LIBRARY/INFORMATION LITERACY TERMS 

 

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | O | P | R | S | T | U | W 

LIBRARY  |  INFORMATION LITERACY MATERIALS

A:

ABSTRACT:
Summary of an information resource.

ADOBE READER:
Software that allows users to view, print, and search PDF (Portable Document Format) full-text files.

ANNOTATION:
Brief description and evaluation of an information resource.

ANTHOLOGY:
Collection of literary pieces or passages (e.g. short stories, poems, essays).

ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS:
The library's collection of rare and historical information. This includes books, letters, and photographs about McNeese State University, Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana.

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B:

BIBLIOGRAPHIC INSTRUCTION:
Formal group instruction conducted by library staff on the use of information resources.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
List of information resources related to a specific topic.  Bibliographies are generally provided at the end of journal articles, book chapters, and research papers.

BIOGRAPHY:
A person's life story.  If that person writes it, this is called an autobiography.

BLOG:
A web page with rotating content.  Many blogs have multiple authors, and some group blogs have several thousand contributors. 

BOOLEAN LOGIC:
Keyword search system that uses sets to include or exclude search terms. Use "AND" to combine multiple search terms (narrow your search). Use "OR" to find either search term (broaden your search). 

BOUND PERIODICAL:
Several issues of magazines or journals arranged together under one hard cover. These are shelved alphabetically by title and located in the library's Serials Department (2nd floor old building/North side).

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C:

CALL NUMBER:
The exact address of an item on the library’s shelves. Most McNeese Library materials are shelved according to Library of Congress classification.  See details below:

CATALOG:
An online system that indexes books and other materials held by a library.

CIRCULATION:
The loaning-out of library materials. Also the name of the department in charge of checking-out and shelving library materials. Located on the first floor.

CITATION:
Information, such as author, title, journal name, volume, and page number(s), needed to locate a specific resource.

CURRENT PERIODICAL:
Issues of a magazine or journal published during the last few months. These magazines and journals are shelved alphabetically by title and located in the library's Serials Department (2nd floor addition/South side).

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D:

DATABASE:
A large collection of information designed for rapid search and retrieval.

DISSERTATION:
Lengthy composition on a particular subject written by a candidate for a doctoral degree.

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E:

e-BOOK:
An electronic version of a traditional print book that can be read by using a personal computer and/or an e-Book reader.  McNeese Library offers e-books through its subscription to netLibrary.

EBSCOhost:
An index and periodicals database containing citations to articles on various academic and general-interest topics.  Abstracts (summaries) and/or full text are available with some citations.

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F:

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY:
A group of people who support the work of the library with financial contributions. A yearly membership fee permits those who are not faculty, staff or students to check out materials and use library services.

FULL TEXT:
Indicates that a particular database provides the entire textual content of an article or document. Some databases provide only citations and/or abstracts, while others provide full-text.

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G:

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS:
Publications of federal, state, and local governments, courts, and legislative bodies.  The Government Documents department is located on the fourth floor of the McNeese Library. 

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H:

HOME PAGE:
The page your web browser automatically loads when you access the World Wide Web.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language):
Standard computer language for creating web pages.

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I:

INDEX:
A tool for locating information resources by author, title, subject, or other category.

INSTANT MESSAGING (IM):
Type of communications service that enables you to create a kind of private chat room with another individual in order to communicate in real time over the Internet. Similar to a telephone conversation, IM uses text-based, not voice-based, communication.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN (ILL):
Service offered by libraries which includes reciprocal borrowing and lending of resources (books and articles) not available locally.

INTERNET:
A vast network of interconnected computer systems which permit users to communicate and share information. The graphical portion with hypertext links is called the World Wide Web.

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J:

JOURNAL:
A subject-specific, scholarly periodical.

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K:

KEYWORDS:
Any words, phrases, or synonyms which describe a research topic.  Keyword searching can be utilized when searching many library resources, including the catalog and periodical indexes.  Boolean connectors "AND" and "OR" permit users to narrow or expand searches.

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L:

LOUISIANA LIBRARY NETWORK (LOUIS):
LOUIS is a network of Louisiana academic libraries which provides online information resources (periodical indexes, databases, and library catalogs) for university-affiliated patrons.

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M:

MAGAZINE:
A general-readership, popular periodical.

MONOGRAPH:
Detailed written study on a single, specialized topic.

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O:

ONLINE CATALOG or OPAC=(Online Public Access Catalog):
A library catalog that is available for searching from a computer instead of a card file.  Catalogs indicate what the library owns, where the item is located, and if the resource is checked-out.

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P:

PERIODICAL:
Any publication printed on a regular, predictable schedule. A periodical may be published weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually.

PERIODICAL INDEX:
A listing of what articles have been published in magazines, journals, and newspapers.  Many online periodical indexes provide abstracts and full-text.

POPULAR SOURCES:
Books and magazine articles written for the general public.

PRIMARY SOURCE:
Published results of experiments or original research.  Examples include autobiographies, letters, diaries, photographs, and newspaper articles.

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R:

REFERENCE DEPARTMENT:
Provides information and assistance to patrons in the use of the library or its resources.

REFERENCE MATERIALS:
Used to answer questions or find specific information.  Examples include almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, and indexes.

RSS:
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It consists of headlines from recently published articles, summaries and links to the full stories.  You can organize RSS content from multiple websites, making it easier to stay updated on news from all your favorite sites from just one location using an aggregator.

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S:

SCHOLARLY SOURCES:
Research articles and books written by and for scholars in a particular field of study.

SEARCH ENGINE:
A specific type of search tool that retrieves information from the World Wide Web.

SECONDARY SOURCES:
Sources compiling (synthesizing) or critiquing original works.  Examples include literary criticisms, biographies, encyclopedia articles, textbooks, and magazine articles.

SERIAL:
Any publication printed on an on-going basis. Newspapers, magazines, journals, yearbooks, and almanacs are examples of serials.

SERIALS DEPARTMENT:
Assist library patrons with the location and use of journals, magazines and newspapers. Located on second floor.

SUBJECT HEADINGS:
A specific word or phrase from a catalog or database which describes the content of an information resource. 

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T:

TILDE:
A ~ (tilde) in a web address usually indicates that this is someone's personal web page.

TRADE PERIODICAL:
Publication written specifically for those employed or studying in a particular field.  Examples include Library Journal and Psychology Today.

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U:

UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR (URL):
The address (alpha-numeric) of a specific site on the World Wide Web.  For example, McNeese State University's URL is www.mcneese.edu

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W:

WEB BROWSER:
A program on an individual computer which allows the user to view web pages.  Firefox and Internet Explorer are popular examples.

WEB PAGE: 
An HTML document on the World Wide Web. A web site is a collection of web pages maintained by an individual, company or institution.

WIKI:
Software that allows users to easily create, edit, and link pages together. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites. These wiki websites are often also referred to as wikis; for example, Wikipedia is one of the best known wikis.

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 LIBRARY  | INFORMATION LITERACY MATERIALS

This page last updated on March 19, 2008.