Authorship

ODLIS: Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science was created by Joan M. Reitz, Associate Librarian for Instruction at the Ruth A. Haas Library, Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) in Danbury, CT. Ms. Reitz holds an M.L.I.S. degree (1991) from the University of Washington in Seattle and an M.A. degree (1998) in European History from Western Connecticut State University. Her primary research interests are the history of the book and publishing, and the history of political and social revolutions.

History of the Dictionary

ODLIS began at the Haas Library in 1994 as the four-page printed handout Library Lingo, intended for undergraduates not fluent in English and for English-speaking students unfamiliar with basic library terminology. In 1996, it was expanded and converted to HTML format for installation on the WCSU Libraries Homepage under the title Hypertext Library Lingo: A Glossary of Library Terminology. In 1997, many more hypertext links were added and the format improved in response to suggestions from users. During the summer of 1999, several hundred terms and definitions were added, and a generic version created that omitted all references to the specific conditions and practices at the Haas Library. In the fall of 1999, the glossary was expanded to 1,800 terms, renamed to reflect its extended scope, and copyrighted.

In February, 2000, ODLIS was indexed in Yahoo! under "Reference - Dictionaries - Subject." It is also indexed in the WorldCat database available via OCLC FirstSearch. During the year 2000, the dictionary was expanded to 2,600 terms and by 2002 an additional 800 terms had been added. The current version contains approximately 4,200 terms and cross-references, and is a substantial revision of the 2002 edition. Users will note that the current version includes links to considerably more illustrations, particularly in the definitions of terms related to book history and cartographic materials.

Purpose of the Dictionary

ODLIS is designed to be a hypertext reference resource for library and information science professionals, university students and faculty, and users of all types of libraries. The primary criterion for including a term is whether a librarian or other information professional might reasonably be expected to encounter it at some point in his (or her) professional career, or be required to know its meaning in the course of executing his or her duties and responsibilities as a librarian. A newly coined term is added when, in the author's judgment, it seems likely to become a permanent addition to the lexicon of library and information science. Since the author's professional training occurred in the United States, the dictionary reflects North American practice. However, because the dictionary was first developed as an online resource available worldwide, with an e-mail contact address for feedback, users from many countries have contributed to its growth, often suggesting additional terms and commenting on existing definitions. Expansion of the dictionary is an ongoing process.

Broad in scope, ODLIS includes not only the terminology of the various specializations within library science and information studies but also the vocabulary of publishing, printing, binding, the book trade, graphic arts, book history, literature, bibliography, telecommunications, and computer science when, in the author's judgment, a definition might prove helpful to librarians and information specialists in their work. Entries are descriptive, with examples provided in boldface when appropriate. The definitions of terms used in Anglo-American Cataloging Rules follow AACR2 closely and are therefore intended to be prescriptive. The dictionary includes some slang terms and idioms, and a few obsolete terms, often as See references to the term in current use. When the meaning of a term varies according to the field in which it is used, priority is given to the definition that applies within the field with which it is most closely associated. Definitions unrelated to library and information science are generally omitted. As a rule, definition is given under an acronym only when the full term is rarely used. Alphabetization is letter-by-letter. The authority for spelling and hyphenation is Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language (College Edition). URLs are current as of date of publication.

Future Plans for the Dictionary

ODLIS is available in print under the title Dictionary for Library and Information Science (Libraries Unlimited, 2004, ISBN 1563089629 [Hardcover] and 1591580757 [Paperback]). The publisher will be making enhancements to ODLIS and will provide a searchable version which will be freely available. A database version for local installations will also be developed; contact the publisher with licensing inquiries. Suggestions for expansion and improvement are always welcome. A substantial number of the terms in ODLIS have been suggested by its users. The dictionary is very much a work in progress--electronic text has the advantage of allowing incremental revision. The terminology of some fields within library science has yet to be fully developed in the dictionary, for example, business librarianship, media librarianship, music librarianship, and preservation. These areas will be tackled as time allows.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the Bodleian Library, The British Library, The Getty Museum, the Glasgow University Library, the Cary Graphic Arts Collection (Rochester Institute of Technology), The Schöyen Collection, the State Library of South Australia, the Richter Library at the University of Miami, the Dartmouth College Library, and many other institutions for granting permission to link to images available at their Web sites, as illustration.

The author would also like to thank Edward Kurdyla for providing the means of publishing the dictionary in print, and Dr. Martin Dillon of Libraries Unlimited and Emma Bailey of the Greenwood Publishing Group for their assistance in preparing the print version for publication. Priscilla Kaplan deserves special appreciation for her careful reading of the manuscript and for contributing several dozen terms and definitions related to library systems, networking, and cataloging. The author is also indebted to Dr. John V. Richardson, Jr., and Brad Eden for their critical reading of the manuscript. The author would also like to thank Dr. James Roach, former president of Western Connecticut State University, for granting a six-month sabbatical in 2003-2004 to allow the author to complete the final preparation of the manuscript for the print edition and to begin work on the second edition.

Users of ODLIS around the world (France, India, Latvia, Russia, etc.) are also to be credited for sending their comments, suggestions, and corrections over the years. Brian Hickam, Head of Reference at the Bromfield Library, Ohio State University at Mansfield, deserves special thanks for suggesting a significant number of terms. His ongoing interest and support of the project are very much appreciated. The author would also like to thank her colleagues at the WCSU Libraries for providing insights into their areas of specialization, especially Russ Gladstone in Access Services; Deborah Barrett, Teresa Saunders, and XiaoHua Yang in Acquisitions; Meg Moughan in Archives; Alesia Szabo in Cataloging; Jenny Innes in Public Services; Lorraine Furtick and Barbara Heuer in Serials; Brian Kennison and Veronica Kenausis in Systems; Joanne Elpern in Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery; and Mary Kay Loomis and Jane Fowler at the Robert S. Young Business Library. The author is especially indebted to Brian Kennison for his advice and assistance in overcoming problems related to file size and other technical issues. The University Computing service at Western Connecticut State University also deserves credit for hosting ODLIS on its public Web server from the dictionary's inception to 2004.

In expanding ODLIS from a brief printed handout to its present form, the author has relied on her own understanding of library terminology and on extensive research including, but not limited to, the following print and online resources:

ABC for Book Collectors

By John Carter. New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 1995.

ABC of Bookbinding

By Jane Greenfield. New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press; New York: Lyons Press, 1998.

Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology

Harcourt, Inc. (http://www.harcourt.com/dictionary).

Advances in Librarianship

New York: Academic Press, 1970- .

The ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science

Edited by Heartsill Young. Chicago: American Library Association, 1983.

American Libraries

Chicago: American Library Association, 1970- .

Anglo-American Cataloging Rules

Second edition. 2002 Revision. Chicago: American Library Association, 2002.

Annual Review of Information Science and Technology

American Society for Information Science. 1966- .

The Art of the Book: From Medieval Manuscript to Graphic Novel

Edited by James Bettley. London: V&A Publications, 2001.

The Bloomsbury Review Booklover's Guide

By Patricia Jean Wagner. Denver, Co.: Bloomsbury Review, 1996.

Bodian's Publishing Desk Reference

By Nat G. Bodian. New York: Oryx Press, 1988.

The Book. A History of the Bible

By Christopher de Hamel. London; New York: Phaidon, 2001.

Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology

By Matt T. Roberts and Don Etherington (http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/don/don.html).

Bookbinding as a Handcraft

By Manly Banister. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., 1975.

The Bookman's Glossary

Sixth edition. Edited by Jean Peters. New York: R. R. Bowker, 1983.

Book Publishing: A Basic Introduction

New expanded edition. John P. Dessauer. New York: Continuum, 1989.

The Bowker Annual Library and Book Trade Almanac

Edited by Dave Bogart. New York: R. R. Bowker, 1962- .

The British Library Guide to Bookbinding: History and Techniques

By P.J.M. Marks. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998.

The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination: History and Techniques

By Christopher de Hamel. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001.

The British Library Guide to Printing: History and Techniques

By Michael Twyman. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999.

The British Library Guide to Writing and Scripts: History and Techniques

By Michelle P. Brown. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998.

The Care of Fine Books

By Jane Greenfield. New York: Nick Lyons Books, 1988.

Cartographic Materials: A Manual of Interpretation for AACR2, 2002 Revision

Second edition. By Elizabeth Unger Mangan. Chicago: American Library Association, 2003.

Cleaning and Preserving Bindings and Related Materials

By Carolyn Horton. Chicago: American Library Association, 1967.

The Collection Building Reader

Edited by Betty-Carol Sellen and Arthur Curley. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1992.

The Complete Film Dictionary

Second edition. By Ira Konigsberg. New York: Penguin, 1997.

Concise Dictionary of Library and Information Science

By Stella Keenan. London: Bowker-Saur, 1996.

Descriptive Cataloging for the AACR2R and the Integrated MARC Format: A How-to-Do-It Workbook

Revised edition. By Larry Millsap and Terry Ellen Ferl. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1997.

Developing and Maintaining Practical Archives: A How-to-Do-It Manual

By Gregory S. Hunter. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1997.

A Dictionary of Book History

By John Feather. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.

Dictionary of Information Science and Technology

By Carolyn Watters. New York: Academic Press, 1992.

Dictionary of Library and Information Management

By Janet Stevenson. Teddington, Middlesex: Peter Collin Pub., 1997.

A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms

By Edward Quinn. New York: Facts on File, 1999.

Dictionary of Publishing and Printing

Second edition. By Peter Hodgson Collin. Teddington, Middlesex: Peter Collin Pub., 1997.

Dewey Decimal Classification and Relative Index

22nd edition. Albany, NY: OCLC Forest Press, 2003.

Encyclopedia of Communication and Information

Edited by Jorge Reina Schement. New York: Macmillan Library Reference, 2002.

Encyclopedia of Librarianship

Edited by Thomas Landau. London: Bowes & Bowes, 1958.

Encyclopedia of the Book

Second edition. By Geoffrey Ashall Glaister. New Castle, DE & London: Oak Knoll Press and The British Library, 1996.

Free Expression and Censorship in America: An Encyclopedia

By Herbet N. Foerstel. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997.

Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records: Final Report

By the IFLA Study Group on the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records. The Hague, Netherlands: IFLA/K. G. Saur Verlag, 1998.

Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction

Fourth edition. By Diana Tixier Herald. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1995.

A Glossary of Literary Terms

Third edition. By M. H. Abrams. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1971.

Graphics, Design and Printing Terms: An International Dictionary

By Ken Garland. New York: Design Press, 1989.

The Great Libraries: From Antiquity to the Renaissance (3000 B.C. to A.D. 1600)

By Konstantinos Sp. Staikos. New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll/London: British Library, 2000.

Harrod's Librarians' Glossary and Reference Book

Seventh edition. Compiled by Ray Prytherch. Brookfield, VT: Gower Publishing Company, 1990.

A History of Illuminated Manuscripts

By Christopher de Hamel. London; New York: Phaidon Press, 1997.

History of Libraries in the Western World

Fourth edition. By Michael H. Harris. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1995.

History of the Internet: A Chronology, 1843 to the Present

By Christos J. P. Moschovitis. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1999.

Indexing from A to Z

Second edition. By Hans H. Wellisch. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1995.

Ink on Paper: A Handbook of the Graphic Arts

By Edmund C. Arnold. New York: Harper & Row, 1963.

International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science

Edited by John Feather and Paul Sturges. New York: Routledge, 1997.

The Internet Glossary and Quick Reference Guide

By Alan Freedman and Alfred and Emily Glossbrenner. New York: AMACOM, 1998.

Introduction to Cataloging and Classification

By Bohdan S. Wynar. Eighth edition by Arlene G. Taylor. Littleton, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1992.

Introduction to Reference Work

Eighth edition. By William A. Katz. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2002.

The Librarian's Thesaurus

By Mary Ellen Soper, Larry N. Osborne, and Douglas L. Zweizig. Chicago: American Library Association, 1990.

Library Journal

New York: Cahners Business Information, 1976- .

Library Literature & Information Science

Edited by Cathy Rentschler. New York: H. W. Wilson Co., 1961- .

Library Safety and Security: A Comprehensive Manual for Library Administrators and Police and Security Officers

Goshen, KY: Campus Crime Prevention Programs, 1992.

Library Security and Safety Handbook: Prevention, Policies, and Procedures

By Bruce A. Shuman. Chicago: American Library Association, 1999.

Map Librarianship

Third edition. By Mary Lynette Larsgaard. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1998.

Medieval Calligraphy: Its History and Technique

By Marc Drogin. Montclair, N.J. : Allanheld & Schram, 1980.

Medieval Illuminators and Their Methods of Work

By Jonathan G. Alexander. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.

The Moving Image Genre-Form Guide

Compiled by Brian Taves, Judi Hoffman, and Karen Lund. Washington, DC: Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division, Library of Congress, 1998 (http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mopic/migintro.html).

NTC's Mass Media Dictionary

By R. Terry Ellmore. Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Co., 1991.

Online

Weston, CT: Online, Inc., 1977- .

The Organization of Information

By Arlene G. Taylor. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1999.

The Oxford English Dictionary

Second edition. Edited by J. A. Simpson and E. S. C. Weiner. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989.

The Oxford Thesaurus

American edition. Edited by Laurence Urdang. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.

Preservation and Management of Library Collections

Second edition. By John Feather. London: Library Association, 1996.

Scribes and Illuminators

By Christopher de Hamel. London: British Museum, 1992.

Serials Acquisitions Glossary

Prepared by the Serials Section, Acquisitions Committee, Association for Library Collections & Technical Services. Chicago: American Library Association, 1993.

A Short History of the Printed Word

By Warren Chappell. New York: Knopf, 1970.

TechEncyclopedia

CMPnet and The Computer Language Company, Inc. (http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia).

Textual Scholarship: An Introduction

By David C. Greetham. New York: Garland, 1992.

Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms

By Michelle P. Brown. Malibu, CA; London: J. Paul Getty Museum/The British Library, 1994.

Understanding MARC Bibliographic Machine-Readable Cataloging

Fifth edition. By Betty Furrie. Washington DC: Cataloging Distribution Service, Library of Congress in collaboration with Follett Software Company, 2000 (http://lcweb.loc.gov/marc/umb).

Weeding Library Collections: Library Weeding Methods

Fourth edition. By Stanley J. Slote. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1997.

The Whole Library Handbook 3

Compiled by George M. Eberhart. Chicago: American Library Association, 2000.

Other Online LIS Dictionaries and Glossaries

A

A&I

See: abstracting and indexing.

AACR

See: Anglo-American Cataloging Rules.

AACR2

See: Anglo-American Cataloging Rules.

AACR2 2002

See: Anglo-American Cataloging Rules.

AACR2-e

See: Anglo-American Cataloging Rules.

AACR2R

See: Anglo-American Cataloging Rules.

AAHSL

See: Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries.

AALL

See: American Association of Law Libraries.

AAMES

See: Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Section.

AAP

See: Association of American Publishers.

AAS

See: American Antiquarian Society.

AASL

See: American Association of School Librarians.

AAT

See: Art & Architecture Thesaurus.

AAUP

See: American Association of University Professors and Association of American University Presses.

ABA

See: American Booksellers Association.

ABAA

See: Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America.

AB Bookman's Weekly

A trade publication used mainly by antiquarian booksellers to locate rare, out of print, and difficult to find titles, AB Bookman's Weekly began as a section of Publisher's Weekly under the title Antiquarian Bookman. In 1948 it became an independent weekly of the same title published by R.R. Bowker. Publication under the current title began in 1967.

abbreviation

A shortened form of a word or phrase used for brevity in place of the whole, consisting of the first letter, or the first few letters, followed by a period (full stop), for example, assoc. for association or P.O. for post office. Some terms have more than one abbreviation (v. or vol. for volume). Also used as an umbrella term for any shortened form of a word or phrase not an acronym, initialism, or contraction, for example, the postal code CT for Connecticut. The rules governing the use of abbreviations in library catalog entries are given in Appendix B of AACR2. Click here to connect to the Yahoo! list of online acronym and abbreviation finders. Abbreviated abbr.

In medieval manuscripts, abbreviations were often used to save time and space, and readers of the time would have been familiar with them. Michelle Brown notes in Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts (Getty Museum/British Library, 1994) that Irish scribes relied on them extensively in copying pocket-size Gospel books used for study.

ABC book

See: abecedary and alphabet book.

Abebooks

A leading online market place for used, rare, and out of print books, Abebooks provides a list of over 40 million titles available from a network of over 10,000 booksellers. Abebooks provides additional services to librarians, such as consolidated billing and purchase orders. Click here to connect to the Abebooks.com homepage. See also: Alibris.

abecedarium

See: abecedary.

abecedarius

See: acrostic.

abecedary

A book containing the letters of the alphabet and basic rules of spelling and grammar, used in Europe as a primer before the invention of the printing press. Early printed examples (sometimes in the form of a broadsheet) displayed the alphabet in uppercase and lowercase letters in both roman and gothic type, with separate lists of vowels, dipthongs, and consonants. By 1700, some ABC books included children's rhymes. Synonymous with abecedarium (plural: abecedarii). See also: horn book.

aberrant copy

A copy of a book containing obvious printing and/or binding errors that are more serious than minor defects.

ABF

See: Association des Bibliothécaires Français.

aboutness

The totality of subjects explicitly or implicitly addressed in the text of a document, including but not limited to the meaning(s) of the title, the stated and unstated intentions of the author, and the ways in which the information may be used by readers. Levels of specificity must be considered in ascertaining the subject(s) of a work. In the case of the hypothetical title The Japanese Teamwork Approach to Improving High School Effectiveness, is the work about:

1. education?
2. educational effectiveness?
3. high school effectiveness?
4. teamwork?
5. a Japanese approach to teamwork?

As a general rule, catalogers and indexers assign the most specific subject headings that describe the significant content of the item. In a post-coordinate indexing system such as the one used in ERIC, the descriptors "Educational effectiveness," "High schools," "Japan," and "Teamwork" would probably be assigned to the example given above, but in a pre-coordinate system, such as the Library of Congress Subject Headings list, the appropriate headings might be "High schools--Japan," "Teacher effectiveness--Japan," and "Teaching teams--Japan." See also: summarization.

above the fold

The half of a broadsheet newspaper that appears above the horizontal fold. Articles printed near the top have greater prominence because most languages are read from top to bottom of page.

abridged

See: abridgment.

Abridged Decimal Classification (ADC)

A logical truncation of the notational and structural hierarchy of the full edition of Dewey Decimal Classification, developed for general collections of 20,000 titles or less. Click here for more information.

abridgment

A shortened version or edition of a written work that preserves the overall meaning and manner of presentation of the original but omits the less important passages of text and usually any illustrations, notes, and appendices. Often prepared by a person other than the original author or editor, an abridged edition is generally intended for readers unlikely to purchase the unabridged version because of its length, complexity, or price (example: The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary). Also spelled abridgement. Abbreviated abr. Synonymous with condensation. Compare with simplified edition. See also: abstract, brief, digest, epitome, summary, and synopsis.

absenteeism

The failure of an employee to report for work, usually due to illness, accident, family responsibilities, or personal business. A persistently high rate of absenteeism may be a sign of low morale among the staff of a library or library system. See also: burnout.

absolute humidity

See: humidity.

absorbed title

See: absorption.

absorbency

The capacity of paper to absorb and retain moisture, which varies with type of paper and is of particular importance in printing processes that use liquid ink. See also: water-damaged.

absorption

The incorporation of one serial by another. The note Absorbed: followed by the title of the assimilated serial is added to the bibliographic record representing the assimilating publication, and the corresponding note Absorbed by: followed by the title of the assimilating serial is added to the record for the assimilated publication. The absorbed title usually assumes the title and numbering of the assimilating publication. Compare with merger.

abstract

A brief, objective summary of the essential content of a book, article, speech, report, dissertation, or other work that presents the main points in the same order as the original but has no independent literary value. An abstract can be indicative, informative, critical, or written from a particular point of view (slanted). In a scholarly journal article, the abstract follows the title and the name(s) of the author(s) and precedes the text. In an entry in a printed indexing and abstracting service or bibliographic database, the abstract accompanies the citation. Compare with summary. See also: abstracting journal and author abstract.

abstracting

The preparation of a brief, objective statement (abstract) of the content of a written work to enable the researcher to quickly determine whether reading the entire text might satisfy the specific information need. Abstracting is usually limited to the literature of a specific discipline or group of related disciplines and is performed by an individual or commercial entity, such as an indexing and abstracting service, that provides abstracts regularly to a list of subscribers.

abstracting journal

A journal that specializes in providing summaries (called abstracts) of articles and other documents published within the scope of a specific academic discipline or field of study (example: Peace Research Abstracts Journal). Synonymous with abstract journal. Compare with abstracting service.

abstracting and indexing (A&I)

A category of database that provides bibliographic citations and/or abstracts for the literature of a discipline or broad subject area, as distinct from a retrieval service that provides information sources in full-text.

abstracting service

A commercial indexing service that provides both a citation and a brief summary or abstract of the content of each document indexed (example: Information Science & Technology Abstracts). Numbered consecutively in order of addition, entries are issued serially in print, usually in monthly or quarterly supplements, or in a regularly updated bibliographic database available by subscription. Abstracting services can be comprehensive or selective within a specific academic discipline or subdiscipline. Compare with abstracting journal.

abstract journal

See: abstracting journal.

ACA

See: Association of Canadian Archivists.

ACACC

See: Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives.

academic freedom

The principle that faculty members employed at institutions of higher education (including librarians with faculty status) should remain free to express their views and teach in the manner of their own choosing, without pressure or interference from administration, government, or any outside organization.

academic library

A library that is an integral part of a college, university, or other institution of postsecondary education, administered to meet the information and research needs of its students, faculty, and staff. In the United States, the professional association for academic libraries and librarians is the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), which publishes Standards for Libraries in Higher Education. For more information on academic libraries in the United States, see E.D. TAB: Academic Libraries: 2000, a report published in November 2003 by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Libweb provides a list of links to academic libraries in the United States by region and state. Compare with research library. See also: college library, departmental library, graduate library, undergraduate library, and university library.

academic press

See: university press.

academic status

Recognition given by an institution of higher education that the librarians in its employ are considered members of the teaching or research staff but are not entitled to ranks, titles, rights, and benefits equivalent to those of faculty. Compare with faculty status.

Academy Award

An award given annually in the United States by the voting membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for excellence in motion picture performance and production. To qualify, a film has to have opened in Los Angeles during the preceding calendar year. Nominees are announced in advance and the ceremony, hosted by a celebrity, is televised nationally. Awards are given in seven major categories: best picture (feature length), best director, best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, best supporting actress, and best foreign-language film. Awards are also given for animated and short films. Also called an "Oscar" for the nickname of the golden trophy statuette received by each winner. See How Stuff Works for more information about the Academy Awards. The Internet Movie Database provides a summary of past award winners. Click here to connect to the official Academy Awards Web site.

acanthus

A stylized representation of the elegantly scalloped leaf-form of Acanthus spinosus, a species of Mediterranean herbaceous plant with thick, fleshy leaves, used in Antiquity to ornament Corinthian capitals and later as a decorative motif in medieval art, especially in the borders and initial letters of illuminated manuscripts where it usually appears painted in unrealistic colors (red, yellow, blue, purple), often in combination with small images of flowers, birds, insects, and animals. Click here to view an acanthus border in a 15th-century Flemish Book of Hours (Getty Museum, MS Ludwig IX 8). Compare with rinceaux.

acceptable use policy (AUP)

Guidelines established by a library or library system concerning the manner in which its computer systems and equipment may be used by patrons and staff; for example, most public and academic libraries prohibit the use of library computers for private commercial or unlawful activities. In most libraries, a printed copy of acceptable use policy is posted near the workstations to which restrictions apply. Some libraries make their policy statement available electronically, and users may be required to assent to it by clicking on a small box or icon before access is granted. Synonymous with Internet use policy.

access

The right of entry to a library or its collections. All public libraries and most academic libraries in the United States are open to the general public, but access to certain areas such as closed stacks, rare books, and special collections may be restricted. In a more general sense, the right or opportunity to use a resource that may not be openly and freely available to everyone. See also: accessibility.

In computing, the privilege of using a computer system or online resource, usually controlled by the issuance of access codes to authorized users. In a more general sense, the ability of a user to reach data stored on a computer or computer system. See also: open access.

access code

An identification code, such as a username, password, or PIN, which a user must enter correctly to gain access to a computer system or network. In most proprietary systems, access codes are tightly controlled to exclude unauthorized users. Synonymous with authorization code.

accessibility

The ease with which a person may enter a library, gain access to its online systems, use its resources, and obtain needed information regardless of format. In a more general sense, the quality of being able to be located and used by a person. In the Web environment, the quality of being usable by everyone regardless of disability. See the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

In information storage and retrieval, the manner in which a computer system retrieves records from a file, which usually depends on the method of their arrangement in or on the storage medium.

accession

To record in an accession list the addition of a bibliographic item to a library collection, whether acquired by purchase or exchange or as a gift. In automated libraries, the addition is usually recorded by enhancing a brief order record that is expanded in cataloging to become the full bibliographic record entered permanently in the catalog. Also refers to the material added. The process of making additions is known as accessions. The opposite of deaccession. Compare with acquisitions. See also: accession number and accession record.

In archives, the formal act of accepting and documenting the receipt of records taken into custody, part of the process of establishing physical and intellectual control over them. In the case of donated items, a deed of gift may be required to transfer legal title.

accession list

See: accession record.

accession number

A unique number assigned to a bibliographic item in the order in which it is added to a library collection, recorded in an accession record maintained by the technical services department. Most libraries assign accession numbers in continuous numerical sequence, but some use a code system to indicate type of material and/or year of accession in addition to order of accession. See also: Library of Congress Control Number and OCLC control number.

accession order

The arrangement of books or other documents on shelves in the chronological and numerical order of their addition to a specific category or class, as opposed to an arrangement based entirely on a classification system.

accession record

A list of the bibliographic items added to a library collection in the order of their addition. Normally such a list includes the accession number, brief bibliographic identification, source, and price paid for each item. Synonymous with accession catalog, accession list, and accession register.

accessions

See: accession.

access point

A unit of information in a bibliographic record under which a person may search for and identify items listed in the library catalog or bibliographic database. Access points have traditionally included the main entry, added entries, subject headings, classification or call number, and codes such as the standard number; but with machine-readable cataloging, almost any portion of the catalog record (name of publisher, type of material, etc.) can serve as an access point. In the MARC record, most access points are found in the following fields (with XX in the range of 00-99):

1XX - Main entries

4XX - Series statements

6XX - Subject headings

7XX - Added entries other than subject or series

8XX - Series added entries

In a more general sense, any unique data element that serves as a point of entry to an organized file of information. In files indexed with controlled vocabulary, an access point may be a preferred or nonpreferred term.

access policy

A formal written statement issued by the person(s) or body responsible for managing archives or special collections, specifying which materials are available for access and by whom, including any conditions or restrictions on use, usually posted or distributed in some manner to users.

access services

The provision of access to a library's resources and collections, which includes the circulation of materials (general circulation, reserves, interlibrary loan, document delivery), reshelving, stack maintenance, and security. Large libraries employ an access services librarian to manage these activities.

access time

The amount of time it takes a computer system to provide stored data to a person who logs on and follows correct procedures for retrieval. Access time may be slower during periods of peak use.

accompanying material

Related material issued with an item, for example, a floppy disk, CD-ROM, slide set, answer book, teacher's manual, atlas, or portfolio of prints or plates, intended by the publisher to be used and stored with it, often in a pocket inside the cover or loose inside the container. In AACR2, the presence of accompanying material is indicated in the physical description area of the bibliographic record. See also: dashed-on entry.

accordion fold

A method of folding a piece of paper (or several pieces pasted together edge to edge) in which each successive fold is parallel with, but in the opposite direction to, the preceding one. Click here to view an untitled early 19th-century accordion-style paper manuscript from Nepal (Library of Congress), and here to see an early 20th-century example made in Thailand (Cornell University Library). Synonymous with fan fold and z-fold. See also: Chinese style and concertina.

accountability

The extent to which persons in government and the workplace are held answerable for their conduct in office and for the quality of their performance of assigned duties, particularly when incompetence, dereliction, or malfeasance is at issue. See also: performance evaluation.

accreditation

The voluntary evaluation process by which an educational or service organization regularly establishes that its programs, or the institution as a whole (or one of its schools or units), meets pre-established standards of quality and integrity. In higher education, accreditation is a collegial process based on self-assessment and peer evaluation for the improvement of academic quality and public accountability. In the United States, institutions of higher learning are evaluated by regional accrediting bodies. Evaluation of academic libraries is included in the institutional process. Graduate programs of library and information science are evaluated by the Committee on Accreditation (COA) of the American Library Association (ALA). Formal evaluation of individual competence is called certification. See also: accredited library school and credential.

accredited library school

In the United States, a school of library and information science offering a professional degree program regularly evaluated by the Committee on Accreditation (COA) of the American Library Association (ALA), and found to meet or exceed pre-established standards of quality, as distinct from an approved library school offering a program recognized or certified by a state board or educational agency as meeting its standards. Some approved library schools are also ALA-accredited.

accumulation

In library collection development, the policy of acquiring as much of the published literature as possible on a subject, or in an academic discipline, usually in support of primary research in the field. The collections of large academic and research libraries typically reflect this priority, in contrast to public libraries, where weeding is done regularly on the basis of usage, and special libraries operating under constraints that require maintenance of the collection in a steady state. In archives, the accumulation of recurring records is often governed by a disposition schedule.

accuracy

The quality of correctness as to fact and precision as to detail in information resources and in the delivery of information services. In libraries, it is essential that the resources used by librarians to provide reference service be free of error. Accuracy is also an important criterion in judging the reliability of information provided on the Internet. The accuracy of a statement can be verified by checking other sources that provide the same information. The opposite of inaccuracy (the quality of being incorrect or mistaken).

acid barrier

A sheet of acid-free or buffered paper, or polyester film, placed loose between an acidic component of a book, such as a bookplate, and the adjacent leaf or board to prevent acid migration.

acid-free

Materials with a pH value of 7.0 (neutral) or higher (alkaline), preferred in printing and binding to prevent deterioration caused by acid over time. Acid-free papers are often buffered to counteract acids that may develop with age as a result of bleaching and sizing or be introduced through acid migration or atmospheric pollution. Synonymous with nonacidic.

acidic

Substances that have a pH value less than 7.0 (neutral). The main source of acid in paper products is lignin contained in wood used for pulp. Because acid causes the paper and board used in printing and binding to deteriorate over time, lignin is removed in all but the lowest-grade papers. A buffer such as calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate may be added in papermaking to neutralize acids that develop or are introduced after the manufacture of paper. The opposite of alkaline. Compare with acid-free.

acid migration

The movement of acid from a material containing acid to one that is less acidic, pH neutral, or alkaline. The process can occur through direct contact or vapor transfer. One of the most common problems in document preservation is the migration of acid from the boards, endpapers, or paper covers of a book to the less acidic paper of the text block (or vice versa). Acid can also migrate from bookplates, inserts, tissues used in interleaving, and labels that are not acid-free. The result may be discoloration and eventual embrittlement. The process can be arrested by removing the contaminating material and subjecting the sheet(s) or volume to deacidification. Synonymous with acid transfer. See also: buffered paper.

acid paper

Paper that has a pH value less than 7.0 (neutral). The primary source of acid in paper is lignin, an organic substance contained in untreated wood pulp, but acid can also develop from the addition of certain types of sizing or from residual chlorine used in bleaching. It can also be introduced by acid migration or atmospheric pollution (sulfur dioxide). Because acidity weakens the cellulose in plant fiber, it can cause paper, board, and cloth to yellow and become brittle over time, making it an important factor in the preservation of printed materials. To ensure durability, publishers are encouraged to use acid-free permanent paper in printing trade books. Buffering helps neutralize acids that develop after manufacture. Acid can be removed from fiber-based materials by an expensive process called deacidification.

acid transfer

See: acid migration.

acknowledgments

The section of the front matter of a book in which the author gives formal recognition to the contributions others have made to the work. The acknowledgments usually follow the preface or foreword and precede the introduction. Some authors include their acknowledgments in the preface. Also spelled acknowledgements. Compare with dedication.

ACL

See: Association of Christian Librarians.

ACMLA

See: Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives.

ACP

See: Association of Canadian Publishers.

acquisition number

A unique number used by the acquisitions department of a library to identify a specific bibliographic item on a purchase order. Some libraries use a standard number such as the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) or ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) as the acquisition number.

acquisitions

The process of selecting, ordering, and receiving materials for library or archival collections by purchase, exchange, or gift, which may include budgeting and negotiating with outside agencies, such as publishers, dealers, and vendors, to obtain resources to meet the needs of the institution's clientele, in the most economical and expeditious manner.

Also refers to the department within a library responsible for selecting, ordering, and receiving new materials and for maintaining accurate records of such transactions, usually managed by an acquisitions librarian. In small libraries, the acquisitions librarian may also be responsible for collection development, but in most public and academic libraries, this responsibility is shared by all the librarians who have an interest in collection building, usually on the basis of their expertise and subject specializations. For a more detailed description of the responsibilities entailed in acquisitions, please see the entry by Liz Chapman in the International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science (Routledge, 2003). Click here to connect to the homepage of AcqWeb, an online resource for acquisitions and collection development librarians. Compare with accession. See also: Association for Library Collections and Technical Services.

ACRL

See: Association of College and Research Libraries.

Acrobat

See: Adobe Acrobat.

acronym

A new name or word (neologism) that is pronounceable and hence memorable, coined from the first or first few letters or parts of a phrase or compound term (example: ERIC for Educational Resources Information Center). Compare with abbreviation and initialism.

Click here to connect to the Yahoo! list of online acronym and abbreviation finders.

acrostic

A verse or list of words composed in such a way that certain letters of each line (usually the first and/or last), when read in order of appearance, spell a word, phrase, or sentence. An abecedarius is an acrostic in which the pattern consists of the letters of the alphabet in traditional order. An acrostic can be single, double, or triple, depending on how many words in each line are composed in this way. As a matter of policy, newspaper and magazine editors routinely check verses for acrostics prior to publication to avoid embarrassment. The following well-known example is an all-around acrostic in Latin:

R O T A S

O P E R A

T E N E T

A R E P O

S A T O R

act

One of the major divisions in the action of a play, usually marked by the dropping of the curtain and followed by an intermission. In modern drama, most plays are divided into three acts, which may be further subdivided into scenes. See also: one-act play.

Also refers to a piece of legislation (a bill) after it has been passed into law (example: Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998). Click here to view an early American printing of the Stamp Act of 1765, courtesty of the Lilly Library at Indiana University.

Acta Diurna

A daily gazette published in ancient Rome from the period of the late Republic onward, devoted primarily to matters of state (official events, public speeches, legal proceedings, public building projects, major military actions) and announcements of births, marriages, and deaths. It also contained news of unusual occurrences (earthquakes, strange accidents, portents) and information about the private lives of prominent persons (scandals, divorces, lawsuits).

The text was posted on public buildings, and copies were made for wealthy Romans living in the city and provinces or away temporarily on public business. The actuarii responsible for gathering the news were sometimes misled by persons intent on manipulating commodity markets and political events for personal gain. Surviving fragments, preserved in the writings of Petronius, read very much like a modern newspaper.

acting edition

An edition of a play intended for the use of actors and others directly involved in theater production, which includes fuller stage directions (entrances, exits, stage properties, etc.) than one intended for reading, usually published in limp paper covers and priced lower than other editions of the work. Compare with script.

active records

Records required by an agency or individual to function effectively on a daily basis, usually kept close at hand, organized in a manner that renders them readily accessible. Synonymous with current records. The opposite of inactive records. See also: intermediate records.

active relation

See: semantic relation.

activity book

A book designed to engage the user in a pursuit other than (or in addition to) reading, for example, an instruction manual for science or craft projects, or a volume containing puzzles or word games. Some children's activity books are oversize. Libraries select judiciously, avoiding formats that require the reader to fill in the blanks or otherwise alter the physical state of the item. When an activity book is part of a kit, its presence is indicated in the physical description area of the bibliographic record.

activity card

A card or set of cards printed with symbols, words, numerals, and/or pictures intended for use by an individual or group in performing a specific action (or set of actions) or in following a pursuit. Compare with flash card. See also: game and kit.

actuality

A nonfiction motion picture (documentary), usually of very short length, made prior to 1910 to demonstrate the technological advance of moving images over still photography. Most examples capture familiar scenes of everyday life (people, places, and events) with authenticity but, in some instances, a bit of manipulation. Exotic novelties borrowed from 19th-century commercial photography were also popular. The earliest public venues were nickelodeons--peep show parlors with machines that played short film loops. By the turn of the century, "movies" were being shown in store-front theaters and traveling carnivals. During the first decade of the 20th century, when they also began to be projected in vaudeville and burlesque theaters, the growing popularity of the fiction film eclipsed the actuality, which peaked in 1903. Click here to learn more about actualities and view examples, courtesy of the American Memory project of the Library of Congress.

ADA

See: Americans with Disabilities Act.

adaptation

A work that has been edited or rewritten, in part or in its entirety, for a new use, audience, or purpose. Also, a work converted to another literary form or artistic medium to serve a different or related purpose, while retaining as much of the action, characters, language, and tone of the original as possible, for example, a novel adapted for performance on the stage, a play adapted for the motion picture screen, or an engraving based on a painting. In AACR2, adaptations of texts are cataloged under the name of the adapter, or under the title if the adapter is unknown, with a name-title added entry for the original work. Abbreviated adapt.



In music, a work that is a distinct alteration of another musical work (for example, a free transcription), or that paraphrases parts of various works or imitates the style of another composer, or that is somehow based on another musical work (AACR2). Cataloging follows the practice used for texts. See also: arrangement.

adaptive technology

Systems, devices, and software specifically designed to make library materials and services more accessible to people with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, including large print books, closed captioned videorecordings, Braille signage, voice amplification devices, screen magnification and screen reading software, voice recognition software, etc. Some libraries have found focus groups helpful in selecting adaptive technologies. Synonymous with assistive technology. See also: alt tag.

ADC

See: Abridged Decimal Classification.

added charge

A further charge made by a publisher or vendor against a subscriber's account after initial payment has been received, usually to cover (1) an increase in the subscription price that occurs after billing, before the order is processed; (2) publication of additional volumes; or (3) fluctuations in currency exchange rates. The charge is made in the form of a supplemental invoice.

added copy

A copy of an item already owned by a library, added to the collection usually when demand warrants. Compare with duplicate.

added edition

An edition of a work added to a library collection, which is not the same as editions of the same title already owned by the library.

added entry

A secondary entry, additional to the main entry, usually under a heading for a joint author, illustrator, translator, series, or subject, by which an item is represented in a library catalog (AACR2). See also: name-title added entry and tracing.

added title page

A title page preceding or following the one used by the cataloger as the chief source of information in creating the bibliographic description of an item. It may be more general, as in a series title page, or of equivalent generality, as in a title page in another language (AACR2).

addendum

Brief printed matter, less extensive than a supplement or appendix, included in a book or other publication after the work has been typeset because it is considered essential to the meaning or completeness of the text, usually printed separately on a slip of paper tipped in at the beginning or end of the text. Plural: addenda. Compare with errata.

additional volume

An extra volume issued by the publisher of a serial, not included in the original publication schedule for the title, for which an added charge may be made against the customer's account, on a supplemental invoice.

add note

A brief note in the Dewey Decimal Classification schedules instructing the cataloger to append to a given base number one or more numerals found elsewhere in the classification in order to build a class number. For example, the instruction to "add to base number 027.1 (private and family libraries) notation from 1-9 from Table 2, e.g., family libraries in the United Kingdom 027.141."

address

In computing, a character or set of characters used to identify a specific location in main memory or peripheral storage, usually for the purpose of accessing stored data. See also: Internet address.

adhesive

A substance applied to a material to make it stick to another surface by chemical or mechanical action. Gummed adhesives require moisture to be effective. Solid at room temperatures, hot-melt adhesives liquefy when heated and set up quickly as they cool. Some types of adhesive are pressure-sensitive. Adhesives of various kinds are used extensively in binding and technical processing in libraries. In document conservation, adhesives are often selected for their reversibility. See also: adhesive binding, glair, glue, paste, and polyvinyl acetate.

adhesive binding

A generic term for binding methods in which the leaves are held together by a strong adhesive applied directly to the back of the text block, usually done after the binding edge is milled but sometimes after the sections are sewn. The most commonly used adhesives are animal glues, hot-melts, and polyvinyl acetate (PVA). Synonymous with threadless binding and unsewn binding. Compare with non-adhesive binding. See also: caoutchouc binding, double-fan adhesive binding, notched binding, Otabind, and perfect binding.

ad hoc

Latin for "to this," used to indicate that something was created or exists for the particular purpose in view at the moment. Also refers to something organized for a specific purpose, for example, an ad hoc committee elected or appointed to address a specific issue or handle an unanticipated contingency, usually dissolved once the need has been met.

adjacency

See: proximity.

adjunct

A librarian employed part-time in an academic library at an institution that grants librarians faculty status. Synonymous with part-time faculty.

adjustable shelving

See: fixed shelving.

ad loc.

An abbreviation of the Latin phrase ad locum, meaning "at the place [cited]."

administration

The range of activities normally associated with the management of a government agency, organization, or institution, such as a library or library system. Also refers collectively to the persons responsible for such activity, from director to secretary. See also: library administration.

administrative history

In archives, the part of a finding aid that provides pertinent information concerning the records it lists and describes, such as the history and organizational structure of the agency (or group of related agencies) that generated them, or significant details in the life and career of the individual or family with which they are associated, usually in the form of a biographical note.

administrative value

See: archival value.

Adobe Acrobat

A document exchange program created by Adobe Systems that allows data files created on one software platform (DOS, Windows, Macintosh, etc.) to be displayed and printed on another without loss of text formatting. This capability is particularly important in communication over the Internet, which interconnects computers of all types and sizes. Adobe Systems sells the software required to create or convert documents to its Portable Document Format (PDF) but does not charge users for the software needed to read PDF documents. The Acrobat Reader program can be downloaded directly from the company Web site at: www.adobe.com. See also: plug-in.

adult

A fully grown, mentally competent person of sufficient age to be considered capable of making mature decisions and held legally accountable for the consequences of his (or her) actions. Libraries operate on the assumption that adult patrons are capable of deciding independently what they wish to read and borrow. Although the parent is responsible for supervising the actions of his or her child, it is appropriate for a librarian to provide guidance to users of all ages in the selection of materials suitable to their age level and interests, if asked to do so. Older adults often have special needs that can be met through outreach. See also: readers' advisory.

adult content filter

Software designed to block retrieval over on the Internet of material considered unsuitable for children (violence, sexually explicit text and images, etc.). The constitutionality of laws requiring the use of such filters in libraries is a subject of debate in the United States. Most image search engines include a default adult content filter that the user can turn off. Synonymous with mature content filter.

adult education

Courses designed specifically for adults who have spent their lives outside the system of formal higher education. Because nontraditional students often lack the library skills of students who follow a traditional course of study, they may require more assistance at the reference desk and a more basic level of bibliographic instruction.

adult learner

A person older than traditional college age who pursues an independent, organized course of study, usually without the benefit of formal instruction at an established educational institution. When enrolled as a nontraditional student at a college or university, such a person may require reference services and bibliographic instruction at a more basic level than traditional students.

adult literacy

See: literacy.

adult services

Materials, services, and programs intended to meet the needs of the adult users of a public library, as opposed to those designed for children and young adults. See also: readers' advisory.

advance copy

A copy of a book or other publication bound in advance of the normal press run to enable the publisher to check that all is in order before binding of the edition proceeds. Advance copies are also sent to booksellers, book club selection committees, and reviewers before the announced publication date, sometimes unbound or in a binding other than the publisher's binding, often with a review slip laid in. Copies sent unbound are known as advance sheets. Synonymous with early copy. Compare with reading copy and review copy.

advanced search

See: search mode.

advance on royalty

An amount paid to the author(s) of a new book prior to its publication against the royalties it is expected to earn, usually offered as an inducement to sign a book contract with the publisher. Synonymous with author's advance. See also: publisher's agreement.

advance order

An order placed for a new book prior to its date of publication, usually in response to prepublication promotion. The number of copies ordered in advance may assist the publisher in determining the size of the first printing, the price, and how much to spend on advertising.

advance sheet

See: advance copy.

adventure

A fiction genre in which the hero undertakes a difficult venture of uncertain issue, usually in an exotic setting, often culminating in a hazardous chase or decisive struggle. Adventure appeals to a predominantly male audience. Subgenres include the spy/espionage novel, tale of political intrigue and/or terrorism, technothriller, survival story, and male romance (example: Kim by Rudyard Kipling). Adventure stories are often published in series featuring a series hero (example: the Horatio Hornblower novels of C.S. Forester). If the hero is a swaggering ruffian, the tale is often called a swashbuckler. See also: romance and western.

advertorial

Advertising text written in editorial style and format. To avoid confusion, most magazine publishers add the word "Advertisement" to the running head. See also: infomercial.

adverts

Advertisements bound into a book, usually at the end of the back matter. Abbreviated ads or advrts.

advisory service

A periodical publication, usually issued weekly, biweekly, or monthly in print or online, providing research, statistical analysis, and guidance on financial investments (stocks, bonds, options, mutual funds, etc.), for example, The Value Line Investment Survey, published weekly since 1936 by Value Line, Inc. Libraries often store current issues of a print advisory service in loose-leaf bindings to facilitate updating.

advocacy

See: library advocate.

aerial map

A map of the earth, or of another planetary body, composed of one or more photographs taken from a position above its surface, usually from a passing aircraft, satellite, or space vehicle. See also: photomosaic.

aerial photograph

A detailed photographic image taken of the earth or another celestial body from a position above its surface, usually from an aircraft or satellite for use in mapping, reconnaissance, exploration, etc. Libraries catalog aerial photographs as cartographic materials. Click here to connect to the historic Illinois Air Photo Imagebase maintained by the Grainger Engineering Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and here to connect to the TerraServer database of of high-resolution aerial imagery, courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey and Microsoft. See also: aerial map and remote sensing image.

AFAS

See: African American Studies Librarians.

affiliate

A separately administered organization closely connected with another by formal agreement and mutual interest, for example, the various organizations affiliated with the American Library Association (ALA). Also refers to the process of forming such a link. See also: affiliated library.

affiliated library

A library that is, by formal agreement, part of a larger library system but administered independently by its own board or management structure. Medical and law libraries at large universities often fall into this category. Compare with branch library.

affirmative action

An active effort, begun in the late 1960s, to enhance opportunities in the United States for minority groups and women, through federal regulations and programs intended to counteract bias and discrimination in government employment and contracting and in admissions to state-supported educational institutions. Most publicly supported libraries in the United States are affirmative action employers. The legality of affirmative action has been called into question by individuals and political groups who believe that legislating equality discourages initiative and results in reverse discrimination. See also: diversity.

African American Studies Librarians (AFAS)

The section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) devoted to librarianship and collection development as it relates to African American studies; to the ongoing evaluation and discussion of research in African American studies; and to resource sharing, archival materials, bibliographic control, retrospective collecting, electronic information retrieval, and oral history as they relate to the field. Click here to connect to the AFAS homepage.

afterword

A brief passage or essay, usually written by the author, appearing at the end of a work as explanation or, in a special edition, as commentary on the work's reception. In a collection, the editor(s) may include an afterword to tie together or sum up the main themes developed in the selected works. Compare with epilogue.

against the grain

A popular expression meaning "contrary to natural inclination" originally used in the printing trade to refer to machine-made paper folded across the grain of its fibers. In book production, sheets are printed with the grain running from top to bottom of the leaves, allowing them to flex easily lengthwise after they are bound. When folded with the grain, paper tears easily and cleanly along the fold. When folded across the grain, it cracks and leaves a ragged edge when torn.

Against the Grain (ATG)

A bimonthly journal providing news about libraries, publishers, book jobbers, and subscription agents, with reports on the issues, literature, and people affecting books and journals. ISSN: 1043-2094. Click here to connect to the ATG homepage.

A-G Canada Ltd.

Canada's major bibliographic utility, providing access to machine-readable bibliographic records and authority files through its proprietary Impact/MARCit software. A-G Canada purchased Canada's CATSS database (formerly UTLAS) from ISM Library Information Services in 1997. The following year, the National Library of Canada purchased from A-G Canada copies of over 8 million bibliographic records representing the holdings of 46 Canadian libraries, with permission to load the records into its AMICUS database as part of Canada's national union catalog and to provide access to them for the purpose of resource sharing. Unlike OCLC and RLIN, the two other major bibliographic utilities in North America, A-G Canada is a for-profit vendor offering a full line of integrated library system products and services. Click here to connect to the homepage of A-G Canada Ltd.

agency

For archival purposes, any commercial enterprise, organization, institution, or other corporate body that creates and manages records of its business, activities, or affairs. In very large organizations, subordinate units (sections, departments, offices) may function as separate agencies. In a more general sense, any person (agent) or organization that has the authority to perform a specific function, for example, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). See also: government agency.

agenda

A list of topics or issues to be discussed at a meeting, sometimes solicited from prospective attendees in advance by the person who calls or chairs the meeting. It is customary to distribute the agenda before the meeting begins, to allow attendees time to prepare. A hidden agenda is a goal or intention consciously or unconsciously concealed, usually to gain the advantage of surprise, a tactic that often backfires when unsuspecting persons discover that they have been manipulated.

agent

An individual or company that acts as middleman between a library or library system and a publisher in the purchase of materials, for example, a subscription service such as EBSCO that manages periodical subscriptions for client libraries. See also: literary agent.

aggregator

A bibliographic service that provides online access to the digital full-text of periodicals published by different publishers. Because aggregator databases can be very large, tracking their coverage is not an easy task for serials librarians. A task group of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) is working on standards for analytic catalog records for serials titles available electronically from aggregator services. Currently, the top three journal aggregators in the United States are EBSCO, Gale Group, and ProQuest. Recently, EBSCO has been building market share by offering higher up-front payments to secure exclusivity from the publishers of certain journals. The effects of this competitive practice on libraries and the end-user are as yet unclear.

AI

See: artificial intelligence.

AIC

See: American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

AIGA

See: American Institute of Graphic Arts.

AIIP

See: Association of Independent Information Professionals.

AILA

See: American Indian Library Association.

air pollution

Particulate and gaseous air contaminants (sulfur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and chlorides) are ubiquitous, especially in urban areas where industry and transportation are heaviest. Difficult and expensive to control, air pollutants affect the condition of books by interacting with impurities in paper and with unfavorable climatic conditions to further degrade a book's components. One obvious symptom is discoloration around the edges of the leaves.

According to former Yale University conservator Jane Greenfield, levels inside a building are roughly half those found outside (The Care of Fine Books, Nick Lyons Books, 1988). Complete removal requires a ducted air-conditioning system. Room air cleaners with synthetic and fiberglass filters remove particulates; activated carbon filters eliminate gaseous pollutants. Electrostatic precipitators are not recommended because they release damaging ozone and facilitate the conversion of sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid. Storing rare and valuable items in boxes or other protective covering can help minimize the effects of air pollution. Smoking should not be allowed near books because it introduces pollutants into the air. Synonymous with atmospheric pollution.

aisle

The space left unoccupied between two parallel bookcases or shelf ranges, or at right angles to a bank of ranges, to allow library patrons and staff to access the stacks. Minimum aisle width is 36 inches for fixed shelving in libraries open to the public in the United States. Some types of compact shelving allow staff or users to shift movable ranges, usually along tracks in the floor, opening aisles as needed. See also: cross aisle and range aisle.

AJL

See: Association of Jewish Libraries.

a.k.a.

An abbreviation of also known as. See: allonym, eponym, pen name, and pseudonym.

AL

See: American Libraries.

ALA

See: American Library Association.

ALA Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA)

A separate adjunct organization operating under bylaws approved by the governing Council of the American Library Association at the 2002 Midwinter Meeting, which allows the ALA to conduct activities prohibited under its current 501(c)(3) tax status. In the planning stages since 1996, the ALA-APA is a 501(c)(6) entity focused on postgraduate specialty certification, pay equity, and other activities aimed at improving the status of librarians and other library employees. Click here to connect to the ALA-APA homepage.

ALA-APA

See: ALA Allied Professional Association.

ALA character set

An informal name for the set of characters specified in MARC documentation for use in the MARC record, including the Latin alphabet, special characters, diacritics, 14 superscript characters, 14 subscript characters, and three Greek letters. Synonymous with USMARC character set. See also: ANSEL.

ALA Code of Ethics

See: code of ethics.

ALA Editions

Established in 1886, the Publishing Section of the American Library Association first evolved into ALA Books and Pamphlets, then into ALA Editions in 1993. Its roster of first editions includes Reference Books for Libraries (1902), Books for College Libraries (1967), Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (1967), and the Intellectual Freedom Manual (1974). Income from annual sales of over 100,000 copies of titles published by ALA Editions supports ALA's other programs. Publications currently available from ALA Editions are listed in its trade catalog. Click here to connect to the homepage of ALA Editions.

ALA Filing Rules

A set of guidelines for determining the order in which entries are to be filed in a library catalog, originally published by the American Library Association in 1942 under the title A.L.A. Rules for Filing Catalog Cards. Revised in 1967 to correspond with Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, the filing rules were expanded and published under the current title in 1980 to cover any form of bibliographic display (print, microform, digital, etc.) and any catalog code.

ALA Graphics

A marketing section of the American Library Association that sells posters, bookplates, bookmarks, T-shirts, and other graphic materials designed to promote libraries, literacy, and reading. ALA graphics can be ordered from a printed catalog or electronically from the ALA Online Store.

album

A bound or loose-leaf book containing blank pages for mounting stamps, photographs, poems, quotations, newspaper clippings, or other memorabilia or for collecting autographs. Also, a book containing a collection of pictures, with or without accompanying text. Click here to view a leaf from a 17th-century Ottoman album containing drawings done in ink on paper (Metropolitan Museum of Art). See also: album amicorum and record album.

album amicorum

Latin for "book of friends." A personal album containing memorabilia contributed by the owner's family and close friends (inscriptions, original poems and songs, allegorical emblems, heraldic devices, sketches of contemporary scenes, etc.). Precursor of the modern autograph book, this type of volume originated in Germany in the 16th century and was fashionable among university students and scholars who traveled from place to place in the course of their careers. Some contain illustrations contributed by the signatories and occasionally more professional artwork commissioned in a manner similar to the illumination of preceding centuries. Click here to view a page of illustration from a late 16th-century Dutch example (Koninklijke Bibliotheek). The 195 contributions in the album amicorum of Egbert Philip van Visvliet (1736-1799) make it one of the most extensive of the 18th century (same source). Synonymous with liber amicorum.

alcove

A semiprivate recessed area within a library formed when two free-standing shelving units are placed at right angles to one or more units of wall shelving, usually large enough to provide access to materials on the shelves and to accommodate a small number of readers, seated at desks or around a study table. The architect Sir Christopher Wren is credited with originating this style of seating in his design of the library at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1676. Synonymous with cell. See also: carrel.

ALCTS

See: Association for Library Collections and Technical Services.

Alcuin of York (c. 735-804)

Educator, scholar, and liturgist, Alcuin was born of noble parentage in Northumbria in about A.D. 735. At the cathedral school in York, his abilities attracted the attention of its master Aelbert and of the Archbishop. He made several trips to the continent with his master, whom he succeeded in 767 when Aelbert became Archbishop. For the next 15 years, his efforts were devoted to instruction and enhancing the library at York. In 781, on a return trip from Rome, he met Charlemagne and was persuaded to head the Palace School at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle), where he instructed royalty and members of the Frankish nobility and was responsible for organizing an educational system to revive and diffuse learning throughout the new realm. He also undertook a complete revision of the Latin Vulgate to return the Bible as closely as possible to the 4th-century text of St. Jerome.

To achieve Charlemagne's goal of replacing the Gallican with the Roman rite, Alcuin compiled liturgical works, most notably a missal that was widely adopted, establishing uniformity in the liturgy of the Mass throughout the Western Church. In 796, he was appointed Abbot of St. Martin at Tours, where he focused on building a model monastic school and library, while supervising the production of a series of bibles for circulation among European monastic establishments. To facilitate copying, a new script known today as Carolingian minuscule was adopted, eventually becoming the basis of modern roman type. Practical reforms, such as beginning a written sentence with a capital letter and ending it with a period, were also introduced. Whether Alcuin was a monk or a member of the secular clergy remains uncertain, but in any case, he died in 804 at the end of a long and fruitful career.

Alexandrian Library

Founded by Ptolemy I in about 300 B.C., the great library at Alexandria in Egypt became the most important center of Hellenistic culture in Antiquity. At its peak, it contained over 500,000 manuscripts, mostly papyrus scrolls, some of which were translated into Greek from other languages. The collection was cataloged in the "Pinakes" of Callimachus, which included the author's name and a summary of the content of each item. The main library was part of a museum that functioned as an academy, attracting scholars from all parts of the Mediterranean world. A smaller library was established in the Temple of Serapis by Ptolemy III in about 235 B.C.

Although the main library was damaged in 47 B.C. during the siege by Julius Caesar, both libraries flourished under the Romans until the civil war that occurred in the late 3rd century A.D. under Emperor Aurelian. The smaller library was destroyed in A.D. 391 by edict of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius. In 1987, UNESCO embarked on a project in cooperation with the government of Egypt to revive the Library at Alexandria as a center of culture, science, and academic research. Click here to connect to the homepage of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. See also: Pergamum.

algorithm

A finite sequence of unambiguous steps or instructions designed to solve a complex problem or accomplish a specific task in a way that produces at least one output, for example, a formula used to encrypt data. Algorithms can be expressed in natural language (for example, a culinary recipe or the instructions for assembling an item shipped in pieces), in a symbolic language such as that used in mathematical logic, or in a computer programming language. One measure of proficiency in programming is the ability to create elegant algorithms that achieve the desired result in a minimum number of ingenious steps. See also: automatic indexing.

ALHHS

See: Archivists and Librarians in the History of the Health Sciences.

ALIA

See: Australian Library and Information Association.

alias

A shortened form of an e-mail address that allows a computer user to type a brief identifier (example: susan) to send a message to a person whose full e-mail address is much longer (susanmiller@library.myuniversity.edu). Compare with macro.

Also, an assumed name, especially one adopted by a person engaged in illegal activity to avoid detection and possible prosecution. Compare with pseudonym.

Alibris

A commercial company that specializes in supplying rare, out of print, and hard-to-find books to bookstores, libraries, and retail customers through a worldwide network of booksellers and distribution capabilities. Click here to connect to the Alibris homepage. See also: Abebooks.

alignment

In typography, the arrangement of characters in a line of type in such a way that the tops and bottoms form a straight line across the page, parallel with other lines. Also, the setting of type in lines that are even at both right and left margins. Compare in this sense with justification.

In a more general sense, the lining up of type or graphic matter in relation to any common horizontal or vertical line for printing on a page.

ALISE

See: Association for Library and Information Science Education.

alkaline

Substances with a pH exceeding 7.0 (neutral), for example, calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate added to paper in manufacture as a reserve or buffer to neutralize any acids that might develop with age. Alkaline substances are also used in the deacidification of materials made from acid paper or board. The opposite of acidic.

all across

See: all along.

all along

A sewing method used in hand-binding in which each section of the text block is sewn separately to cords or tapes, from kettle stitch to kettle stitch inside the fold. For the sake of economy or to reduce swell, sections may be hand sewn two on. Synonymous with all across and all on.

alla rustica

Binding a book in a plain but sturdy paper case, a technique used from the 17th to the 19th century in Italy and Spain on remaindered books. According to former Yale University conservator Jane Greenfield, the sections were sewn on supports laced into paper covers with wide turn-ins (ABC of Bookbinding, Oak Knoll/Lyons Press, 1998). In modern conservation binding, vellum or paper cases are sometimes used without adhesive.

allegory

A narrative that can be interpreted literally but that also has at least one symbolic meaning, usually expressing or elucidating an abstract idea or moral principle. Also, a form of extended metaphor used primarily in works of fiction and poetry in which an event, idea, thing, or person stands for itself and simultaneously for something else. A dream allegory is a medieval poem or story about a dream that has allegorical significance, for example, King René's Book of Love (Le Cueur d'Amours Espris). Allegory is a common theme in medieval manuscript illumination, as in this image of Fortuna turning a symbolic wheel from a 15th-century French version of Boccaccio's Fall of Princes (Glasgow University Library: Special Collections, MS Hunter 371) and Fortune: "All is but Fortune" courtesy of the Folger Shakespeare Library. See also: beast epic, fable, morality play, and parable.

all firsts

An expression used in the antiquarian book trade and in library cataloging to indicate that all the items in a group of publications are known to be first editions.

Allied Professional Association

See: ALA Allied Professional Association.

alligator

Leather made from the skin of a reptile, not as widely used in bookbinding as it once was for shoes and fashion accessories. In England, the material is known in the binding trade as crocodile. Click here to see a 20th-century alligator binding (Otto G. Richter Library, University of Miami, Florida).

allocation

A quantity of time, money, materials, or other resources reserved by an organization for a specific purpose, usually to meet a need essential to realizing its goals and objectives. In most libraries and library systems, funds are allocated in accordance with an annual or biennial budget determined by the availability of funds.

all on

See: all along.

allonym

The name of a person known to have existed, assumed as a pen name by another writer, as opposed to a fictional pseudonym, for example, the name "Publius" for the Roman tribune Publius Clodius Pulcher, used by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison in writing The Federalist.

all over

A style of binding in which the entire surface of both covers is decorated, as opposed to design appearing on the front or back cover only, in the centers and/or corners, or around the edges. Click here to view a 17th-century gold-tooled example (Glasgow University Library: Special Collections, BD14-i.23), here to see a 19th-century example in goatskin (The British Library), and here to see the style used on an early 20th-century deluxe edition of Paradise Lost (Metropolitan Museum of Art). To see other examples, try a keywords search on the phrase "all over" in The British Library's Database of Bookbindings.

all published

A note in the bibliographic record describing a publication originally proposed in more than one part or volume but never completed, usually because it was discontinued by the publisher. Similarly, a note describing all the issues of a periodical for which publication ceased.

all-rag

See: rag paper.

all rights reserved

A phrase printed in or on a published work, usually on the verso of the title page of a book, giving formal notice that all rights granted under existing copyright law are retained by the copyright holder and that legal action may be taken against infringement.

all through

See: letter-by-letter.

allusion

A brief figurative or symbolic reference in a literary text usually made indirectly to a familiar person, place, thing, or event outside the text or to another literary work or passage in it. Allusions are sometimes indexed and published in collections (example: Allusions--Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary by Laurence Urdang and Frederick Ruffner). In a more general sense, any implied indication, indirect reference, or casual mention, as opposed to an explicit reference.

almanac

Originally, a book introduced by the Moors to Spain, listing the days, weeks, and months of the year and providing information about festivals, holidays, astronomical phenomena, etc. In modern usage, an annual compendium of practical dates, facts, and statistics, current and/or retrospective, often arranged in tables to facilitate comparison. Almanacs can be general (example: World Almanac and Book of Facts) or related to a specific subject or academic discipline (Almanac of American Politics). Information Please is an example of a modern online almanac.

Almanacs have an important place in early Americana (see a copy of the 1795 edition of Bannaker's Almanac, courtesy of the Library of Congress). They have also served as a vehicle for illustrators (see Kate Greenaway Almanac, courtesy of the Bucks County Museum, Buckinghamshire).

alphabet

The complete set of characters used to write or indicate the speech sounds of a language, usually arranged in traditional order. The roman alphabet used in writing the English language contains 26 letters (5 vowels and 21 consonants), each with an uppercase and lowercase form. The roman alphabets used for other languages may contain fewer or additional letters, with diacritical marks used to indicate specific sounds. Click here to find out more about the Evolution of Alphabets, courtesy of Professor Robert Fradkin at University of Maryland. Compare with syllabary. See also: alphabetical and exotics.

alphabet book

A picture book for preschool children with illustrations designed to teach the letters and sequence of the alphabet by showing on each page, or double spread, one or more objects, animals, etc., belonging to a class whose name begins with the letter displayed (a for apple, etc.). Click here to see an early lithographed alphabet of wild animals and here to see a 19th-century French example (Thomas Parry Library, University of Wales). The National Library of Canada provides the online exhibition Beyond the Letters: A Retrospective of Canadian Alphabet Books. Compare with counting book. See also: abecedary and horn book.

alphabetical

In the customary order of the letters of the alphabet of a language. Alphabetizing can be letter-by-letter, ignoring punctuation and divisions between words, or word-by-word, with entries beginning with the same word alphabetized by the next word, and so on. The terms in this dictionary are listed alphabetically letter-by-letter.

alphabetization

Arranging items or entries in the conventional order of the letters of the alphabet of a language, usually by author, title, subject, or other heading. The most frequently used methods are letter-by-letter or word-by-word, as illustrated in the following examples:

Letter-by-Letter	Word-by-Word
New	New
Newel	New Haven
Newfoundland	New moon
New Haven	New York
New moon	Newel
Newport	Newfoundland
Newt	Newport
New York	Newt

For a brief discussion of the history of alphabetization, please see the entry on "Alphabetization Rules" by Geoffrey Martin in the International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science (Routledge, 2003).

alphameric

See: alphanumeric.

alphanumeric

A contraction of alphabetic-numeric, referring to a character set containing letters of the alphabet, numerals, and/or special characters. The access codes used in computer systems are often alphanumeric (example: the username smith003). Synonymous with alphameric.

Alpha-Numeric System for Classification of Recordings (ANSCR)

A scheme for classifying sound recordings of all types, based on a set of 23 major subject categories represented by letters of the Latin alphabet (example: M for popular music), with some categories subdivided and represented by double letters (MJ for jazz). To the alphabetic category is added a three- or four-letter code representing type of subarrangement (by title of work; name of composer, performer, or author; name of skill, language, or sound; etc.). The third part of the classification number is composed of the first letter of each of the first three keywords in the title of the work or album, or a number if the work is known by form and numbered. The fourth part is composed of a letter representing the name of an individual closely associated with the performance on the recording, followed by the last two digits of the commercial recording number:

ES

BEET

5

O 98

In the preceding example, ES indicates that the recorded work is orchestral and of symphonic form, BEET that it was composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven, 5 that it is his fifth symphony, and O 98 that the performance was conducted by Eugene Ormandy and that the last two digits of the Columbia record number are 98.

ANSCR is used mainly by libraries holding large numbers of sound recordings. Libraries with smaller collections generally use accession number or some other "home-grown" classification system to organize sound recordings. Pronounced "answer."

alpha test

The first full-scale test of a newly designed computer software system or hardware device, or of existing software or hardware that has undergone a major upgrade, usually conducted by the designer in a laboratory environment. Compare with beta test.

ALSC

See: Association for Library Service to Children.

ALTA

See: Association for Library Trustees and Advocates.

alternate delivery

Shipment by a publisher or vendor of materials ordered by a library via a commercial delivery service rather than the U.S. Postal Service.

alternate title

A title found in or on a bibliographic item, that varies from the one given in or on the chief source of information, for example, a title appearing on the label or container of a videocassette that differs from the one given in the videorecording itself. In library cataloging, any alternate titles are entered in the note area of the bibliographic record. Compare with alternative title.

alternative press

A small, politically progressive publisher not controlled by the handful of giant multinational corporations that dominate the publishing industry worldwide. Alternative press publications often address important social issues and publish innovative and experimental works largely ignored or covered superficially in the mainstream press. For the past 30 years, the Alternative Press Center (APC), an affiliate of the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) of the American Library Association, has provided access to such publications through the Alternative Press Index, available in the reference section of large academic and public libraries.

alternative title

The second part of a title proper consisting of two parts, each a title in itself, connected by the word "or" or its equivalent in another language (example: The Female Quixote, or, The Adventures of Arabella), not to be confused with alternate title. Compare with subtitle.

alt tag

When a computer user manipulates the mouse to pass the cursor over an image in a Web page, holding it on the image for several seconds, a text message is often displayed, serving as a replacement for the information content of the image, a feature intended for visually impaired Internet users who would otherwise perceive only a hole or gap at the location of the image. Coded as an attribute of the IMG tag in HTML, the alt tag provides an "alternate text" message for viewers who cannot see graphics, an important component in the design of Web sites for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, especially sites using graphic menu systems for navigation. Click here to learn more about the use of alt text in HTML documents, courtesy of A.J. Flavell and the Web Design Group.

alt text

See: alt tag.

alum-tawed

See: tawing.

amateur

A term used in cataloging moving images to indicate the form of a work created for private rather than commercial viewing, for example, a "home movie" made by someone not professionally associated with the film/video industry, intended to be shown within a circle of family and friends, rather than exhibited publicly.

ambient conditions

The prevailing characteristics of the environment within the room or building in which library or archival materials are stored or used, including temperature, humidity, natural and artificial light, air pollution, dust, etc., important considerations for long-term preservation. See also: microclimate.

ambient light

The level of illumination in an enclosed space, from both natural and artificial sources, an important consideration in the preservation of materials that deteriorate when exposed to light, especially the ultraviolet radiation (UV) in direct sunlight. Former Yale University conservator Jane Greenfield recommends that in libraries and archives visible radiation be kept below 200 lux, and UV radiation below 75 lux because the damage it causes continues to a lesser extent even after the source is removed (The Care of Fine Books, Nick Lyons Books, 1988). Incandescent light is the least damaging, but it emits more heat and is more costly than fluorescent light, which is higher in UV radiation. UV filters are available for fluorescent fixtures. As a general rule, the lights in a library should be turned off when not needed. See also: blue scale.

Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award

A literary award established in 1971, presented annually for the best illustrated children's book published in Canada during the preceding year. The illustrator must be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, and the text must be worthy of the illustrations. The award is sponsored by the National Book Service and administered by the Canadian Association of Children's Librarians. Click here to see a list of past award winners. Compare with CLA Book of the Year for Children. See also: Caldecott Medal and Greenaway Medal.

Americana

A term used in the book trade and by collectors to refer to books and other materials written about the Americas (North, South, and Central America), not necessarily published in the Americas or written by authors from the Americas. Libraries that own extensive or valuable collections of Americana often store them in special collections. Click here to view an online exhibition of Americana, courtesy of the Glasgow University Library, Special Collections. See also: American Antiquarian Society.

American Antiquarian Society (AAS)

An independent national research library founded in 1812 in Worcester, Massachusetts, to document the history of the American people from the colonial period through the Civil War and Reconstruction. The collections of the AAS include books, pamphlets, newspapers, periodicals, manuscripts, broadsides, juvenile literature, music, graphic arts, genealogy, and local history. The AAS publishes the semiannual Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society and is currently is in the midst of producing the five-volume work of collaborative scholarship, A History of the Book in America, jointly with the Cambridge University Press. Click here to connect to the AAS homepage.

American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)

Founded in 1906, AALL has a membership of librarians and related information professionals who serve the legal profession in bar associations, courts, law schools, law societies, private law firms, businesses, and government. AALL seeks to promote and enhance the value of law libraries to the legal community and general public, fosters the profession of law librarianship, and provides leadership in the field of legal information. An affiliate of the American Library Association, AALL has published the quarterly Law Library Journal since 1908. Click here to connect to the AALLNET Web page.

American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

Founded in 1951, AASL is a division of the American Library Association with a membership of elementary and secondary school library media specialists and others interested in the improvement and extension of services for children and young adults. AASL publishes the quarterly journal School Library Media Research and its bimonthly online companion Knowledge Quest. Click here to connect to the AASL homepage.

American Association of University Professors (AAUP)

A professional association founded in 1915 to represent college and university faculty, the AAUP is also open to administrators, graduate students, and the general public. The organization is dedicated to defending academic freedom and tenure, advocating collegial governance, developing policies to ensure due process in the workplace, lobbying government in the interests of higher education, and providing statistics and analysis of trends in academic employment. Library faculty members at colleges and universities in the United States who are members of the AAUP may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement negotiated by their chapter. Click here to connect to the AAUP homepage.

American Booksellers Association (ABA)

Founded in 1900, the ABA is the oldest trade association of independent bookstores with store front locations in the United States. Its mission is to meet the needs of its members through advocacy, education, research, and the dissemination of information. The ABA actively supports fee speech, literacy, and programs that encourage children to read. The organization also publishes an annual handbook for book buyers and maintains the BookWeb.org site on the World Wide Web.

American Book Trade Directory (ABTD)

Published annually by R.R. Bowker, the ABTD provides basic directory information on booksellers, jobbers, dealers, and antiquarians in the United States and Canada, listed geographically by state/province and indexed by name and type of store, as well as information about auctioneers of literary property, appraisers of library collections, book exporters and importers, and national and regional associations involved in the book trade.

American Folklife Center

Created by Congress in 1976, the American Folklife Center is an agency within the Library of Congress dedicated to preserving and presenting the American folk tradition. It incorporates the Archive of Folk Culture, established in 1928 as a repository of American folk music. Click here to connect to the homepage of the American Folklife Center.

American Indian Library Association (AILA)

Founded in 1979, AILA is an affiliate of the American Library Association with a membership of individuals and institutions committed to promoting the development, maintenance, and improvement of library services and collections for Native Americans, particularly cultural and information resources needed on reservations and in communities of Native Americans and Native Alaskans. AILA publishes the quarterly AILA Newsletter. Click here to connect to the AILA homepage.

American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC)

Formerly the American Group within the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC), AIC is a national membership organization of conservation professionals dedicated to preserving for future generations the art and historic artifacts that constitute the cultural heritage of the United States. Founded in 1972, AIC provides a forum for the exchange of ideas on conservation, seeks to advance the practice of conservation, and promotes the importance of preserving cultural property by facilitating the exchange of knowledge, research, and publications. Its member include practicing conservators, conservation scientists, educators, administrators, collections care professionals, technicians, and students; archivists, curators, and other museum and library professionals; and architects and art historians. AIC publishes the Journal of the American Institute of Conservation and the bimonthly newsletter AIC News. Click here to connect to the AIC homepage.

American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)

Founded in 1914 in New York, AIGA is a nonprofit organization that fosters excellence in graphic design as an academic discipline, communication medium, business tool, and cultural force by providing a forum for graphic designers, art directors, illustrators, and craftsmen involved in printing and allied graphic arts to exchange ideas and information, participate in research and critical analysis, and enhance education and ethical practice. AIGA publishes Trace: AIGA Journal of Design in three issues per year. Click here to connect to the AIGA homepage.

americanize

To convert to American English the style and spelling of a work written in (or translated into) British English. Compare with briticize.

American Libraries (AL)

A professional magazine for librarians published since 1907 by the American Library Association, AL provides news and announcements, analysis of trends, feature articles, job postings, and advertising by library-related businesses in 11 issues per year (ISSN: 0002-9769). Click here to connect to the online version of AL. For reviews of books and other categories of materials collected by libraries, see Booklist, also published by the ALA.

American Library Association (ALA)

The leading professional association of public and academic libraries and librarians in the United States, the ALA was founded in Philadelphia in October 1876 by a group of library leaders (90 men and 13 women) that included Melvil Dewey. An "association of associations," the ALA is organized in divisions, each with its own officers, budget, and programs, and is closely tied to over 50 state and regional chapters. The Association also sponsors round tables on specific issues and topics and is affiliated with other independent library-related organizations. Its imprint is ALA Editions. The most widely read periodicals published by the ALA are the trade journal American Libraries and the review publication Booklist. Click here to see a complete list of periodicals published by the various branches of the ALA. Click here to connect to the ALA homepage. See also: ALA Allied Professional Association, Association des Bibliothécaires Français, Australian Library and Information Association, Canadian Library Association, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, and Deutscher Bibliogtheksverband e.V.

ALA divisions:

American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS)

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)

Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA)

Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)

Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA)

Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA)

Library and Information Technology Association (LITA)

Public Library Association (PLA)

Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)

Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

American Library Directory (ALD)

A serial published annually by R.R. Bowker since 1923, available in the reference sections of most libraries, providing directory information (name, location, phone and fax number[s], department heads, budget, collection size, special collections, electronic resources, network participation, etc.) for over 30,000 academic, public, research, county, provincial, regional, medical, law, and other special libraries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. ALD also includes separate sections listing library networks and consortia, library systems, libraries for persons with special needs, and state and federal library agencies. It also contains an alphabetically arranged Personnel Index of all the individuals named in the entries for libraries, library systems, and library consortia, with contact information. ISSN: 0065-910X.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

A nonprofit national clearinghouse founded in 1918 to facilitate standardization by voluntary consensus in the United States in both the public and private sectors and to coordinate and administer standards of all types. ANSI membership includes over 1,400 companies, organizations, government agencies, and other institutions. The United States is represented by ANSI in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Standards for library and information science are developed by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), a nonprofit association accredited by ANSI. The Institute publishes the quarterly newsmagazine ANSI Reporter and the biweekly e-newsletter What's New? Click here to connect to the ANSI homepage.

American Printing History Association (APHA)

Founded in 1974, APHA encourages study and research in printing history and related arts and skills, including calligraphy, type founding, papermaking, bookbinding, illustration, and publishing. From its headquarters in New York City, APHA publishes the APHA Newsletter and the semiannual journal Printing History. Click here to connect to the APHA homepage.

American Reference Books Annual (ARBA)

A reference serial published annually by Libraries Unlimited since 1970, ARBA provides comprehensive coverage of English-language reference books and electronic reference works published in the United States and Canada during the previous year, listing reviews in a classified arrangement, indexed by author/title and subject. The reviews are usually 100 to 300 words long, written by scholars, librarians, and library educators who are asked to examine new works as they are published and provide well-documented critical comments, both positive and negative. All reviews are signed. ARBA is usually shelved in the reference section of large academic and public libraries. In ARBAonline, reviews are provided in a searchable database that is available on subscription. ISSN: 0065-9959.

American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIST)

An affiliate of the American Library Association, ASIST is a nonprofit association established in 1937 to provide opportunities for professionals in the information science field to communicate across the disciplines of library science, computer science, linguistics, mathematics, and the physical sciences. Formerly the American Society for Information Science (ASIS). Click here to connect to the ASIST homepage.

ASIST publications:

ARIST: Annual Review of Information Science and Technology

Bulletin of the American Society of Information Science and Technology

Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)

Established in 1914, ASCAP is a membership association of over 160,000 American composers, songwriters, lyricists, and music publishers of every kind of music, dedicated to protecting the rights of its members by licensing and distributing royalties for nondramatic public performances of their copyrighted works. Through agreements with international affiliates, ASCAP also represents hundreds of thousands of music creators worldwide. Click here to connect to the ASCAP homepage.

American Society of Indexers (ASI)

Founded in 1968, ASI is an affiliate of the American Library Association that seeks to promote indexing, abstracting, and database construction. Its members are professional indexers, librarians, editors, publishers, and organizations that employ indexers. ASI publishes the semiannual journal The Indexer and the bimonthly bulletin Key Words. Click here to connect to the ASI homepage.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange

See: ASCII.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Legislation passed by Congress in 1990 guaranteeing right of access to public facilities and resources to persons with physical disabilities and prohibiting discrimination against them in employment. The ADA has had a profound effect on the delivery of library services in the United States, from architectural planning (ramps, elevators, automatic door-openers, signage in Braille, etc.) to the design and placement of furniture, equipment, and shelving and even the design of computer interfaces. Click here to learn more or see the print publication How Libraries Must Comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by Donald Foos and Nancy Pack (Oryx, 1992). See also: adaptive technology.

American Theological Library Association (ATLA)

Founded in 1947, ATLA is an affiliate of the American Library Association with an ecumenical membership that includes theological librarians, persons interested in theological librarianship, and theological institutions dedicated to providing programs, products, and services in support of theological and religious studies libraries and librarians. ATLA publishes the quarterly ATLA Newsletter. Click here to connect to the ATLA homepage.

AMIA

See: Association of Moving Image Archivists.

amicus curiae

A Latin term meaning "friend of the court." An individual, group, or organization seeking to advise the court on a point of law or fact in a legal case to which the amicus is neither party nor counsel but that may set a legal precedent affecting its interests. Although it is not required, the amicus is usually an attorney. Permission must be obtained from the court but is usually given if the parties consent. Such appearances occur most frequently at the appellate level in cases involving civil rights and issues of public interest, by formal brief or, in rare cases, oral argument. The American Library Association sometimes files an amicus curiae brief, as in the case of New York Times Co. v. Tasini. Plural: amici curiae.

amnesty

See: grace period.

ampersand

The symbol & derived from a fusion of the letters of the Latin word et, meaning "and." Under AACR2, when the title proper contains an ampersand (example: Notes & Queries), it is transcribed in the title and statement of responsibility area of the bibliographic description exactly as it appears on the chief source of information, and an added entry is made under the title with "and" spelled out.

-ana, -iana

A suffix added to the name of a person, place, or institution to signify the body of related literature, information, memorabilia, etc., that has accumulated over time (examples: Conradiana, Americana, librariana). In libraries such materials are usually housed in special collections. See also: local collection and regional book.

anaglyph

A composite stereographic image produced by printing the same image twice, in complementary colors slightly displaced laterally, rather than superimposed exactly. In cartography, red is normally used for the right component and green or blue for the left. Although the image appears to be out of register when seen with the naked eye, a three-dimensional effect is produced by viewing it through a pair of eyeglasses equipped with filters of corresponding colors. Click here to see a cartographic example (special glasses are required).

anaglyphic map

See: anaglyph.

analects

From the Greek analekta, meaning "things gathered up." A collection or "gleaning" of miscellaneous literary excerpts or fragments (example: the teachings of Confucius).

analog

A representation of an object, physical condition, or process that closely replicates the original, reflecting any variations in its state. In technology, analog devices are designed to monitor conditions such as sound, movement, or temperature and convert the resulting measurements into electrical signals or mechanical patterns representing the fluctuations of the actual phenomenon, for example, sounds recorded on a phonograph record. Analog data is encoded in signals that are continuous over a range or interval of values, for example, data transmitted over a telephone line that must be converted by a modem into the discrete values of digital code in order to be processed by a digital computer.

analytical bibliography

The comparative and historical study of books as physical objects, including the methods and techniques of book production and their influence on texts. Synonymous with critical bibliography. Analytical bibliography has three main branches:

Historical bibliography - the history of books and their methods of production

Textual bibliography - the relationship between the text as conceived by the author and the text in published form

Descriptive bibliography - detailed account of the physical characteristics of books

analytical entry

An entry in a library catalog for a part of a work (chapter in a book) or an entire work (story, play, essay, or poem) contained in an item, such as an anthology or collection, for which a comprehensive entry is also made. Analytical entries are made under the author, title, and subject of the part and include a reference to the title of the work containing the part. Because the preparation of analytical entries is time-consuming, the level of bibliographic description provided in a catalog depends on the administrative policy of the library and its assessment of local needs. Synonymous with analytics. See also: analytical note.

analytical note

The statement in an analytical entry indicating the relationship of the work, or part of a work, to the more comprehensive work of which it is a part, for example, giving the title of an anthology containing a short story, play, essay, or poem.

analytic classification

See: hierarchical classification.

analytics

See: analytical entry.

ancillary map

See: inset map.

AND

See: logical product.

Anglo-American Cataloguing Committee for Cartographic Materials

The group responsible for developing and maintaining the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules pertaining to cartographic materials. Composed of institutions and associations that deal with the collection and description of cartographic materials by libraries, its members include The British Library, the Library of Congress, the National Archives of Canada, the National Library of Australia, the National Library of New Zealand, and cartographic associations from the five countries. Representatives of the member institutions and associations are recognized experts on the bibliographic control of cartographic materials. The Committee prepared Cartographic Materials: A Manual of Interpretation for AACR2, 2002 Revision. Second Edition, published in 2003 by ALA Editions.

Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR)

A detailed set of standardized rules for cataloging various types of library materials that had its origin in Catalog Rules: Author and Title Entries, published in 1908 under the auspices of the American Library Association and the Library Association (UK), and the A.L.A. Cataloging Rules for Author and Title Entries (1949), with its companion volume Rules for Descriptive Cataloging in the Library of Congress. Cooperation between the ALA, the Library Association, and the Canadian Library Association resumed with the joint publication in 1967 of Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, which is divided into two parts: rules for creating the bibliographic description of an item of any type, and rules governing the choice and form of entry of headings (access points) in the catalog.

A second edition (AACR2) was published in 1978 and revised in 1988 (AACR2R) to reflect changes in information formats. The 1998 revision includes changes and corrections authorized by the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR (JSC) since 1988, including amendments authorized through 1997. Additional amendments were issued in 1999 and 2001. The current version, Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second edition, 2002 Revision (AACR2 2002), includes extensive revisions to chapter 12 on continuing resources (formerly known as serials). AACR2-e is a hypertext version published by ALA Editions that includes all amendments through 2001. Click here to read a brief history of AACR, courtesy of the JSC. See also: catalog code and Paris Principles.

Anglo-Saxon minuscule

A distinctive minuscule script that developed in England under the influence of Insular scripts and Carolingian minuscule. Click here to view an example of early Anglo-Saxon minuscule (c. 800) in a manuscript written in Latin by St. Aldhelm of Malmesbury (Schøyen Collection, MS 197).

animated graphics

A graphic design technique in which a sequence of related still images, such as cartoon drawings or diagrams, is displayed in such rapid succession that the illusion of continuous motion is created on a computer screen. Animated graphics require less bandwidth than full-motion video when transmitted over the Internet (and also less memory), so they can be downloaded more quickly when a Web site containing them is selected by the viewer.

animation

The optical illusion of continuous motion created on film by photographing a sequence of drawings, cartoon cels, or still images, each representing a slight change from the preceding one, then viewing them in rapid succession. Animation is also achieved by photographing three-dimensional objects one frame at a time (cut-outs, models, puppets, clay figures, posed people, etc.). Camera-less animation is done by applying paint or another medium directly to the surface of the film. In some works, animation is combined with live action. Developed into an art form by animators in the studios of Walt Disney, animation techniques have provided pleasure to audiences since the early 20th century. Animated films can be of any length. Click here to connect to learn more about animation. See also: animated graphics and cartoon.

annals

A periodical in which the transactions of a society or organization, or events and developments in a specific discipline or field of study, are recorded (example: Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, published since 1890). In a more general sense, a list of events recorded in chronological order. See also: chronicle.

annex

An addition to an existing library or archive, or a nearby facility used as an addition to the main building, usually of smaller size. A library annex is sometimes used to store low-use materials in closed stacks. Compare with auxiliary facility.

anniversary edition

A special edition of a previously published work of fiction or nonfiction, often containing revisions and/or additional material, such as a new introduction or preface (or an afterword), issued to commemorate the publication date of the first edition or (less often) the date of the event that is its subject. Cover design, format, and/or illustrations may also be altered. Most anniversary editions are of classic or standard works, reissued 20 or more years after the original edition.

annotate

To add notes to a written document to explain, comment on, or evaluate its content, as in an annotated edition. Also, to add brief notes, called annotations, to the entries in a bibliography or catalog to describe, explain, or evaluate the sources listed.

annotated bibliography

A bibliography in which a brief explanatory or evaluative note is added to each reference or citation. An annotation can be helpful to the researcher in evaluating whether the source is relevant to a given topic or line of inquiry.

annotated edition

An edition that includes comments written by the author or another annotator, which are explanatory or supplemental rather than evaluative. Compare with critical edition.

annotation

A brief note, usually no longer than two or three sentences, added after a citation in a bibliography to describe or explain the content or message of the work cited or to comment on it.

Example:

Bradbury, Malcolm, ed. The Atlas of Literature. London: De Agostini Editions, 1997.

A heavily-illustrated international thematic history of the relationship between geography and literature, from the Middle Ages and Renaissance to the post-Cold War era. Includes references for further reading and a list of places to visit by country.

In a more general sense, any brief explanatory or descriptive comment added to a document, text, catalog entry, etc. In a critical annotation, the commentary is evaluative. Also refers to the process of annotating a document or entry in a bibliography or catalog.

annual

Issued once a year, every year, as in an annual report or annual review. Also refers to a form of literary anthology popular during the 19th century, usually illustrated with engravings. According to Geoffrey Glaister (Encyclopedia of the Book, Oak Knoll, 1996), this type of book was intended mainly for female readers.

In modern usage, a serial publication in any format, issued once a year. Compare with yearbook. See also: biennial, triennial, quadrennial, quinquennial, sexennial, septennial, and decennial.

annual invoice

The consolidated billing for a library's subscriptions, sent once a year by the publisher or vendor, usually in late summer or fall. The invoice is based on the titles selected by the library for renewal from an annual renewal list sent by the publisher or vendor, usually in the spring. See also: supplemental invoice.

annual report

A printed publication, usually less than 100 pages in length, submitted each year by the officers of a publicly held company to its board of directors (or other governing body) and issued in softcover for distribution to current and prospective shareholders, describing the firm's activities during the preceding fiscal year and its current financial position. Some corporations make their annual reports available online. In business libraries, annual reports are usually retained in a company file for a fixed number of years and subsequently discarded.

annual review

A serial publication that surveys the most important works of original research and creative thought published in a specific discipline or subdiscipline during a given calendar year (example: Annual Review of Information Science and Technology). In most academic libraries, annual reviews are placed on continuation order. See also: review journal.

In the workplace, an inspection or personnel evaluation conducted once a year.

Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST)

Issued once a year by the American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIST) and Information Today, ARIST provides scholarly reviews of current topics in information science and technology, as substantiated by the published literature of the field. Publication of ARIST began in 1966 with the financial support of the National Science Foundation. Because the field is broad and dynamic, no single topic is treated on an annual basis. The reviews are critical in the sense of presenting the contributor's opinion concerning activities, developments, and trends within the subject area reviewed. Each volume includes a cumulative keyword and author index to the entire series. Indexing and abstracting of ARIST is provided in Library and Information Science Abstracts, Library Literature & Information Science, and ERIC. ISSN: 0066-4200.

anonymous

A work in which the author's name does not appear and cannot be traced with certainty in catalogs, bibliographies, or any other reliable source, hence a work is of unknown authorship. For an entertaining introduction to the methods used to detect the identities of writers of anonymous works, please see Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous by Don Foster (Henry Holt, 2000). Abbreviated anon. Compare with apocryphal and spurious work.

anonymous FTP

See: FTP.

ANSCR

See: Alpha-Numeric System for Classification of Recordings.

ANSEL

A character set for use in bibliographic records, formally defined in ANSI/NISO standard Z39.47 (Extended Latin Alphabet Coded Character Set for Bibliographic Use). It is nearly identical to, and sometimes used synonymously with, the extended character set defined in MARC documentation for use in the MARC record, informally known as the ALA character set.

ANSI

See: American National Standards Institute.

ANSS

See: Anthropology and Sociology Section.

anthology

A collection of extracts or complete works by various authors, selected by an editor for publication in a single volume or multivolume set. Anthologies are often limited to a specific literary form or genre (short stories, poetry, plays) or to a national literature, theme, time period, or category of author. The works anthologized are listed in the table of contents by title in order of appearance in the text. In the card catalog, analytical entries are prepared for works published in anthologies. In the online catalog, the individual works contained in an anthology are listed in the bibliographic record in a contents note searchable by keyword(s) in most catalog software. Compare with compilation. See also: garland and miscellany.

Anthropology and Sociology Section (ANSS)

The section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) within the American Library Association (ALA) that brings together librarians and information specialists to discuss common issues; publish news, bibliographies, and reviews of important resources; and communicate with organizations devoted to scholarship in anthropology, sociology, and related fields. Click here to connect to ANSSWeb.

anthropomorphic initial

A figure initial in a medieval manuscript or early printed book, composed wholly or in part of one or more human figures (or parts of figures), used as decoration rather than as elements of a picture or narrative scene. Anthropomorphic motifs are also used in ornamental borders and as line fillers. Compare with historiated initial and inhabited initial. See also: zoo-anthropomorphic initial and zoomorphic initial.

antiphonal

A liturgical work containing hymns, psalms, or verses chanted or sung responsively by the choir in a worship service. Also, the book containing the choral parts (antiphons) of the Divine Office (canonical hours) of the Catholic Church, sung alternately by two halves of the choir before and after a psalm or canticle. Because the antiphonal had to be visible to a group of singers, it was typically of large size, with text and notation written in large script. Many included decorated and historiated initials. Click here to view a 13th-century illuminated Italian antiphonal (permission of the State Libary of South Australia). Synonymous with antiphonary and antiphoner. Compare with hymnal.

antiphonary

See: antiphonal.

antiphoner

See: antiphonal.

antiquarian book

An old, used out of print book, more valuable than most secondhand books because of its rarity and/or condition, usually sold by an antiquarian bookseller. Very rare and valuable old books are sold at auction. Price guides are available for appraising old books. See also: AB Bookman's Weekly and first edition.

antiquarian bookseller

A bookseller who deals in old, rare, fine, out of print, and/or secondhand books. Click here to connect to the Yahoo! list of antiquarian booksellers. See also: AB Bookman's Weekly, Abebooks, Alibris, Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, and Oak Knoll.

Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA)

Founded in 1949, the ABAA encourages interest in fine and antiquarian books and manuscripts (and other rare or valuable printed materials), promotes ethical standards and professionalism in the antiquarian book trade, encourages collecting and preservation, advances technical and general knowledge useful to the trade, sponsors book fairs, and facilitates collegial relations among booksellers, librarians, scholars, and collectors. The ABAA publishes the quarterly ABAA Newsletter. Click here to connect to the ABAA homepage. See also: International League of Antiquarian Booksellers.

antique

In papermaking, the unpolished matte finish produced when uncoated paper is not processed through a calendering machine. Eggshell is a smooth, slightly pitted antique finish. Also refers to a contemporary calf binding designed to imitate an older binding and to gilding that has been left unburnished.

antique binding

A modern binding done in the style of an earlier period, with no intent to mislead prospective buyers as to its actual age.

anti-virus software

A computer program designed to periodically check the hard drive of a computer (or all the computers attached to a network) for the presence of man-made computer viruses and eliminate them if found. The anti-virus software used on computer networks usually includes an update feature that automatically downloads profiles of newly created viruses soon after they are detected.

antonym

A word or phrase that is the opposite in meaning of another term. Dictionaries of antonyms are available in the reference section of larger libraries. In some indexing languages, one of the terms in a pair of opposites may be selected to represent both, with a cross-reference made from the other. The opposite of synonym.

APA

See: ALA Allied Professional Association.

APALA

See: Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association.

APA style

A guide for typing research papers in the social sciences, developed by the American Psychological Association, which includes the proper format for typing notes and bibliographic citations. APA style is described fully in the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, available in the reference section of most academic libraries. Click here to connect to the Yahoo! list of APA style guides. Compare with MLA style. See also: electronic style.

aperture card

A card containing one or more small windows in which individual frames cut from a strip of microfilm are mounted. This format allows microfilm images to be used independently and provides a convenient surface for recording pertinent information about each frame. Synonymous with image card.

APHA

See: American Printing History Association.

aphorism

A very concise sentence or statement ("nugget") that expresses, in a memorable and pointed way, a universally recognized truth or principle, for example, "Well begun is half done." Aphorisms published in collections are usually shelved in the reference section of a library (example: Oxford Book of Aphorisms). Synonymous with maxim.

Apocalypse

A medieval manuscript devoted to the second coming of Christ and the events preceding it, as described in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament. In Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts (Getty Museum/British Library, 1994), Michelle Brown notes that although Apocalypse manuscripts existed in the early Middle Ages, they were especially popular in 10th- and 11th-century Spain, where the text was often integrated with commentary and lavish illustration, and also in England from about 1250-1275. Click here to page through the Dyson Perrins Apocalypse (Getty Museum, MS Ludwig III 1) and here to view other examples from various periods (Library of the Medival Institute, University of Notre Dame). See also: beatus manuscript.

apocryphal

Writings that scholars consider to be of dubious authorship or authenticity (not genuine), for example, the 14 to 15 books of the Greek translations of the Old Testament (Septuagint), known as the Apocrypha, accepted as authoritative by the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches but rejected in Judaism and not considered canonical in Protestantism. Compare with anonymous. See also: spurious work.

apograph

A text that is an exact copy made from an exemplar.

apostil

A marginal note or annotation in a book or manuscript. Also spelled apostille.

appendix

A part of a written work, not essential to the completeness of the text, containing complementary information such as statistical tables or explanatory material too long to be included in the text or in footnotes or endnotes. An appendix differs from an addendum in having been planned in advance as an integral part of the publication, rather than conceived after typesetting occurs. Appendices usually appear in the back matter, following the text and preceding the notes, glossary, bibliography, and index. Abbreviated app.

applet

A small application program written in the Java programming language developed by Sun Microsystems for distribution over the Internet. Applets run on any Java-enabled Web browser independent of platform (Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, etc.).

applicant

A person who has made a formal request to be considered for employment, usually by filling out an application form or by sending a resume or curriculum vitae with cover letter to a prospective employer in response to a job posting. Compare with candidate.

application

Computer software that allows the user to process data or perform calculations necessary to achieve a desired result, as opposed to the operating system designed to control the computer's hardware and run all other programs. Common microcomputer applications include word processing, spreadsheet, e-mail, presentation graphics, desktop publishing, database management systems, and Web browsers. See also: multitasking.

Also refers to a formal request to be considered for employment, usually made by filling out a form or by submitting a resume or curriculum vitae with cover letter in response to a job posting. Each library develops its own application procedure, unless it is part of a larger organization that uses a standardized procedure.

applied cover

A thin, decorative plaque, usually made of carved ivory or fine enamel or metalwork, set into or onto one of the boards of a medieval manuscript book (usually the upper board). This form of decoration was used on bookbindings from the early Christian period on. Although many survive the binding (and in some cases, the book) for which they were made, their use can be inferred from their size and rectangular or oval shape and from small holes in the corners and along the sides, points of attachment to the cover. Click here to view a 12th-13th century French example in gilded copper and champlevé enamel (Metropolitan Museum of Art).

APPM

Archives, Personal Papers, and Manuscripts, a standard for the description of archival materials based on AACR2, accepted by most archives in the United States.

appraisal

The monetary valuation of a gift, usually determined at the request of a library, museum, or archives by a professional appraiser familiar with the market for the type of item. Knowing the value of an item may be necessary in case of theft, for insurance purposes, or in deciding whether the expense of restoration is justified. Appraisal can be an expensive undertaking because the appraiser's specialized knowledge of books, bibliography, and reference sources must be extensive.

Also refers to the process of evaluating records to determine whether they are to be archived indefinitely, retained for a shorter period, or disposed of in some other way (sold, donated, destroyed, etc.).

approval plan

A formal arrangement in which a publisher or wholesaler agrees to select and supply, subject to return privileges specified in advance, publications exactly as issued that fit a library's pre-established collection development profile. Approval profiles usually specify subject areas, levels of specialization or reading difficulty, series, formats, price ranges, languages, etc. In a slip plan, the vendor provides advance notification slips instead of sending the actual item. Compare with blanket order and book lease plan. See also: continuation order.

approvals

New books sent automatically by a publisher or wholesaler in accordance with a pre-established profile of the library's needs, rather than ordered title by title by the selectors responsible for collection development. Approvals not returned within an agreed-upon time are understood to have been accepted by the library.

approval shelf

A shelf or shelves, usually located in or near the acquisitions department of a library, where new books ordered on approval are stored pending timely examination by the selectors responsible for deciding whether they are to be added to the collection or returned to the publisher or wholesaler.

approved library school

In the United States, a school of library and information science that offers a postgraduate program recognized or certified by a state board or educational agency as meeting its standards of quality and professionalism. Some approved library schools are also ALA-accredited.

approximate the whole

Said of a work that is nearly coextensive with the subject(s) represented by a class in Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), or that covers more than half the content of the heading, or that covers representative examples from three or more subdivisions of the class. The cataloger is permitted to add standard subdivisions to a work that approximates the whole of a subject (adapted from DDC). Compare with standing room.

aquatint

A form of etching in which a copper plate is sprinkled with finely powdered rosin which, when heated, adheres to the plate, serving as an acid-resistant ground. Areas between the melted rosin grains are etched in the acid bath, producing a network of very fine channels that hold ink in printing. The result is a veil of texture and tone resembling watercolor washes, rather than line. To achieve a darker tone, the plate is left longer in the acid bath, biting the texture deeper into the plate. Also refers to the print made by the process. Click here to see an example by the artist Goya and here to learn more about aquatint, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

arabesque

An elaborate Islamic-style design consisting of intricately interlaced lines that may include flowers and foliage, or form geometric patterns, tooled or stamped as decoration on the covers of a book, or used by a printer to ornament a text. Click here to see an example in the form of a centerpiece on a 16th-century gold-tooled binding (The British Library).

arabic numeral

One of the 10 digits (0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9) developed in India in the 6th century to indicate number in a system of place value based on 10. Arabic numerals were adopted by the Arabs around A.D. 900, who introduced them in Europe via Spain about 100 years later, replacing roman numerals. Colonization introduced them to the rest of the world.

The notation used in Dewey Decimal Classification is composed of arabic numerals. They are also used in Library of Congress Classification notation to indicate subclasses, following letters of the alphabet used to represent main classes and divisions. In printing, pagination is in arabic numerals, except for the front matter in books, usually paginated in roman numerals. Arabic numerals are also used to indicate the sequence of footnotes and endnotes. Under ALA Filing Rules, headings and titles that begin with arabic numerals (including dates) precede those beginning with letters of the alphabet, arranged from lowest to highest value.

ARBA

See: American Reference Books Annual.

archetypal novel

Early fictional tales and romances considered to be precursors of the novel in its modern form (examples: The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu and Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, both of the 17th century).

architectural binding

A form of ornamental bookbinding popular during the 16th century in which the front cover was decorated with architectural columns on either side, supporting an arch or lintel across the top, beneath which the title is displayed on a panel, the style of the cover bearing no relation to the content of the work. See also: cathedral binding.

architectural drawing

A technical drawing or sketch of a proposed construction project done by an architect or architectural firm. A full set of drawings, showing all phases of the construction process, includes the specifications used by contractors for bidding, purchase of materials and equipment, etc. Also refers to a technical drawing of an already existing structure (see Architectural Drawings of the Temples in Bagan, Myanmar). The Getty Research Institute provides online access to A Guide to the Description of Architectural Drawings (2000) by Vicki Porter and Robin Thornes. Synonymous with blueprint, a term derived from the process used in duplication, producing a white image on a blue ground. Compare with architectural rendering.

architectural initial

An embellished initial letter in a medieval manuscript or early printed book composed wholly or in part of architectural motifs. This type of initial is comparatively rare, but here is one example and here another, both from a 15th-century Italian gradual (Cornell University Library).

architectural rendering

A pictorial representation of a building or other structure, usually from an angle showing the front or main entrance, created by the architect or an architectural firm to give an accurate, if somewhat idealized, impression of how the structure will appear after it is constructed. Sometimes used in fund-raising to promote capital projects, such as the construction of a new library facility or the renovation and/or expansion of an existing one. Compare with architectural drawing.

architecture library

A specialized library associated with a graduate school of architecture or a large architectural firm, containing books and periodicals on architecture and architectural engineering, building codes and standards, architectural drawings and renderings, abstracting and indexing services, databases, and other reference materials for research in architecture and related fields.

archival box

A strong cardboard container specifically designed for the long-term storage of archival materials (manuscripts, papers, letters, periodicals, maps, prints, mounted photographs, etc.), made from strong acid- and lignin-free board, usually lined with buffered paper and fastened on the exterior with metal-edged corners, without the use of adhesive or staples. Containers made of inert polypropylene plastic are also used for this purpose. Archival boxes are available from library suppliers in a variety of sizes and designs (clamshell-hinged, drop-fronted, with telescoping lids, etc.), shipped flat or pre-assembled. They are usually neutral in color. Synonymous with archives box. See also: box list.

archival copy

A copy of a document specifically created or designated for archival storage by the company, government, organization, or institution that wishes to preserve it, usually for legal, evidential, or historical purposes. See also: archival quality and preservation photocopy.

archival database

An organized collection of records in digital format, containing information to be retained for an indefinite period of time, usually for future reference, for example, the messages received and distributed by an e-mail discussion list or the reference questions received by an digital reference service, including the answers provided.

archival journal

A journal published mainly for archival purposes, as opposed to one intended for distribution to retailers and individual subscribers, usually priced for the library market with little or no attempt to market it to a wider audience.

archival paper

A grade of paper that is permanent and highly durable, particularly with respect to fading and physical deterioration caused by acidity, used for printing materials of archival quality. See also: rag paper.

archival quality

The physical properties of records in all media (paper, microform, magnetic tape or disk, optical disk, etc.) that make them suitable for permanent storage in archives. Items printed on paper must have a pH of 7 or higher and be free of other contaminates (chemicals, mildew, etc.). Synonymous with archival standard. See also: archival paper.

archival value

The decision, following appraisal by a knowledgeable expert (or experts), that a document, record, or group of records is worth preserving, permanently or for an indefinite period. Records are retained for their:

Administrative value - utility in the conduct of current or future administrative affairs

Evidential value - capacity of records to furnish proof of facts concerning their creator or the events/activities to which they pertain

Fiscal value - utility in the conduct of financial business or fiscal accounting

Historical value - capacity to document past events, providing information about the lives and activities of persons involved in them

Informational value - usefulness for reference and research

Intrinsic value - inherent worth of a document based on its content, cultural significance, antiquity, past uses, etc.

Legal value - utility in the conduct of future legal proceedings, or as evidence of past legal decisions

Monetary value - worth in the market place, based on appraisal by a person experienced in making such judgments

Compare with artifactual value. See also: primary values and secondary values.

archive

The building, facility, or area that houses an archival collection (the term repository is preferred by most archivists). Also, to place documents in storage, usually to preserve them as a historical, informational, legal, or evidential record, permanently or for a finite or indefinite period of time. See also: digital archive.

archives

An organized collection of the noncurrent records of the activities of a business, government, organization, institution, or other corporate body, or the personal papers of one or more individuals, families, or groups, retained permanently (or for a designated or indeterminate period of time) by their originator or a successor for their permanent historical, informational, evidential, legal, administrative, or monetary value, usually in a repository managed and maintained by a trained archivist. Also refers to the office or organization responsible for appraising, selecting, preserving, and providing access to archival materials.

Archives can be classified in three broad categories: government archives (example: National Archives and Records Administration), in-house archives maintained by a parent institution, and collecting archives (manuscript libraries, film archives, genealogical archives, sound archives, personal archives, etc.). ProQuest provides the subscription database ArchivesUSA Compare with archive. See also: archival copy, archival database, archival paper, archival quality, archival value, digital archives, and Society of American Archivists.

The term is also used in academia to refer to a repository of electronic preprints, working papers, and similar documents, commonly called e-print archives. Used in this sense, there is no implication of archival management, which has caused some confusion, for example, around the purpose of the Open Archives Initiative (OAI).

archives policy

A formal written statement defining the authority under which an archives operates, the scope of its activities (mission, objectives, conditions/restrictions, etc.), and the range of services it provides. Compare with access policy.

archivist

The person responsible for managing and maintaining an archival collection, usually a librarian with special training in archival practices and methods, including the identification and appraisal of records of archival value, authentication, accessioning, description/documentation, facilitation of access and use, preservation and conservation, and exhibition and publication to benefit scholarship and satisfy public interest. Archivists are organized in the Society of American Archivists.

Archivists and Librarians in the History of the Health Sciences (ALHHS)

An association of librarians, archivists, and other specialists actively engaged in the librarianship of the history of the health sciences, dedicated to the exchange of information and to improving standards of service. Click here to connect to the ALHHS homepage.

area

One of the major sections of description comprising the bibliographic record created to represent an item in a library catalog or bibliographic database, reserved for data elements of a specific category (or categories). In AACR2, the standard areas of a bibliographic description are:

Title and statement of responsibility (MARC field 245)

Edition (MARC field 250)

Material specific details (MARC field 254 for music, 255 for cartographic materials, and 362 for serials)

Publication, distribution, etc. (MARC field 260)

Physical description (MARC field 300)

Series (MARC fields 4XX)

Note (MARC fields 5XX)

Standard number and terms of

availability (MARC field 020 or 022)