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| Glossary of Library Terms |
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| Abstract |
A brief summary of the article, book, thesis, film, map, CD, video or other resource content. |
| Acrobat Reader |
A program created by Adobe Systems that allows a user to read PDF files, a universally accepted format for converting files created by many different software programs into a single, easily readable format. |
| Author |
The person or organization responsible for writing a book, essay, short story, magazine article, etc. |
| Boolean searching |
Uses three words (AND, NOT, OR) that link concepts during a search to increase or restrict results. |
| Browser |
A software program that is used to display web pages. The two most popular browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. |
| Cache |
Memory of previously viewed web pages stored in your computer. |
| Citation |
Basic information about an article or a book; usually includes title, author, date, publisher, etc. and perhaps a link to an external source where the full text of the article is located. |
| Cookie |
Data that a web page stores on your computer, used to track activity and preferences. |
| Database |
Product that contains citations and perhaps complete articles from journals, books, and other materials. |
| DNS: Domain Name Server |
Translates domain names (part of the URL, such as cnn.com) into IP addresses, such as 64.27.89.3 |
| Embargo |
The time delay in seeing a journal in electronic format. |
| EZ Search |
An NC LIVE search utility that searches multiple databases at one time. |
| Firewall |
A hardware or software system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. |
| Full text |
The entire contents of an article or other written material. |
| Hyperlink |
Graphic or text that can be clicked on with the mouse that takes you to another web page. |
| Index |
A list of citations arranged by subject, author, and title. |
| Internet Explorer |
A browser created by the Microsoft Corporation. |
| IP address |
Unique number assigned to a computer or device on a network, such as 64.23.189.4 |
| ISP: Internet Service Provider |
Company that provides internet access. |
| ISSN: International Standard Serial Number |
A number that uniquely identifies a serial publication. |
| JavaScript |
A scripting language that enables Web authors to design interactive sites. |
| Journal |
A type of serial publication, sometimes used interchangeably with "magazine." |
| Library catalog |
The library catalog will search for items found in your local library's holdings. It is designed to identify materials available at the library, or through your library's services. The full-text may not be available online. |
| Magazine |
A type of serial publication that is designed for a general audience. |
| MARC record: Machine-Readable Cataloging |
Format in which cataloging records are prepared that enables the computer to recognize the elements and use them for various purposes. |
| Metasearch/Federated Search |
A search engine that queries other search engines or databases and then combines the results that are received. |
| NC LIVE: North Carolina Libraries for Virtual Education |
North Carolina's online gateway to a variety of high quality information - magazine, newspaper, and journal articles, electronic books, historical materials, maps, and much more. |
| Netscape Navigator |
A browser created by the Netscape Communications. |
| OPAC: Online Public Access Catalog |
Catalog of a library's holdings, available for viewing online. |
| Patron |
Library user. |
| PDF |
A universally accepted, easily readable file format. |
| Peer review |
A process whereby articles submitted to a journal for possible publication are sent to several reputable scholars in that field of study for review. |
| Phrase searching |
A search method that combines words so that you only get records when the words are next to each other in the exact same order as written. |
| Proxy server |
Proxy servers are located between a client program such as a Web browser and an external server to improve performance, share connections, and filter requests. |
| Refereed journal |
See "peer review" for definition. |
| Relevancy ranking |
The most common method for determining the order in which search results are displayed. Each search tool uses its own unique parameters. An example of things that are considered ware how often your terms occur in documents, whether they occur together as a phrase, and whether they are in title or how near the top of the text. |
| Scholarly Journal |
A type of serial publication that is designed for an academic audience. |
| Serial |
Publication issued in succession on a regular basis that is intended to be continued indefinitely, such as a journal, magazine, or newspaper. |
| Server |
A dedicated computer or device on a network that manages resources. |
| Session |
The interaction of one computer to another, such as a visit to an NC LIVE resource. A session typically terminates automatically after a period of inactivity. |
| Session time out |
If a resource is not used within a specific time period (varies by resource), the session ends and the user is required to start again. |
| Source |
Basic information about the name and details of the issue of the serial in which the article appeared. |
| Subject |
Theme or topic of an article, book, or other material. |
| Title |
The name of the article or book or any individual work. |
| Truncation |
In a search, the ability to enter the first part of a keyword, insert a symbol (usually *), and accept any variant spellings or word endings, from the occurrence of the symbol forward. (E.g., femini* retrieves feminine, feminism, feminism, etc.) |
| Type |
A list of resources arranged by media type or format. |
| URL: Uniform Resource Locator |
Web address, such as www.nclive.org |
| Vendor |
Company that sells the subscription to an online database. |
| Z39.50 |
A communications protocol for the search and retrieval of bibliographic data. |
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