Library Lingo - Library Lingo - Research Guides at University of Wisconsin Superior

Definitions

abstracts
A brief summary of the content of a book, article, speech, report or dissertation.

annotation
A critical or explanatory note, sometimes included in a bibliography or citation.

bibliography
A list of references used in a book or article. Long bibliographies may be published separately in book form or online.

boolean searching
Using special commands to tell a database system how words being searched relate to one another. The three basic Boolean operators are AND, OR, and NOT. AND will narrow a search. OR will broaden a search. NOT will remove a concept from a search.

circulation desk
The area where you can check out, return, or renew library materials. Reserves are located here as are items you've requested via ILL or UB.

citation
A brief description of a text (book, article, report, World Wide Web page, or other) that has been quoted, or used as a source. 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.

database
A comprehensive collection of related data (articles or other materials) organized for convenient access, usually through a computer.

full-text
Refers to a database or other electronic resource which provides the entire text of the work it contains (e.g., journal articles), in addition to the citation and abstract of each work.

government documents
Publication created by a government, including hearings, reports, treaties, periodicals, and statistics.

interlibrary loan (ill)
A library service whereby students, faculty, and staff may request to borrow materials from another library if the item is not owned by any of the UW libraries.

journal
A publication distributed periodically (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.), devoted to a specific field or subfield of knowledge. Journals usually contain scholarly articles written by professors, researchers, or experts in a subject area. Articles usually contain an abstract and a bibliography showing cited resources.

magazine
A periodical intended for the general public rather than for scholars (e.g., Newsweek, Time, Business Week).

periodical
A publication distributed on a regular schedule (e.g., weekly or monthly). Popular periodicals are called magazines and scholarly periodicals are called journals. Newspapers are also periodicals.

reference materials
A document such as a dictionary, encyclopedia, or a directory that contains specific facts, data, or other brief bits of information.

reference desk
The place in the library where reference librarians and assistants give you directions, answer your questions, and show you how to find and use library materials.

reserves
A service in which, upon request by faculty, certain materials are temporarily assigned a much shorter loan period. The purpose of reserves is the ensure that all students taking a course will be able to share materials. Restrictions on the use of reserve materials may vary.

universal borrowing (ub)
A library service that allows students, faculty, and staff to borrow books from another UW Library if the item is not owned by the UW-Superior Library. Universal borrowing should always be explored first before interlibrary loan (ill).

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