Media Terms

 

  
Abstract - A brief summary of a larger work.  Usually just a paragraph or so that explains what the larger work, such as a novel or magazine article, is about.

Encyclopedia - a work that contains information on all subjects or one that covers a certain subject thoroughly usually with articles arranged alphabetically

 Non-fiction - Literature that is not fictional.  In other words, it's true.
Audiovisual - (AV) The general term for materials that can be seen or heard, instead of read, such as videos, records, tapes, or compact discs. Fiction - 1: something told or written that is not fact
2 : a made-up story 		Non-print - Material that is not on paper, such as videos, databases, cd's.
Autobiography - A book that is actually written by the person about themselves. Full text - Usually refers to the entire magazine/newspaper article being available online instead of just a citation.  Non-circulating - Reference materials that cannot be checked out.
Bibliography - A list of books or other sources, in citation form, usually listing author, title, and publisher information. Index - An alphabetical list in a printed work that gives with each item listed the page number where it may be found.  An index is found in the back of the book. Online catalog - The computer version of the old card catalog system. 
Biography - The life story of a person written by someone else. Hard copy - Print material as opposed to online material OPAC -  Online Public Access Catalog - the electronic version of a card catalog; used by patrons to find information about books and other materials in a library
Call number - The number assigned to a book using the Dewey Decimal System. Holdings - The list of copies of a book or other items in an index showing which libraries own the item. Periodical - Magazines
CD-ROM - Compact Disk - Read Only Memory; a disk that contains information used by the computer that cannot be changed; examples are computer games, songs, etc. Interlibrary loan - Borrowing a book from another library, but checking it out at your local library. Dictionary - a reference book giving information about the meanings, forms, pronunciations, uses, and origins of words listed in alphabetical order
Citation - A brief description identifying a larger work such as a book or magazine article.  (Author, title, publisher, date) Internet - A communications system that connects groups of computers and data bases all over the world.  The world wide web allows users to have access to more information that previous available in one place during one time period. Ready Reference - Reference books that include Dictionaries, Thesauri, Atlases and Almanacs.
Cross-reference - A notation that directs you to the correct information in another place in the book; See and See Also Keywords - A way of searching a computer database by asking it to find terms in any order, regardless of where they appear. Reserve -  To put a book title on hold for a patron.  "Brian wants me to reserve a copy of Sharks for him next week."
Dewey Decimal System - The classification system some libraries use to organize materials by subject, using the number 001-999. Microfilm - Larger libraries store newspapers and historical information on very small plastic film which can be read through a special machine that magnifies the images. Spine label - The label on the spine of the book that tells the location. For example, F MAC would refer to the fiction side of the library.  The book would be located on the M shelf.