some colleges and universities, it is needed for a bachelor's degree.
Trade publications
Periodicals written for trade workers in specific industries. Examples include Manufacturing Chemist and Aerosol News.
Work
A term for something created as a result of effort. Most commonly used to categorize intellectual or artistic creations.
Author
The writer(s) of a text.
Edition
A particular version of a publication. May refer to the format (print, electronic, etc.), or updated versions of the same work.
Editor
One who is responsible for selecting and compiling various writings into a single source.
ISBN
International Standard Book Number. A unique ID number assigned by a book’s publisher. Can be used to identify specific editions.
ISSN
International Standard Serial Number. A unique ID number used to specify a serial, like a journal or a magazine.
Publisher
An entity that prepares and issues copies of publications, in print or electronically, for public distribution.
Series
A collection of monographs grouped together by subject or theme. May be published over time or simultaneously.
Title
The name of a literary work.
Volume
Can refer to:
1. A single book within a set of books;
2. A set of issues within a periodical (“The American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 134”);
3. A bound book composed of a series of sheets.
Call number
A code consisting of letters and numbers that denote the location of library materials, which allows for streamlined organization and retrieval.
Catalog
A comprehensive list of all library materials.
Holdings
Materials owned by the library. These are recorded in the library catalog.
Library of Congress Classification System
A system used by most college libraries to organize books by subject using letters and numbers.
Location
The place or collection in the library where a material is stored.
Range
A row of library book shelves, usually double-faced.
Stacks
The shelves in the library where materials, such as books, are stored.
Boolean operator
Words like “AND”, “OR”, and “NOT” used in search tools to help find more specific or narrow results. For example, “cats AND dogs” finds results with both terms; “cats OR dogs” finds results with either.
Keyword
A prominent word in the title, abstract, or text of a material used to search for the work online.
Limit/Limiter
A search query modifier that refines results based on criteria not related to a material’s subject, such as the format, the location(s) of the material, and the year published. Also known as a filter.
Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)
A digital version of the library’s catalog that can be used to search for books, articles, and other resources.
Open Access
A term for a publication that is free and available to the public online.
Permalink
A stable, reliable link that directs a user to the original version of an online resource.
Search Query/Search Statement
Words entered into a search box to find information within a database or via search engine (e.g. Google).
Truncation
A search tool that uses part of a word and a symbol to find different variants. For example, nurs* will expand the search to nurse, nurses, nursing, nursery, nurseries, etc.