Library Vocabulary

         

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

Abstract: a brief summary of an article, book, or other published work.

Bibliography: a list of resources on a specific topic. Annotated bibliographies include brief descriptions of the resources.

Call Number: indicates where a book, journal or library material is located in the library. FAU Libraries use the Library of Congress classification system, which uses letters and numbers to designate subjects covered (example: PE1075 .L47 2007).

Citation: provides specific information that identifies an article, book, or information source. Citations usually include author's name, title, journal name (for articles), publisher (for books), publication date and other appropriate information.

Course Reserve: collection of books and other materials that have high use or have been put aside by professors for their classes. Reserve items can be found at the Circulation Desk or by going to the FAU Libraries home page and selecting "Course Reserves" under "Quick Links."

Database: a collection of articles, ebooks and other types of information that is normally searchable by subject or keyword.

EZproxy: provides remote access from to library databases for affiliated users (FAU students, faculty and staff). It is also known as "Off Campus Connect."

Find It - FAU: a link in indexes/databases for finding articles in the full-text in some format, including paper or electronic.

Full Text: refers to the entire article or book and not just the abstract or citation. Index: a listing of articles, books, etc., usually searchable by subject or keyword. Interlibrary Loan: a way to obtain materials not owned by the FAU Libraries, such as copies of journal articles, books, etc. It is also used to request materials located at other FAU campus libraries.

InterLibrary Loan: a way to obtain materials, such as copies of articles, books, etc., located at other FAU campuses.

Journal: a periodical that contains articles that are usually written by experts such as scholars and researchers (example: JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association).

Keyword: a word used to describe a topic when searching either the Library Catalog or in a database.

LibGuide: helpful aid that students can use to research certain topics (e.g. "Bioethics"). These guides usually contain listings of recommended resources for finding information, such as databases (for finding articles), books, web pages or other useful resources.

Library Catalog: an online list of books, journals and other materials owned by the FAU Libraries.

Magazine: a periodical that contains articles of general interest written by writers or journalists who may not be experts in a field (example: Newsweek).

Off Campus Connect: provides remote access from off the FAU campus to library databases for affiliated users (FAU students, faculty and staff). It is also known as EZproxy.

Periodical: a publication that is published on a regular basis (daily, weekly, etc.). Magazines, journals, and newspapers are types of periodicals.

URL: acronym for address that identifies the location of a web page. Complete title is Uniform Resource Locator.