Glossary of Library Terms

Adweek and RedBooks: Online databases used to search for company information such as number of employees, sales figures, advertising expenditures, and budgets.
Annuals: Books and videos published once a year containing work that has been chosen as the best in the field.
Book Drop: A location where books may be returned when the library is closed.
Bound Periodicals: Non-current magazine issues joined/bound together (6 months or one year) in a hardback book form, located behind the current periodical racks. Also called Back Issues.
Call Number: A unique combination of letters, numbers, and dates found on the spine of a book which determines its location in the library.
Circulating Books: Books that can be borrowed.
Company Information: A collection of annual reports and other non-circulating pieces of information on various corporations that are kept in file cabinets and arranged alphabetically.
Course Reserve Materials: Books and other course-specific materials provided by instructors which students can access in the library only.
Design and Applied Arts Index: Online index used to search for art and illustration magazine articles on the library shelves.
Desk Reference: Reference books which are kept behind the Circulation Desk.
Dictionary: An alphabetical list of words and their definitions (what they mean).
Digital Image Database: A collection of images online that can be copied and used for projects.
Digital Stock: Stock photography images on CD-ROM that you can copy to use in projects.
Directory: A book which lists names and addresses of companies, organizations, or people.
Encyclopedia: A multi-volume summary of the world and everything contained in it, organized alphabetically by subject. Oxford Reference Online on the library website has many encyclopedias.
Hoover’s: Online database with information on companies such as sales figures, products, competitors, and CEOs.
Index (in a book): Alphabetical list of subjects with page numbers indicating where to find that subject, usually found in the back of a book
Late fine: A fee charged for every day that material is overdue.
Librarian: A professional with a Masters Degree in Library Science who helps library users find information.
Library Online Catalog: Computerized listings of all material found in a library (such as books, magazines, CD-ROMS, and videos) and includes information on each title such as author, subject, call number, and location on library shelves.
Library of Congress Classification: The system of organizing books by subject that is used by academic libraries in the U.S.
Loan Period: The amount of time books may be borrowed.
Magazine Tower: The display structure where the current year’s magazines are shelved.
Overdue: When a book is not returned or renewed before the loan period expires.
PDF File: File format that keeps electronic documents in their original format.
Periodicals: Magazines, newspapers, journals, or anything published on a regular basis.
Picture File: A collection of circulating single images kept in file cabinets and arranged by subject.
Proquest: Online database used to find and view magazine articles on general topics.
Reference Books: Books that do not circulate; they can be used in the library only.
Reference Desk: A place to go for help finding information in the library.
Renew: to extend the loan period for library materials.
Slide/Video Department: the section of the library where slides, videos, and MFAs are kept.
Table of Contents: List of chapters found in the beginning of a book.
Thesaurus: Book of synonyms (words that have the same meaning).
Vandalism: Intentional damage done to library materials.
Wilson Web Art Full Text: Online database used to find and view magazine articles on art related topics.

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