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Acquisitions Department

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

AACR2: Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition.

 

Accession number: 1) A number assigned to a book or item as it is received by the library, through continuous numbering or a coded system. 2) Sequential numbers assigned by distribution centers to publications.

 

Acq: Abbreviation of Acquisitions.

 

Acquisition work: The process of securing materials for the library's collection. Material can be secured by purchase, as gifts, or through exchange programs.

 

Acronym: A word formed from the initial letters of a name, such as ALA or AACR2.

 

Added entry: Any entry made in addition to the main entry. Added entries can be made for joint authors, illustrators, editors, compilers, translators, series, title, and subjects.

 

Advance: The online bibliographic database we share with the Idaho State Library (ISL). Also called Catalyst.

 

ALA: Acronym for American Library Association.

 

Albertsons Library Checklist of Idaho Publications: A published bibliography of items in the Library's collection about Idaho or by Idaho authors. The bibliography is an on-going project, compiled by a member of the Acquisitions Department. (Also known as the Idaho Bibliography.)

 

Allocation: Designated funds.

 

American Library Association: The national organization and lobby group for people who work in libraries. (Acronym: ALA)

 

Analytical entry: An entry for a part of a work or for a whole work that is part of a series for which a comprehensive entry is made.

 

Annual: A serial work that is issued once a year.

 

Appropriated funds: Funds that have been allocated to specific subject areas for the current fiscal year as part of the library budget.

 

Approval plan: An agreement between a library and a supplier that allows the supplier to automatically send the library one copy of each item he has on a specified subject or in a particular format. The library is allowed a certain amount of time to examine the material, select the items it will purchase, and return unwanted items.

 

Archival: Of a quality suitable for, or deserving of, long-term storage. Archival paper will not fall apart over time like most paper used in the last 30 years does.

 

Archives: A department in the Albertsons Library, which houses materials intended to be kept for historical purposes.

 

ASCII: Acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange; a character coding system widely used as a framework for computer communication.

 

Audiovisual: Non-book material such as records, tapes, slides, filmstrips, video-tapes and discs. (see also non-book material).

 

Author: The person or entity chiefly responsible for the intellectual or artistic content of a work. Corporate author; personal author.

 

Author entry: The name of the author of a work used as an entry in the catalog. This is usually the main entry.

 

Authority file: A record of the proper form of names, subjects, or series used in a catalog. The purpose of an authority file is to maintain uniform entries.

 

Autobiography: an account of a person's life written by that person.

 

B

Back title: see spine title.

 

Backfiles: Non-current periodical issues purchased to fill holes in our collection of a particular title.

 

Barcode: A code arranged in a series of parallel lines or bars, representing data that is transferred by a bar code scanner for computer use.  Used on most library materials.

 

Batch processing: A method of processing in which items are collected into groups before being processed by the computer.

 

BBIP: Acronym for British Books in Print.

 

BCL3: Acronym for Books for College Libraries, 3rd edition.

 

Bibliographic database: A database containing records made up of bibliographic information and designed to identify and locate relevant items.

 

Bibliographic information: Bibliographic details needed for ordering or requesting any library material, sufficient to identify the item. In its fullest coverage the term includes author, title, publisher, place of publication, year of publication, edition, series note, number of volumes, parts, and/or supplements, and list or estimated price. With certain types of books the editor or translator is necessary as an identifying detail. In the case of rare books, exact pagination should be included. (Sometimes known as "trade information.")

 

Bibliographic record: a description of an item which includes author, title, imprint, subject headings, and a physical description, in a standardized form such as a record in an index (computer or paper) for a book or a periodical article.

 

Bibliography: A list of references to books, journal articles, and other materials, on a particular topic or by a particular author. Bibliographies are frequently found at the end of a book, journal or encyclopedia article, or in a separate publication.

 

Binder's title: The title imprinted on the binding of a book. This title may differ from the title on the title page if the book was rebound, or from the title on the original binding.

 

Biography/Biographical: An account of a person's life written by someone else. Biographical sources either contain these accounts or help to locate them.

 

BIP: Acronym for Books in Print.

 

Bit: A unit of information. The smallest unit of information in a computer memory. An abbreviation for binary digit.

 

Bk: Abbreviation for book.

 

Blanket order: A method of acquisition very similar to the approval plan. The distinction between the two systems is that with a blanket order the library agrees to buy one copy of everything the supplier sends.

 

BOD: Acronym for UMI Books on Demand.

 

Book bindings:

Cloth: Most modern books are bound in cloth, which signifies cloth glued to boards (thick pasteboard).

Wraps: Paperback books and many pamphlets are bound in wraps (thin or thick pages, or very thin pasteboard).

Boards: Many old books were bound in boards (pasteboard) covered in paper.

Leather: Most leather bound books are thin leather over boards.

Combination: Many books are bound in a combination of the above. For example 3/4 leather/boards, 1/2 tan leather/cloth.

Flex-M: A type of binding which uses cardboard.

Flex-S: A type of binding which uses buckram.

 

Book condition: Used by book dealers' to describe used, out of print and rare books.

            Mint: As new condition with the "smell of the printing press."

Fine: As almost new condition.

Very good: Better than good but not quite fine.

Good plus: Sometimes used to bridge the gap between good and very good.

Good: No bad faults, just average with nothing missing, intact and firm.

Fair: Sometimes used to bridge the gap between good and reading copy.

Reading copy: Just barely present, generally complete but badly battered.

 

Book jacket: A paper cover placed around a book to protect the binding. Sometimes called a dust jacket (dj), dust cover, or dust wrapper.

 

Book size: Relates to the size of a closed book when looking it square in the face. The height of a regularly proportioned book is sometimes used as a guide line when describing size. (The size description of a book originated with the approximate size of that book as compared to the average size of the old English newspaper page. For example a quarto (4to) book would require approximately 4 copies that size to flat out fill the page of an old English newspaper page, octavo (8vo) would require 8, etc.)

Folio: ("foldeo", for memory only) usually 15 inches or so in height,  requiring maybe  close to 2 to equal the size of an old English newspaper.  Most library atlases are at least folio in size.

Quarto: (4to). (Requires 4). Around 12 inches in height, the size of a standard encyclopedia.

Octavo: (8vo). (Requires 8). Around 9 inches in height, the size of most quality non fiction books, for example Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

Duodecimo: (12mo). (Requires 12). Around 6-8 inches in height, the size of most cheap printings of hardback fiction, for example cheap pulp printings of Zane Grey books.  (Most trade paperbacks are in the range of 16mo or so. )

 

Books for College Libraries, 3rd edition: A list of books which are considered essential for undergraduate college libraries. (Acronym: BCL3.)

 

Books in Print: A main source for ascertaining prices, authors' names, titles, publication dates and publishers of American works that are still in print; issued in print and cd-rom format.  Also available on the Internet. (Acronym: BIP.)

 

Books on Demand: See UMI Books on Demand.

 

Boolean operators: Used in searching a database to indicate relationships among concepts and/or terms. Equivalent or synonymous terms are connected with the OR Boolean operator. Distinct and unique concepts are connected with the AND Boolean operator. The NOT Boolean operator precedes concepts that need to be excluded from the search statement.

 

Bound Periodical: Several issues, often a year's worth, of a journal or magazine that are fastened together (bound) between hard covers so that they resemble a book.

 

British Books in Print: The British equivalent of BIP; proper title: Whitaker's Books in Print. (Acronym: BBIP.)

 

Byte: A letter or word usually composed of eight bits, which forms the smallest unit of information that can be accessed on a computer.  

 

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C

Call number: The notation used to identify and locate a particular work. The notation consists of a classification number and book number and may also include other identifying symbols.

 

Canadian Books in Print: The Canadian equivalent of BIP. (Acronym: CBIP.)

 

Cancellation: 1) Issued by a vendor or publisher if an item on order is not available. 2) Issued by the Library if an order is found to be a duplicate, or has been outstanding for too long.

 

Card catalog: A list of library holdings using cards in a file cabinet, arranged alphabetically by subjects, authors and titles of books, and call numbers. Albertsons Library maintains its holdings in Catalyst instead of a card catalog.

 

Carry forward: The amount of encumbered funds, which have not been disbursed at the end of the fiscal year and are carried forward into the following fiscal year's allocation.

 

Catalog: 1) A list of the holdings of a particular library or group of libraries. 2) Issued by publishers to list items currently available.

 

Cataloging: The process of describing a work bibliographically and assigning a call number. Includes determining the main entry, describing the work, and assigning added entries, subject entries, and a call number.

 

Cataloging in Publication: A program sponsored by the Library of Congress. A partial bibliographic description is provided in each book produced by cooperating publishers. (Acronym: CIP.)

 

Catalyst: The online bibliographic database shared by Albertsons Library and the Idaho State Library (ISL). (Also called Advance.)

 

CBIP: Acronym for Canadian Books in Print.

 

CD-ROM: Acronym for Compact Disc - Read Only Memory. Information technology

which is used to store large databases and provide access to them via computer.

Examples of information stored on CD-ROMs are periodical indexes, abstracts,

statistics, directories, and other complete texts.

 

Chief source of information:  The source of bibliographic data to be given preference as the source from which a bibliographic description (or portion thereof) is prepared.

 

CIP: Acronym for Cataloging in Publication.  

 

Circa (Ca.): Approximately, or about. Often used to estimate the approximate

year a book was printed or published.

 

Citation: A complete reference to a particular quote or to a source that has

been used as an authority; a citation contains the author, title, date of

publication and any other information needed to locate the item.

 

Claim: Any communication directed to an agent or source to hasten delivery of

overdue material.

 

Classification number: The number assigned to a work to show its subject and to

indicate its location in the collection.

 

Classification schedule: The printed scheme of a classification system.

 

Collation: The element in a bibliographic description that gives the number of pages, volumes, or illustrations, the item's size, and accompanying materials.

 

Collection: The entire holdings of a library or the works by one author or items on a particular subject.

 

Collection development: The process of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a library's information resources with respect to patron needs and community resources, and of attempting to correct the weaknesses. It requires a continual examination and evaluation of the library's resources. Further, it requires a constant study of patron needs and changes in the community the library serves.

 

Collective title: A title proper assigned to a work that includes several works.

 

Colophon: An inscription or identifying device sometimes found at the end of a book; it often includes such publication information as typeface or printer.

 

Compiler: A person who produces a collection by bringing together works by various persons or corporate bodies, or works by one person or corporate body.

 

Composer: The author of music.

 

Conspectus: Literally, a general or comprehensive survey. Specifically, it is a database management system, developed by WLN to create, maintain, and report on collection assessment data.

 

Continuing resource:  A bibliographic resource that is issued over time with no predetermined conclusion.  Continuing resources include serials and ongoing integrating resources.

 

Copy cataloging: A method of cataloging library materials in which a source record is copied or edited instead of creating a new record.

 

Copy number: A number assigned to each item to identify a specific copy if multiple copies are held; if no copy number is present it is copy one.

 

Copy set: A subscription record maintained on Advance; used by the Serials department to check-in items received.

 

Copy-to-history file: A microfiche file which archives WLN acquisitions activity.

 

Copyright: The exclusive right granted by a government to publish a work for a specified number of years. The copyright protects the author and publisher by preventing others from copying the work or a significant part of it without permission.

 

Copyright date: The date a copyright is issued; usually found on the verso of the title page.

 

Corporate author: A corporate body, such as a committee or business, which is responsible for a work. See also personal author.

 

Corporate body: An organization or group of persons that is identified by a name and that acts as the entity responsible for a work. Corporate bodies include associations, conferences, institutions, business firms, and governments.

 

Cover title: The title printed on the cover of a book or pamphlet.

 

CRC: Acronym for Curriculum Resource Center.

 

Curriculum Resource Center: A department of the library which specializes in the latest teaching tools for primary and secondary education. It also houses the library's non-book collection. (Acronym: CRC.)

 

Cutter number: A letter/number combination, which appears as the second element in a call number, and arranges items within a subject classification by author and/or title.

 

D

Database: A file of information maintained and available for recall on a computer.

 

Delimiter: A special character used to designate the beginning of a field, record, or string.

 

Descriptive cataloging: The cataloging process concerned with describing a work, identifying the main entry, and selecting added entries.

 

Desiderata: A list of items, which are out-of-print or hard to obtain. Requestors have indicated that the title should be added to the collection and searched on the out-of-print market.

 

Diacritic: Used in many foreign languages to indicate differences in pronunciation and meaning between the marked letter and its unmarked counterpart; usually take the form of marks placed over, under, or through letters or combinations of letters.

 

Disbursing: A bookkeeping procedure that pays for an item from encumbered funds.

 

Dissertation: A publication reporting original research that is a requirement for a Ph.D. degree.

 

Document: Any item that is purchased for the Library's document collection and that is printed by the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). (Abbreviated: doc)

 

Download: To transfer data from a remote computer to a local machine.  In Online searching refers to the transfer of search results from the remote Host to the local PC.

 

Dup: Abbreviation of duplicate; used to show a new order is the same as an item presently in the collection or that it has already been ordered.

 

Dust jacket (dj): See book jacket.

 

Dust cover: See book jacket.

 

Dust wrapper: See book jacket.

 

E

Edition: All the impressions (copies) of a book printed at any time from one setting of type. For non-book materials all of the impressions made from a master copy by one company or agency.

 

Editor: A person who prepares for publication or supervises the publication of a work or collection of works that are not his or her own. Responsibility may extend to revising and providing commentaries, introductory matter, etc.

 

E-mail: Abbreviation for electronic mail.

 

Encumbering: A bookkeeping procedure that commits a given amount of money to the payment of an order. Each time an order is placed an amount of money (encumbrance) equal to the total price of all items in that order is deducted from the allocation.

 

End paper (E.P.): The first and last two, usually blank, pages you see when a book is open. One half of the end paper(s) is pasted to the inside of the cover and is sometime called the paste down end paper. The other half (page) is called the free end paper.

 

Entry: A record of an item in a catalog. In addition to the main entry, there are title entries, series entries, and other types of added entries and subject entries.  

 

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F

FBIP: Acronym for French Books in Print.

 

FCB: Acronym for Forthcoming Books.

 

Federal Depository Library Program: Established in 1895, and supported by the U.S. Congress, it distributes U.S. documents to designated libraries. Some, but not all of the documents, are technical reports.

 

Fiction: A literary work which is based on imagination and not necessarily fact.

 

Field: That part of a record used for a specific category of information in a machine-readable record. See also fixed field and variable field.

 

Financial system: see People Soft.

 

Fiscal year: A 12-month period for which an organization plans the use of its funds. The State of Idaho's fiscal year is July 1 through June 30.

 

Fixed field: A field limited to a predetermined size, content, and position in a machine-readable record. See also field and variable field.

 

Forthcoming Books: Provides author, price, publication date and publishers for very new American books, and for books that will be published in the near future. Information is often given for books that BIP does not list or which are listed as not yet published. (Acronym: FCB.)

 

French Books in Print: the French equivalent of BIP; proper name: Livres disponibles. (Acronym: FBIP.)

 

FTP: Acronym for File Transfer Protocol; allows a user to log on to a remote computer host and download those files to the local machine.  Anonymous FTP is the procedure of connecting to a remote computer, as an anonymous or guest user, in order to transfer public files back to a local computer.

 

G

GBIP: Acronym for German Books in Print.

 

German Books in Print: the German equivalent of BIP; proper title: Verzeichnis Lieferbarer Bucher. (Acronym: GBIP.)

 

Gift plate: Placed in the front of a book, noting who donated the book or the funds used to purchase the book.

 

Gift slip: The form which is inserted into individual gifts and used by librarians to indicate the disposition of the gift, the results of searching the item in Catalyst, the donor, and the date of receipt of the gift.

 

GPO: Acronym for United States Government Printing Office.

 

GTR: Acronym for Guide to Reprints.

 

Guide to Reprints: A cumulative guide to books, journals, and other materials that are available in reprint form. (Acronym: GTR.)

 

H

Half-title page: A brief or shortened title on the leaf preceding the title page.

 

Hardware: The physical units of a computer system.

 

Holdings statement: The individual titles a library owns. It follows a bibliographic record and states that a particular library owns this book. In an automated system it gives the call number used by a particular library.

 

Homepage: A web page that is the designated start position for any given organization or individual.  The homepage default can be changed in web browser client software. The homepage is referred to by its URL, e.g. http://library.boisestate.edu. See web page.

 

HTML: Acronym for Hypertext Markup Language. A document formatting language used by the World Wide Web, which incorporates "tags" (formatting codes) to mark up text. The tags control layout and visual elements such as fonts, headers, titles, paragraph spacing, lists, and other stylistic variables of appearance and also connote embedded hyperlinks to other documents or web servers. HTML documents are ASCII files and have .html or .htm as a filename extension.

 

HTTP: Acronym for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The client/server TCP/IP protocol used on the World Wide Web for the exchange of HTML documents. HTTP is used in a URL when indicating a Web site.

 

Hypertext: A method for embedding special links (hyperlinks) in documents. The links provide connections with related data (text, images, or sounds) and resources, either local or remote.  

 

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I

IBIP: Acronym for International Books in Print.

 

Idaho Bibliography: See Albertsons Library Checklist of Idaho Publications.

 

Iexplore:    Microsoft internet explorer, a  graphical web browser software client and user interface for browsing Web sites and retrieving information.

 

ILL: Acronym for Interlibrary loan.

 

Illustrative matter: Pictorial matter appearing in a work. Includes pictures, portraits, charts, graphs, maps, and facsimiles.

 

Impression: All the copies of an edition produced at one time.

 

Imprint: 1) Publisher's name, place of publication, and date of publication for a book. 2) A mark or pattern produced on a surface. In print: An item currently available from the producer; the term is used primarily in connection with the book trade.

 

Index: 1) A list of names and subjects in a book, each followed by the page number(s) where it appears; a guide to the contents. 2) A tool that arranges (by author, title, or subject) citations to articles in a selected group of periodicals; may be print or electronic format.  

 

Integrating resource:  A bibliographic resource that is added to or changed by means of updates that do not remain discrete and are integrated into the whole. Integrating resources can be finite or continuing. Examples of integrating resources include loose-leafs and updating Web sites.

 

Interlibrary loan: A service to obtain from other libraries, books and journals which Albertsons Library does not own and patrons have requested. (Acronym: ILL.)

 

International Books in Print: Lists publications from around the world. Also contains an index of publishers by ISBN and also by name. (Acronym: IBIP.)

 

Internet: An amalgamation of inter-related computer networks permitting electronic communications on a global scale.  See also, World Wide Web.

 

Invoice: Billing from a publisher or an agent for library materials received.

 

ISBD: Acronym for International Standard Bibliographic Description. A standardized format for descriptive bibliographic information compatible for computer input.

 

ISBN: Acronym for International Standard Book Number. A unique ten-digit number assigned to each book published in the United States as well as in other countries.

 

ISSN: Acronym for International Standard Serial Number. A unique eight-digit number assigned to each serial title published.

 

Item: A single piece, such as one book, one video, one microfiche, etc.

 

J

Journal: An ongoing publication that contains scholarly articles written by professors, researchers, or experts in a particular subject, field or discipline.

 

K

Keyword: A method of searching an OPAC or CD-ROM index for all occurrences of a word or phrase within the database.  

 

Key-Title: The unique name assigned to a bibliographic resource by centres of the ISSN Network.

 

Kit: A collection of information in different media, usually on a specific topic and usually designed to be used as a unit. The media may be interdependent or used independently.

 

L

Laid in: A loose item, sheet, pages, etc., inserted in a book.

 

LaserCat: A comprehensive database which includes all entries in the OCLC/WLN online database which have holdings records and all USMARC records for all types of material with publication dates from the last two to three years distributed by the Library of Congress and other national libraries. LaserCat is distributed on cd-rom and is updated quarterly.

 

LCC: Acronym for Library of Congress classification.

 

LCCN: Acronym for Library of Congress Card Number; the number assigned to a bibliographic record for any item catalogued by the Library of Congress. It generally begins with a two-digit number representing the year in which the book was published (i.e., 95-1995 for an item published in 1995). Also referred to as the RID number.

 

LCN: Acronym for local control number. The LCN is assigned by Advance to bibliographic records as a way of maintaining internal control.

 

LCSH: Acronym for Library of Congress Subject Headings; controlled vocabulary words which are used to describe the contents of works and are assigned consistently to pull like works together to facilitate retrieval.

 

Leaf: A single sheet of paper in a bound book; i.e., two pages.

 

Lib: Abbreviation for Library.

 

Library binding: A special strong binding designed for heavy library use.

 

Library of Congress: The main library in the U.S. It is run by the U.S. Congress and supplies many services to the nation's libraries. (Abbreviated LC.)

 

Libros en venta: Proper title of Spanish Books in Print.

 

Listservs: Discussions of technical and non-technical issues conducted by electronic mail. Participants subscribe via a central service; lists often have a moderator who manages the information flow and content.

 

Livres disponibles: Proper title of French Books in Print.

 

Location: Where an item is housed in the library.  

 

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M

Machine-readable data file: Information encoded and stored in a format that requires a machine to retrieve the information. Includes such media as magnetic tapes, magnetic discs, punched cards, etc.

 

Magazine: An ongoing publication that contains articles written by journalists or freelance writers; they tend to be of general interest and will cover a variety of topics.

 

Main entry: A full catalog entry giving all the information necessary for identifying a work. The main entry includes the tracings for all other entries or access points under which a work is entered in the catalog. The main entry is usually an author entry.

 

Mainframe: A large computer with a large internal memory unit.

 

MARC: Acronym for Machine-readable cataloging.

 

McCain Reading Room: Houses the call numbers: E51-E99; F590-F999; and PS561-PS572. Named after Warren McCain.

 

Memory: The component of a computer where data and programs are stored. The primary memory is in the computer, while other memory units can be stored in peripheral units.

 

Microfiche: A photographic copy of printed matter, manuscripts, etc., on cards (usually 4" x 6" or 3" x 5").

 

Microfilm: A photographic copy of printed matter, manuscripts, etc., on a strip of film which is rolled on a reel.

 

Modem: A device that allows a connection between two computers via a telephone line.

 

Monograph: A book, usually a systematic and complete study of a particular subject. Often used in libraries as a synonym for the words "book" or "title."

 

Monographic series: A series of monographs with a collective title, usually published by a university press or a society. (See Series 1)

 

Monographic set: A monograph issued in a number of parts. They may be issued at the same time or over many years. There is a defined end, e.g., someone's works.

 

N

National Union Catalog: Provides information on books cataloged by the Library of Congress and other major U.S. libraries. Pre-1957 entries are reprinted by Mansell's and located on the 2nd floor. (Abbreviated NUC.)

 

Netiquette: Network etiquette or socially acceptable actions and communications on a network.

 

Netscape: A graphical web browser software client and user interface for browsing Web sites and retrieving information.

 

Non-appropriated funds: Usually one-time money which may be derived from monetary donations or grants. Referred to as local funds.

 

Non-book: A term used to describe items which are not books; i.e., records, tapes, compact discs, videocassettes, microfilm, microfiche, etc. (Abbreviated non-bk.)

 

Non-cat: Not catalogued; a term used for items which will not be catalogued for the collection when they are received. (Documents, crc replacements, pamphlets, maps, etc.)

 

Non-distinctive title: A title that cannot identify a book by itself, but needs an author identification also; i.e., poems, short stories, transactions, proceedings, sonatas, etc.

 

Non-fiction: Any work based upon fact rather than imagination.

 

NUC: Acronym for National Union Catalog.

 

NYP: Acronym for not yet published. Designates that an item has not yet been published and there is no definite date set for future publishing. Vendors may cancel NYP items or reorder them. The Acquisitions Department maintains a file of requests that are NYP and orders them, as they become available.  

 

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O

OCLC: Online Computer Library Center, located in Dublin, Ohio. A nonprofit, membership, library computer service and research organization.

 

OCLC/WLN: Pacific Northwest Service Center.  OCLC/WLN, located in Lacey, Washington, provides support and training for libraries in the Pacific Northwest that use the OCLC/WLN database and services.

 

Online system: A system in which input data enter the computer directly from the point of origin or in which output data are transmitted directly to where they are used. Usually involves the use of data transmission facilities to remote terminals.

 

OP: Acronym for out-of-print. Designates that a book is no longer available from the publisher. Vendors will cancel items with this designation or search the op market for them. The Acquisitions Department maintains a Desiderata file to search for some titles which have been declared op.

 

OPAC: Acronym for Online Public Access Catalog. An OPAC is a computer database of records that contains bibliographic information about items in a library and gives the status and location of each item. Catalyst is an example of an OPAC.

 

Open entry: A catalog entry for a serial, series, or set not yet completed. The numeric/chronological designation and extent of item are left incomplete on the catalog card or bibliographic record to indicate the work is not yet complete.

 

OS: Acronym for out-of-stock. This designates that a publisher no longer has an item in stock; vendors may cancel orders with this designation, or may back order the item.

 

OSI: Acronym for out-of-stock indefinitely; considered to be equivalent to OP.

 

Oversize: Any monograph housed in the Main Collection which exceeds 12" x 12" in any classification. Exceptions are N (art), TR (photography), and a single letter M (music) which can measure up to 15" x 15." (Oversize items are shelved in specific locations on each floor.)

 

P

Packing slip: Usually enclosed with the items being shipped or attached to the outside of the package. May be a copy of the invoice or other notification, that indicates the date and number of items shipped and the invoice number, but does not include the prices.

 

Pagination: 1) A system of numbers or letters used to indicate the order of the pages in a book. 2) The part of the physical description area indicating the number of pages in a book.

 

Pamphlet: In present usage a pamphlet is an independent publication of 49 pages or fewer, bound in paper covers.

 

Pamphlet File: A collection of clippings from newspapers and various pamphlets covering a wide variety of topics; the pamphlet file is located in the reference department.

 

Parallel title: The title proper in another language or printed in another script.

 

Partial title: A secondary part of the title as given on the title page. It may be a catch-word title, subtitle, or alternative title.

 

People Soft : The online records management system at Boise State University. It is used by the Acquisitions Department to process vouchers.

 

Periodical: A publication issued in succeeding parts, each with the same title but with a different number. Most periodicals are issued at regular intervals and in paper covers. They are usually secured on a subscription basis.

 

Periodicals holdings list: A list of current periodical holdings.

 

Personal author: A person responsible for a work; this can be an author, artist, cartographer or performer. See also corporate author.

 

Physical description area: The area in a bibliographic description used to give the physical description of a work. (For example, for a book, this area would give the number of pages, illustrative matter, and size.)

 

Plate: A full page picture, or pictures, usually on slick paper.

 

PO#: Acronym for Purchase Order number.

 

Prepaid: Materials which are paid at the time of the order, instead of when they are received.

 

PROFORMA: A vendor report code for an item which the vendor had to prepay before they could order it. Also, an invoice type for an order prepaid by the Library.

 

Public services: Library work that deals with patrons and their use of the library collection.

 

Publisher: A person or firm that issues and distributes a work.

 

Purchase order number: Assigned by library ordering staff to each item ordered. Begins with the fiscal year the item was ordered in and then the next consecutive number after the last PO# used. (Example: 96-555, 96-556, 96-557, etc.) A PO# ending with R signifies a rush order; a PO# ending with D signifies a Desiderata order; and a PO# ending with NC signifies a non-cat order.

(Acronym: PO#)  

 

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R

Record: Unique unit of information contained in a database representing one article, book, report, etc.

 

Recto: The right-hand page in an open book. Usually odd-numbered.

 

Ref: Abbreviation for Reference Department.

 

Reference Department: Supplies information to patrons, answers questions, and houses items such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, yearbooks, bibliographies, and indexes (print and cd-rom). (Abbreviated: ref)

 

Reorder review: The process of researching the availability of items which have been lost or are missing from the library collection. The information is given to the subject librarians to determine if the item should be replaced.

 

Replacement copy: A copy that replaces a stolen or discarded book.

 

Replacement review: The process of reviewing damaged items and researching availability of those items to determine if they should be mended, sent to the bindery, withdrawn and/or replaced.

 

Report numbers: Assigned by the agency that publishes a technical report; the number often contains an acronym for the agency.

 

Reprint: A new issue (printing) of material that has been published before. The new printing contains no textual changes except for the correction of printer's errors from the first printing. The period of time that passes between the first printing and the reprinting may be a day, several weeks, or hundreds of years.

 

Requestor: The person who has requested that a publication be ordered for the library collection.

 

Requisition: An automated payment record that is created by the Acquisitions Department using the financial system. A check is generated from the requisition by the Accounts Payable office for payment of monograph, serial and interlibrary loan invoices. (Also known as a quick-req.)

 

Reserve materials: Books and articles placed on reserve by a professor for an entire class to read. These materials are located at the Circulation/Reserve Desk.

 

RID: Acronym for Record Identifier Number. This is a unique number used to identify bibliographic records in OCLC. It corresponds to the LCCN in records cataloged by the Library of Congress.

 

RLIN: Acronym for Research Libraries Information Network; a bibliographic utility.

 

RPRO: An order status which means "Rush Upon Receipt." This status is used for items which are needed sooner than a normal order, but not as quickly as a RUSH. The rush occurs from the point where receiving staff receive the item in hand and disburse the funds for the item.

 

RUSH: A status given to the orders of items which are needed ASAP. The items are ordered from vendors on a rush basis and are processed immediately upon receipt in the library acquisitions department. They can be identified by PO#s ending with an R.

 

S

SBIP: Acronym for Spanish Books in Print.

 

Scanner: An electronic device for reading barcodes.

 

Serial: A publication issued in successive parts at regular or irregular intervals, usually bearing numbering, that has no predetermined conclusion. Examples include periodicals, journals, newspapers, proceedings, annual reports, continuing directories, electronic journals, and numbered monographic series.

 

Series: 1 )A group of separate items related to one another by the fact that each item bears, in addition to its own title proper, a collective title applying to the group as a whole. The individual items may or may not be numbered. 2) Each of two or more volumes of essays, lectures, articles, or other writings, similar in character and issued in sequence, e.g., Lowell's Among my books, second series. 3) A separately numbered sequence of volumes within a series or serial, e.g., Notes and queries, 1st series, 2nd series, etc.

 

Series title: The collective title given to volumes or parts issued in a series.

 

Set: A work of two or more volumes.

 

Shelflist: A record of materials in a library usually arranged in order by call number; Albertsons Library no longer uses a physical shelflist, records are maintained on ADVANCE.

 

SmBIP: Acronym for Small Press Record of Books in Print; a listing of books available from small publishers.

 

SO: Acronym for standing order.

 

Software: The programs and other documentation that are used to tell the computer what to do and how to do it.

 

Source: The authority for the information of a book request; i.e., brochure, BIP, publishers catalog, etc.

 

Spanish Books in Print: the Spanish equivalent of BIP; proper title: Libros en venta. (Acronym: SBIP)

 

Special Collections: The department of the library which houses items by Idaho authors or about Idaho, or items which need special housing considerations because of their size, condition, or value. Special Collections housing decisions are made by the Special Collections librarian. (Abbreviated: Spec. Coll.)

 

Spine: The part of the book binding that joins the front and back covers together. Usually has the author and title of the book printed on it.

 

Spine title: The title that appears on the spine; also called a back title.

 

Stacks: The area in the library where library materials are shelved. Albertsons Library has open stacks, meaning that patrons can access them. Closed stacks require library staff to retrieve items requested by patrons.

 

Standard number: The International Standard Number (ISN),(e.g., International Standard Book Number (ISBN), International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)), or any other internationally agreed upon standard number that identifies an item uniquely.

 

Standing order: A variation of the blanket order system. The supplier sends a very limited number of items to the library for purchase. Standing orders are usually used for a series of related items that are produced over a long period of time. (Acronyms: SO, STO)

 

Statement: A reminder of all outstanding invoices with a supplier.

 

Status: A field in Catalyst that identifies the availability of an item.

 

STO: Acronym for standing order.

 

Subject heading: A uniform word or group of words used to describe the subject of library materials.

 

Subject librarian: The librarian who is assigned the responsibility of approving items to be ordered from a specific subject account and gifts to be received in specific subjects. The librarian also acts as a liaison with faculty from that subject area on campus.

 

SuDoc numbers: Government document call numbers assigned by the Superintendent of Documents in the U.S. Government Printing Office. The first one or two letters of the call number indicate the agency which produced the document.  

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T

TCP/IP: Acronym for Transmission control protocol/internet protocol, the sets of standards on which the Internet is based. They allow data to pass between the variety of networks, hardware, and software which make up the Internet.

 

Technical services: Work performed in or for a library to ensure that its materials are available for patron use. Albertsons Library's Technical Services is comprised of the Acquisitions, Cataloging, and Serials departments.

 

Telnet: A TCP/IP protocol application that makes Internet possible and useful. Telnet enables the local software (client) to communicate with the remote software (server) on the computer whose services you want to access.

 

Terminal: A device for communicating with the computer; data can be input or withdrawn.

 

Thesis: A publication reporting original research, which is a requirement for some Masters degrees.

 

'Til forbidden: A term used by jobbers to indicate that a subscription for a serial is to be placed for a library and that renewals are to be made automatically until the library cancels the subscription.

 

Time lag: The amount of time it takes to process items in the department.

 

Time lag slip: A slip of paper, which travels with each item during processing and tracks the processing time.

 

Title: The chief part of a title.

 

Title page: A page at the beginning of a book with the title, author's name, and publishing information.

 

Top edge gilt: (T.E.G., Gilt Edges, or G.E.) Actually top edge or all edges gold colored. In the better books a very thin coating of gold is used.

 

Tracings: The record, usually on the main entry card and shelflist, of all additional entries for a work in a catalog.

 

Tracking fund: Used to track the amount of money spent for items in a subject area from an account other than their own. For example, gift funds are often used to purchase items from a variety of subject areas. Tracking funds allow us to see how much money was used to purchase items that fall in a specific subject area.

 

Trade book: A book that is considered to be of wide reader appeal.

 

Trade information: Bibliographic information.

 

Truncation: The shortening of a word or phrase in an online search in order to retrieve variant forms of that word; it is helpful when you are not sure of spelling. The keystroke or truncation symbol is often referred to as a wild card.

 

U

UMI Books on Demand: A CD-Rom or microfiche catalogue of out-of-print books which have been duplicated by and are available from University Microfilm International. (Acronyms: BOD, UMI)

 

Uniform title: 1) The title chosen for cataloging purposes when a work has appeared under varying titles. The uniform title appears in the 240 tag of the marc record. Examples: "Love's labor's lost" by William Shakespeare, has a uniform title of "Love's labour's lost" (note the difference is in the spelling of labor). The sound recording "The three-cornered hat" by Manual de Falla, has a

uniform title of "Sombrero de tres picos" as it was originally written in Spanish. 2) A conventional collective title used to collocate publications of an author, composer, or corporate body containing several works or extracts, etc., from several works, e.g., complete works, several works in a particular literary or musical form.

 

United States Government Printing Office: The entity which publishes the myriad of material produced by different agencies and organizations of the federal government. It is funded by Congress and prints/sells U.S. government publications until they are out of print. GPO provides free access to government publications through the Federal Depository Library Program. (Acronym: GPO.)

 

URL: Acronym for Uniform Resource Locator. A standardized technical description of a resource's Internet location. The URL specifies what type of resource (a document at an FTP site, a gopher, a Web site, etc.) is being described and its location on a machine connected to the Internet using a standardized format. Most Web browsers allow the user to enter a URL and gain access to the specified site.

 

User-friendly: A computer system which is easy to use, clear to understand, and helpful to users.  

 

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V

Variable field: A field not limited to a predetermined size, content, or position in a machine-readable record. See also field and fixed field.

 

Vendor: An organization whose business is to buy direct from the publishers. They are often able to offer libraries price discounts, free shipping, and approval plans.

 

Verso: The left-hand page in an open book. Usually even-numbered.

 

Verzeichnis Lieferbarer Bucher: Proper title of German Books in Print.

 

Volume: In the bibliographical sense, a book distinguished from other books by having its own title page and usually independent pagination, foliation, or register.

 

Voucher: A form that verifies a business transaction as correct, authorizes its entry into the books, and approves payment of charges.

 

W

World Wide Web: A global hypermedia-based system which allows access to the universe of Internet resources; i.e., users can access text, audio, graphics and moving image files from the Internet. (Acronyms: Web, WWW, W3)

 

Web page: Any page that is on the World Wide Web.  Web pages are written in HTML. 

 

Weeding: Review of library materials by a subject librarian to determine if they are outdated or damaged and should be withdrawn from the collection.

 

Whitaker's Books in Print: Proper title of British Books in Print.

 

Withdrawal processing: The process of removing an item from the collection because it has been selected for weeding, is damaged, or is missing/lost.

 

Withdrawn: The status given to items which have been removed from Library holdings due to weeding, damage, or loss. 

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General Library Information and Assistance: 208-426-1204
Albertsons Library, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, Idaho 83725-1430 USA