Glossary of Terms

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Abstract:

A summary of an item, usually an article on a database. An abstract is often only a paragraph in length, and is useful for deciding whether an item is relevant to your research topic and if the full-text of the article needs to be located.



Acronym:

An abbreviation formed from the first letters of a series of words. Eg. UWS stands for University of Western Sydney.


Almanac:

An annually published calendar of facts, data, statistics and other reference information on a certain subject area or thing. For example, an almanac can contain useful information about countries such as language, currency, population, history and politics.


Alternative term:

Other possible term.


Annotation:

A brief overview of an information resource. Citation information is listed, followed by an evaluation of the item by the researcher. Annotations should include a description, critical analysis, and a summary (abstract) of the item. Annotations (or an annotated bibliography) are sometimes required as part of a research assignment. While abstracts are written by the author or publisher, annotations are usually written by the student or researcher themselves.


Annual Report:

A yearly document published by companies and organisations in which they report on their performance over the past financial year and make projections about their business for the year ahead.



Archive:

An archive stores documents and files, both hardcopy and electronic, to be retrieved later. Items are archived if they have some long-term value such as historical or legal importance.



Article:

Writing on a specific topic or subject found in a journal, magazine or newspaper



Audio-visual (AV) materials:

Items published in non-print format. The Library has AV items such as music compact discs, video cassettes, audio tapes and DVD's in its collections.


Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS):

National government organization that collects, analyses and makes available in reports, tables and other formats statistical data on all facets of Australian life and society, including census material.



Bibliography:

A listing of items consulted while preparing a piece of writing or presentation on a subject. Usually these items are books, articles, and other sources such as interviews and films. A bibliography usually appears at the end of a work or chapter of a book.

Bibliographies on specific subjects may also be published as self-contained books.



Boolean logic:

A type of searching that uses the operators AND, & OR to combine search terms.
AND means that both words you specify must be included in the search results.
Eg. 'tertiary AND education'.
OR means that either one word, the other word, or both words can be included in search results. It is often used between synonyms (as in this example).
Eg. 'tertiary OR university'.


Borrow:

The process of loaning materials to use outside the Library building. A student or staff ID card is required. Items are borrowed on the self-checkers or at the service desk of the Library and a due date slip is issued.



Bound:

When the Library has a complete set of a journal for one year (all the issues) they are bound in one volume (in the one cover). When searching for journals on the shelf bound journals look like a book.


Call number:

The call number identifies the location of an item on the library shelves. It is usually located on the spine of the item. Different parts of the call number mean different things. Be sure to correctly note the complete call number, including any spaces, when searching for items on the shelf.



Catalogue:

The catalogue is a database of library holdings both print and electronic. Each catalogue entry contains bibliographic information (author, title, publisher etc) for the item listed as well as location and hypertext link if item is electronic.



CD-ROM - Compact-Disc Read-Only Memory:

A medium for storing information. CD-ROMs are often interactive.



Circulating Materials:

Any library materials that can be borrowed from the Library. Some materials do not circulate; i.e., journals and reference items.



Citation:

A listing of all information necessary to identify an information resource.
Citation information for a book includes title, author, publisher, date of publication, place of publication.

Citation information for a journal article includes title of article, title of journal it is published in, author, date, volume and issue number of journal, page numbers of article.

When using citations in essays, you may be required by your School to follow a particular style



Conference Report:

Published proceedings of a conference, usually copies of papers that were presented and transcripts of group and panel discussions.



Course Reserve:

Each campus Library has a reserve collection which is a mix of print and electronic resources. It consists of materials that lecturers set aside for the students undertaking a particular unit to read. Reserve materials can be books, articles, DVDs or videotapes. These items may be borrowed for 2 hour loan or overnight loan one hour before closing. There are also e-reserve items which are accessible online via the catalogue.
See Also

Current Periodical:

The most recent issues of a journal or magazine, often published during the last year.



Curriculum Collection:

Special collections at Bankstown and Ward libraries. They contain materials that support teaching programs. They contain material such as picture books, kits, teenage novels and games.



Database:

A compilation of journal articles and/or citations to journal articles. Sometimes include citations to book chapters and dissertations. The information is mostly stored in electronic format.



Dewey Decimal System:

A system of classification used to organise material in libraries.



Dictionary:

A source which defines the terms of a language, profession, discipline, or specialized area of knowledge. The terms are arranged in alphabetical order. Usually, a language dictionary will give the spelling, pronunciation, and meaning of each word while a discipline dictionary, generally, gives only the meanings.



Directory:

An organised list of persons, business, organizations, or associations that provides addresses, affiliations, telephone numbers, web addresses and similar information.



Dissertation:

A publication of original research completed for a higher university degree. Sometimes called a thesis. The UWS Library is a contributor to the Digital Theses database, where recent theses are available electronically.


Document Delivery:

A service that obtains books and journal articles not held in UWS Library print or electronic collections. The service is available to academic and general staff members employed by UWS and UWS research students.


Domain:

A group of networked computers that share a common communications address.



E-Book:

A book available in electronic format -often a digital version of a print book



E-Reference:

Reference material available in electronic format. See also Reference Collection.



E-Journal:

A journal available in electronic format - often a digital version of a print journal



Edition:

One of a number of printings of the same work e.g. Book, newspaper etc. The work usually is issued at different times and has alterations and/or additions. (Macquarie concise dictionary, 1982)


Editor:

A person who selects and prepares the works of other writers for publication, by selection, arrangement, and annotation.



Electronic Reserve:

E-reserve items are available electronically from the course reserve section of the Library Catalogue. They have a library location on the catalogue of 'electronic reserve' and a call number of e-item. They are either journal articles in a database or PDF documents. To access E-reserve you need to log in using your library barcode and family name.



Encyclopedia:

An alphabetical listing of subjects with entries giving an overview of each subject and background information. Recommendations of further reading for more specialized information are also given.



FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions:

The FAQ's page on the Library's website gives information about questions often asked about various Library services and access to them. If you are having difficulty with things like off campus access or E-reserve you can check the FAQ's to see if your problem is listed. FAQ's are under the Online Assistance menu on the homepage.


Field:

Citations in the Catalogue or databases are divided into a number of fields for example an author field, a title field, a publisher field and a date field. What fields are called and what is in them can vary from database to database.



Field Limiting:

In a search of the Library Catalogue or databases you can limit which fields where your search terms will be located. For example, history and psychology in title field for items that have the words history and psychology in their title. Freud in author field for all items written by Freud.



Handbook:

A book which contains instructions or advice about how to do something or the most important and useful information about a subject.



Hold:

See Intercampus Loan



Holdings:

The library's collections are its holdings. The Library Catalogue tells you the holdings information for each item. This information includes which campus Library has a copy, the loan status of each item and return date of items out on loan.



Homepage:

The main internet page of an organization from where you access further information or resources via menus and links. http

Index:

A list of terms, subjects, or people extracted from journal articles, books, etc and giving information to locate those terms in the indexed volumes.



Information Literacy:

To be information literate, an individual must recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use the information needed effectively. Ultimately the information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how information is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. (American Library Association, 1989)



Intercampus Loan:

UWS students and staff may place a request on an item via the Library Catalogue if it is available at another campus or on loan. If the item is on the shelf at another campus it will take 2 working days to be sent to the library of your choice to collect. If the item is on loan and you have placed a request on it, you will be in a queue to have the item when it is returned.



Interlibrary Loan:

See Document Delivery



Internet:

The vast network of computers that are linked together via telecommunications, allowing worldwide access to the information, databases, electronic mail and other electronic and digitized services that are available on each of the networks. Much of the library's information is accessed via the Internet, but is stored on databases that the library has paid a subscription to, and therefore can only be accessed by UWS students and staff.


Issue Number:

The number used to identify a particular copy of a journal. For example, volume 27, issue 1 is the spring issue of the Computer Music Journal.





Journals:

Contains scholarly research articles, papers or reports. See periodicals.



Keywords:

A significant word in a title or document.



Late Fees:

The Library has late fees for overdue items. If an item has been borrowed and is not returned by the due late, late fees will accrue. If fees get over $10 you are blocked from borrowing or placing requests. Check the Library homepage for details. (Link to http

Login:

UWS students and staff are required to use a user name and password to access some Library services, for example to use the Library from off-campus, place requests and to access items on E-reserve. You will need your Library barcode and your family name.

Some databases also require you to log in before you can use them. Please contact the Library if this occurs.



Logout:

When you log in to a Library service or database, you should always log out to protect your privacy or allow other people to use the resource.



Magazine:

Contains popular articles. See periodical.



Microforms:

Items that have had each page reduced and photographed to minimise storage space required. They are on film or fiche and require a microform reader to view or print them.



Moys Classification:

The law libraries at Campbelltown and Parramatta use the Moys classification system to organise their print law material.



Off Campus Access:

UWS students and staff can use the Library's electronic resources, including the Catalogue, E-reserve and most databases from outside the university . When accessing electronic resources, you will be asked to enter your Library barcode and your family name to log in to off campus access.



Paraphrasing:

A restatement of a text or passage in another form or other words, often to clarify meaning.



Password:

UWS student/staff password for off campus access is their Library barcode.



Peer-reviewed Journal:

In scholarly journals, articles must be submitted for evaluation by the editor and a subject specialist or an editorial panel before they are selected for publication. This helps ensure that the article will be of a particular academic standard. Refereed is another term that is frequently used to mean peer reviewed.



Periodical:

A publication issued in successive individual parts at regular or irregular intervals with no foreseeable end, for example, journal, magazines or newspapers. Also known as serials. See also journals.



PIN - Personal Identification Number:

UWS students and staff need to allocate a PIN for all printing and photocopying in the Library.



Plagiarism:

Using the ideas or work of others without acknowledging the source.



Primary sources:

Primary information sources are original materials, documented and reported on around the time of an event and used as a basis for further study and analysis. A primary information source is often the record of an individual observing or participating in the event. For example

Record:

The description of each item in the Library Catalogue or a database. A record is composed of a number of fields including author, title of article, publication source and subject headings.



Refereed Journal:

See Peer reviewed.



Reference:

A reference is a description of a work by another author that has been quoted or paraphrased by the citing author; a reference usually appears at the end of a work and is linked to a citation in text.



Reference Collection:

Items that give an overview of different topics or particular areas are in the reference collection of each library. These items include subject-specific dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, bibliographies, atlases and indexes. Reference items are especially useful for definitions, keywords and concise information. Reference items cannot be borrowed from the Library. See also E-Reference.



Renew:

UWS students and staff can re-borrow items via the Library webpage. See the Library webpage for more details.



Request:

See Intercampus Loan.



Scholarly:

Scholarly journals contain articles that are in-depth and well researched. The articles have often gone through a peer-review process.



Scope:

Refers to what topics, resources, or time periods an information resource includes or excludes from its coverage. For example, Encyclopedia Britannica covers a broad range of topics, while Gale Business Resources focuses on information about companies.



Search:

It is possible to construct a search using different combinations of keywords or subject headings. Searches are done on the Library Catalogue, databases or internet search engines. The terms that are selected and the way they are connected (Boolean logic) comprise a search.



Search Central:

A federated search engine which allows you in a single search, to search across the UWS Library catalogue and databases to which the library subscribes.





Search Engine:

A tool (software interface) for searching for information on the Internet or databases using keywords eg Google. Each search engine is different. Each one has different requirements for constructing a keyword or Boolean search.



Search Strategy:

A plan for conducting a search on an information resource. In order to maximize search results a plan should be developed before searching that includes main concepts, keywords and synonyms, different Boolean combinations of these and date ranges. It is advisable to replicate a search on more than one information resource to get adequate coverage of the area.



Secondary sources:

Secondary sources analyse and interpret primary sources (original materials, documented and reported on around the time of an event). They provide commentary and discussion of the primary source. For example

Service Desk:

The main desk of the Library where assistance can be requested. If you are having trouble finding items in the catalogue, using a database, borrowing an item or any other type of query ask at the service desk. Requested items are also held at the service desk for collection.



Sorting Shelves:

The place where items go when they are returned but not yet re-shelved into the main collection. If an item has a catalogue entry that says 'check shelves' but is not in the collection always check the sorting shelves as well.



Style Manuals:

Publications listing and describing strict guidelines for writing research articles, essays, and bibliographies. Many professional fields have their own style manuals. Style manuals are important because they ensure consistency among publications. The Library provides access to short style guides on its homepage. (Link http

Subject Heading:

Precisely defined terms and phrases assigned to materials in a catalogue or database. When the relevant subject heading is searched, all the materials relevant to that subject will be located. There may also be subdivisions of the subject heading and cross references to other related subject headings.



Synonyms:

Words which have the same or similar meaning to another word



Thesaurus (Database):

A feature on a database that lists terms to use in a search that are more appropriate than the keywords first used. The thesaurus also suggests related terms and subject headings that are the official indexing language that the database uses. Eg. Search term of body language and the thesaurus may suggest non-verbal communication.



Truncation:

Many search engines and databases that use keyword searching allow the user to search for any words that start with the same sequence of letters or same root word by placing a symbol at the end. Eg. market* retrieves all the words marketing, marketable, marketed, markets. Using truncation means you save search time and ensures you get full coverage of a subject. Symbols used for truncation are usually a *, ? or !.

Truncation (wildcards) can also be used in the middle of a word to replace one letter, if you are unsure of spelling. Eg. organi?ation will retrieve both organization and organisation.




URL:

The unique internet address of world wide web pages. Eg. http://library.uws.edu.au is the URL for library homepage.



Username:

UWS student/staff username for off campus access is their family name.



Volume Number:

The number used to identify all copies of a journal issued over a period, usually one year. Eg. volume 27 of the Computer Music Journal is for all issues published in 2003.



Web Page:

An individual page on the Internet. Each page has its own URL and can be on its own or part of a web site.



Web Site:

A collection of web pages that make up an internet site. There is a homepage, or main entry page, with hyperlinks to other web pages that are part of the site. Many web pages can make up a web site.



World Wide Web:

See Internet