Library Glossary

A space which houses historical or public records. Also the historical or public records themselves, which are generally non-circulating materials such as collections of personal papers, rare books, ephemera, etc.

Meg Galasso is the Archivist and Information Services Librarian.

Type of collection within the library also referred to as the McNaughton collection; contains recently published fiction and non-fiction that are popular and in high demand. Located on the shelves surrounding the reference section behind the spiral staircase; delineated by the green or orange McNaughton label on the spine.

A place for patrons to return materials when the library is closed. Every morning the book drops (3 of them) should be checked. In Workflows there is an option to discharge materials called "Discharging Book Drop." Once you have materials from the book drops that need to be turned in you will select "Discharging Book Drop" and then set the date to the last day the library was open.

A word—such as AND, OR, or NOT—that commands a computer to combine search terms. Helps to narrow (AND, NOT) or broaden (OR) searches in IUCAT.

"A group of letters and/or numbers that identifies a specific item in a library and provides a way for organizing library holdings." (ACRL) The call number will be found on a label on the spine and/or the front cover of an item. IU, as well as most academic libraries, use the Library of Congress system.

A register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries. Our online catalog is IUCAT.

To borrow/rent/loan/issue an item from a library for a fixed period of time in order to read, listen to, or view it. Check-out periods vary by library. Items are checked out at the circulation desk.

The place in the library where you check out, renew, and return library materials. You may also place a hold, report an item missing from the shelves, or pay late fees or fines there. This is one of the main responsibilities of the student assistants.

A reference to a book, magazine or journal article, or other work containing all the information necessary to identify and locate that work. A citation to a book thus includes its author's name, title, publisher and place of publication, and date of publication. There are many different styles of citation used for different academic disciplines; the most common are MLA, APA, and Chicago style. There are some resources, such as different style guides, available in the Writing Collection. If a user has questions about citations, you may point them to these resources, the Writing Center, or Purdue OWL.

The CTLA group “supports effective teaching and promotes student learning through development of the faculty.” They also provide resources for faculty to enhance their teaching, promote Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, support assessment of student learning, and consult with faculty and staff on their pedagogical and technological needs.

A collection of information stored in an electronic format that can be searched by a computer. Our databases are most easily accessed via Databases A-Z.

Returning an item via WorkFlows. Discharged items will then be placed on the shelving cart, routing shelf, or reserves.

An electronic book accessible through IUCAT or another search tool. Most ebooks require IU credentials to access.

EBSCO Discovery Service. The large search bar at the top of our library homepage is the EDS search bar. It searches IUCAT and various databases all at once to provide a wide range of results. This is a good place to start research.

The statistics on how many people are coming in and out of the library. The IU Kokomo Library uses a third-party platform to track this information using sensors on the entrance doors.

Official publications from the government at the federal and state level. IU Kokomo is a federal depository and we serve the fourth congressional district.

Statistics on how many people are utilizing the library. Headcount is recorded in LibInsight using the iPad every hour on the half hour.

A request by a user to a library that a book checked out to another person be saved for that user when it is returned. “Holds” can generally be placed on any regularly circulating library materials through an in-person or online circulation desk. The hold shelf is the bottom middle shelf behind the circulation desk. Patrons have 10 days to pick up their items before they are returned to the library from which they came.

The materials owned by a library.

Integrated Library System. Ours is SirsiDynix Symphony, used in WorkFlows.

"1. A list of names or topics—usually found at the end of a publication—that directs you to the pages where those names or topics are discussed within the publication. 2. A printed or electronic publication that provides references to periodical articles or books by their subject, author, or other search terms." (ACRL) Many databases include or are only indexes of periodicals. We also have a small collection of print indexes shelved before the bound periodicals upstairs.

A set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information" (ALA).

Meg Galasso is the interim Information Literacy Coordinator.

A service that allows you to borrow materials from other libraries through your own library. The Access Services Supervisor is in charge of interlibrary loans. Our three primary interlibrary loan services are Request Delivery, SRCS, and Tipasa.

Online catalog of all materials owned by Indiana University Libraries

A publication, issued on a regular basis, which contains scholarly research published as articles, papers, research reports, or technical reports. You can browse our collection of online journals in BrowZine.

Library of Congress. The entire library (except for Government Documents) is organized based on the classification of the Library of Congress.

Communication or cooperation which facilitates a close working relationship between people or organizations. Each librarian is a liaison to school. Whenever a student comes up and says that they're here to see their liaison librarian or their teacher told them to speak with their librarian, you will need to refer them to their school librarian. There is a liaison cheat sheet on the Canvas page, and you can also find this information on the library website.

Online chat service hosted by SpringShare and staffed by librarians and library staff at the Research Help Desk.

Online tool for collecting and analyzing library data. Used for gate count, headcount, service desk questions, user feedback, and more.

Options used in searching that restrict your results to only information resources meeting certain other, non-subject-related, criteria. Limiting options vary by database, but common options include limiting results to materials available full-text in the database, to scholarly publications, to materials written in a particular language, to materials available in a particular location, or to materials published at a specific time.

How long an item can be checked-out. Loan periods can be found on the Canvas page and in the drawers by the circulation computers.

The large touch-screen computer and monitor on wheels that typically sits in the lobby. Log-in credentials are posted inside the grey cabinet. To restart the looping slideshow, first press the power button on the bottom-left corner of the monitor. If the slideshow doesn't start right away, log in with provided credentials (if needed), open the PowerPoint slideshow that is saved to the desktop, and start presentation.

A reduced sized photographic reproduction of printed information on reel to reel film (microfilm) or film cards (microfiche) or opaque pages that can be read with a microform reader/printer. We still have a small collection of microform documents located in the white cabinets in front of the Government Documents. If a user requests to use one of these items, direct them to the Access Services Supervisor or Information Services Librarian.

An information source published in multiple parts at regular intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, biannually). Journals, magazines, and newspapers are all periodicals. Upstairs, before the Stacks, we have a section for Current Periodicals and Bound Periodicals. These are non-circulating and for in-library use only. These contain recent issues of popular and/or local periodicals (mostly newspapers and journals), as well as older archival issues bound together as complete volumes. Our online databases also have access to a vast amount of periodicals.

Primary Sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it. Primary sources can include:

Texts of laws and other original documents.
Newspaper reports, by reporters who witnessed an event or who quote people who did.
Speeches, diaries, letters and interviews - what the people involved said or wrote.
Original research.
Datasets, survey data, such as census or economic statistics.
Photographs, video, or audio that capture an event.

1. A service that helps people find needed information. 2. Sometimes "reference" refers to reference collections, such as encyclopedias, indexes, handbooks, directories, etc. 3. A citation to a work is also known as a reference.

In the IU Kokomo Library, reference services include the Research Help Desk, as well as virtual services like chat and email. Liaison librarians also conduct reference when they meet with users one-on-one to discuss their research.

Non-circulating collection of books which are broadly applicable across disciplines or required to have on-site for specific questions. At the IU Kokomo Library, this collection is labeled REFDESK and shelved behind the Research Help Desk.

Recommending, interpreting, evaluating and/or using information resources to meet users information needs. Primarily refers to interactions at the Research Help Desk and consultations with librarians in person, over the phone, or online via chat, email, or virtual meeting.

A lengthening (or extension) of the loan period for library materials. Renewals can be made in person, over the phone, or online via IUCAT.

Materials that are placed for use by faculty/staff members. Items on reserve: textbooks or other course materials provided by faculty for students to use for a short period of time (usually 2 hours) and typically only for in-library use; headphones; charging cables; whiteboard materials; laptops; Blu-Ray drive; digital camera and video camera; drawing tablet; keyboard; podcast kit; and other items. Certain items are for faculty use only, and all items have a shortened loan period. Exact details are on the Canvas page and in the Reserves binder. The Reserves are located on the bottom right shelf behind the circulation desk, bottom left shelf (for cables and whiteboard materials), in the drawer labeled Headphones, and in the cabinet behind the Research Help Desk labeled Library Equipment.

Articles written by scholars or professionals who are experts in their fields. In the sciences and social sciences, they often publish research results.

"Secondary Sources are one step removed from primary sources, though they often quote or otherwise use primary sources. They can cover the same topic, but add a layer of interpretation and analysis. Secondary sources can include:
Most books about a topic.
Analysis or interpretation of data.
Scholarly or other articles about a topic, especially by people not directly involved.
Documentaries (though they often include photos or video portions that can be considered primary sources)"

Publications such as journals, magazines and newspapers that are generally published multiple times per year, month, or week. Serials usually have number volumes and issues. The words journal, magazine, periodical, and serial may be used interchangeably.

Interlibrary loan service where you can only request physical materials within the state of Indiana.

Bookshelves that store library collections. On the second floor of the library where the majority of our circulation collection is located.

Descriptions of an information source’s content assigned to make finding information easier. IUCAT uses Library of Congress Subject Headings.

Superintendent of Documents. SuDoc is the cataloging system used for the Government Documents collection.

"A technical services librarian specializes in acquiring, organizing and preserving all kinds of library materials" (ALA).

In the IU Kokomo Library, Technical Services refers to the acquisition, processing, and cataloging of materials. Martha Barker is the librarian responsible for technical services, and Brenna Taitano is the Technical Services Assistant.

Interlibrary loan service where you can request materials from libraries around the world.

UITS assists students, faculty, and staff with any technological issues that may arise.

The program that the library uses to run its operations, mainly for circulation and cataloging. WorkFlows is the desktop client software of the SirsiDynix system.

The staff of the Writing Center works to provide an assessment of an academic support for student writing skills in all disciplines through the creation of a caring and friendly environment conducive to learning. The Writing Center and its staff work in conjunction with the library staff to enhance students' understanding of writing and conducting research in an academic environment. Additionally, the Writing Center provides ESL tutoring, one-on-one tutoring sessions, workshops, and reference materials.