by   
Laura C. Larsson

Glossary of Library and Database Terms

Agent - An agent is usually a representative of a company who handles the ordering and supplying of journals for you. You pay them a lump sum and they do the work for you, including issuing claims to the publisher.  Other names for this company include Jobber or Supplier 

Acquisitions - The process of selecting and procuring periodicals by purchase, exchange or gift. The acquisitions process involves processing invoices (transactions) for payment, and maintaining records on these acquisitions in the Kardex. 

Bibliographic Citation - This is the information which identifies the journal. A citation for a journal might consist of the name of the journal (the title), the abbreviation for the journal name, the place of publication, the publisher, the ISSN, information about starting date/volume (and closing date if the journal has ceased). 

Bibliographic Record - Uses a standardized format for describing a journal. See description for Bibliographic Citation. 

Call Number - A call number is a unique number composed of letters and numbers assigned to each item in the library based on the subject of the item. Of less importance in small libraries since most journals are shelved in alphabetical order, but the call number is useful for organizing circulation cards (if you do not have an online circulation system). 

CD-ROM - This stands for Compact Disc Read Only Memory. Journals are supplied in full text format usually with a search engine built in. 

Database - a large compilation of information (data) organized into tables and fields, with relationships built into the database in order for the user to enter and retrieve information without duplicating data. A database is composed of organized data stored in a computer for use. An organized collection of related information. 

Database Wizard  - Automatically builds tables, queries, forms, and reports from more than 20 types of full-featured templates. 

Derived Data - 

Dynaset - A temporary table that is created when you execute a query. The table contains the values from your query. 

FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions. A list of questions asked often enough by new users that the questions and answers are assembled for reading by those users. FAQs are associated with discussion groups and for answering repetitive questions in workshops. 

Field - a unit of information in a record, a column in a table. 

Filter By Selection - An Access feature which lets you highlight what you're looking for, press a button, and quickly see all the records in the database that match your criteria. 

Filter By Form - Use complex Boolean (And and Or) queries by filling in what you want to find in a form, pressing a button, and viewing the records you want to see. 

Flat File Database - A database where all information is stored in columns and where information is repeated in records. Multiple entries for the same information has the real possibility of leading to data entry errors. See Relational Database. 

Foreign Key - A foreign key is the primary key from a different table. 

Forms - Data entry forms created to make it easier for humans to enter data into databases. 

Help (Microsoft Access) - Microsoft has included a small glossary of terms in the Access Help file. 

Holdings - The total number of documents (electronic or physical) held in a library or resource center. For the purposes of this workshop, it would include journal issues and/or volumes held in your library. (It is the material you keep, and track, in your library) 

HTML - HyperText Markup Language. A series of tags or codes entered by WebMasters and read by browsers such as Netscape or MSIE. The tags display ASCII text in formats described by the tags such as headings, bolding, italics, tables, and so on. 

ISSN - A unique number assigned to each journal title usually incorporating the publishers number, plus an add-on number. 

Jobber, see Agent 

Join - A join is a characteristic of a relationship between two database objects.  The join type determines which records appear when you run a query to show information from two tables. There are three types: Inner Join, Left Outer Join, and Right Outer Join. The default setting is Inner Join which draws only matching records in both tables. 

Kardex - A check-in record for serial issues (or in some cases,  CD-ROMs). Information collected on the Kardex pertains to the individual issues and should contain information such as volume, issue/s, expected date of arrival and actual dates of arrival in the collection and date of publication. Other notes will be maintained about each problem which comes up. 

Lookup List (Lookup Table) 

Magazines - The term, magazines, is usually used to indicate the popular, or non-scientific periodicals. 

Periodicals -  A periodical is an item which is published on a regular basis (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, bimonthly, monthly, and so on) and whose parts appear in successive numbers. Each issue or part contains articles generally by several contributors. Peer reviewed journals are also called scholarly journals. Alternate names are journals, serials or magazines. 

Object - An object is a table, query, form report, or module. Objects can be created, selected, manipulated and stored. 

Primary Key - The Primary Key ensures that no two records in a database contain the same value for that field. It is the field that uniquely identifies the record. 

Query - A Query is a question that you ask about the data in the database. 

Record - A record is one row of a table; it is a group of related tables which is treated as part of a particular subject (table). 

Reports - Reports are information dissemination documents often created as a result of a query. Reports may contain text, data, graphics and calculations. 

Relational Database - A Relational database is a tool which can help you store, manage and disseminate information of various kinds. It is a collection of objects, tables, queries, forms, reports, macros, all stored in a computer program all of which are inter-related. 

Requirement Collection Forms - These are forms which are used to collect information on the database by the person designing the database. It helps her plan which tables should be created, which records need to be queried, and which reports should be created and printed.

Serial Holdings - These are the materials the library has on its shelves (or which are checked out to clients.) A record is maintained in the Kardex. 

Serial - It is a publication that is published in successive parts and is intended to be produced indefinitely. Another term for journal or periodical. 

Software - a program which gives a computer instructions so that it will perform tasks. 
 
Subject Heading - A standardized word or set of words used to define a discipline or several disciplines. In the biomedical field, the National Library of Medicine has created the MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) vocabulary. MeSH is used by many libraries to index their holdings.  Another word for subject heading is descriptor. 

Supplier, see Agent 

Table Analyzer Wizard: The Table Analyzer Wizard can find relationships in a flat-file database, recommend the best way to structure t he information, and automatically organize it in a relational database for you. (Microsoft Online Help) 

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - an address used to locate pages on the World Wide Web. 

Volume - A volume consists of several issues of a periodical (or set of books). Journal issues may come as one item, or as several over the course of a year. Issues may be bound together in one or more volumes. A journal may also publish more than one volume per year. The New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) come out in two volumes each year. 
 
Website - A series of HTML pages created around a particular topic and mounted in a structured fashion on the World Wide Web.  These handouts are an example of Web pages.  Can also be two words, Web site. 

Weeding - The process of evaluating your collection for relevancy, utility to the client base, and physical condition and removing those which are deemed unsuitable or inappropriate for the collection. The criteria for weeding are generally agreed upon by all librarians at a site (if the library is a large one). Solo librarians may have to write their own criteria. Weeding is important for libraries having limited space. 

Window/s - Specific areas on your screen bounded by scroll and menu bars which enable a computer user to perform several functions at the same time. Only one window is active at any one time, although several may be open simultaneously. 

Wizard - A tool created by Microsoft to ask you questions about a process and by answering them enable the Wizard to create, for example, a form or report. 

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