• Main
• Introduction
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• App. A
• App. B
• App. C
• App. D

APPENDIX C A SELECTIVE GLOSSARY OF LIBRARY TERMS AND INITIALISMS

AACR2R

Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd Edition Revised - The standardized cataloging formats of library materials used by most English speaking countries in the world. AACR1 was developed by American, British, and Canadian librarians in 1964 and revised in 1978 under the title AACR2. The title of the current standard is AACR2R, revised in 1998.

ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

Libraries in two- or four-year colleges or universities which serve the students and faculties of their institutions.

ACCREDITED LIBRARY SCHOOL

A college or university offering a library education program meeting American Library Association standards and officially accredited by the ALA Committee on Accreditation.

ACQUISITION

The process of acquiring library materials which make up the library's collection.

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Lay people elected by lay representatives from among their group to advise a Texas public library system.

ALA

American Library Association - Founded in 1876, the oldest and largest national library association in the world. Membership includes libraries, librarians, and anyone interested in libraries. Goal: promoting and improving library service and librarianship and providing life-long learning services to all.

ALTA

American Library Trustees Association - Lay persons' division within the American Library Association.

AMIGOS

Amigos Library Services is membership-based, non-profit library network offering OCLC access and support as well as other information technology products and services to almost 600 member libraries in the southwestern United States.

ARCHIVES COMMISSION

See Texas State Library and Archives Commission

ASIS

American Society for Information Science.

AV

Audiovisual Materials - Nonbook materials such as tapes, slides, filmstrips, recordings, videos, motion pictures, and compact discs.

BI

Bibliographic Instruction -- Programs of library instruction designed to help library users improve their skills in using library resources. Their objective is to help users take maximum advantage of library resources to meet their information needs.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC UTILITY

Electronic database providing cataloging data for millions of books and audiovisual materials.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primarily used to describe a listing of sources of information on a given subject or of works by a given author.

BIP

Books in Print -- Annual publication of the R.R. Bowker Company divided into author, title, and publisher volumes that list those books available for purchase from publishers' stocks. Entries include author, title, publisher, ISBN, and LCCN and price when available. Subject Guide to Books in Print, also published annually, is purchased separately and includes the same bibliographic data, but is arranged by subject. BIP can be accessed electronically through the Texas State Electronic Library.

BOOK JOBBER

See Jobber

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CALL NUMBER

The set of symbols identifying a particular item in a library collection and indicating its location. Usually includes a subject classification number and a book number or letters of the author's surname.

CARD CATALOG

An author, title, and subject listing of a library's holdings or collection on 3"x5" cards.

CATV

Cable television, originally called Community Antenna Television.

CIRCULATION

The library activity of lending materials to borrowers and the library recordings of such loans. Term is also used to mean library department or "station" within the library which checks materials out to users and receives returned materials. Circulation also is used to mean statistics showing extent of use of the library through the count of materials checked out.

COG

Council of Governments - Regional planning councils established in Texas through enabling legislation in 1965. There are currently 24 such councils serving designated counties. County and municipal governments may or may not members.

COLLECTION

The library's total accumulation of materials, (the books, films, CD's, audiocassettes, videocassettes, etc.) which make up what the library owns for its users.

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT FORMULA

A formula developed by each of the Texas regional library systems to designate how/if system funds will be allocated to member libraries for the purchase of library materials for local use.

CONSORTIUM

See Network

COPYRIGHT

The right granted by a government to an author, composer, or artist for control the publication, sale, and reproduction of the work. The U.S. Copyright Law was significantly revised in 1978, with potentially far-reaching consequences for copyright holders, librarians and library users.

DATABASE

A systematically organized collection on information. Most often refers to data stored in a computer system to be extracted electronically.

DDC

Dewey Decimal Classification - A system for classifying and shelving books and other library materials which utilizes a hierarchical scheme which has 10 major divisions, from 000 (General Works) through 900 (History). Each of the 10 divisions contains 10 subdivisions.

DICTIONARY CATALOG

A catalog in which all the entries (author, title, subject, series, etc.) and their related references are arranged together in one alphabet.

DIRECT ORDER

An order for library materials that is placed directly with a publisher rather than with a jobber that handles the materials of a number of publishers.

ESC

Education Service Center - One of the 20 regional centers in Texas established to provide services for school districts. Services provided can include a film/video library, continuing education, consulting and training.

ESL

English as a Second Language

F&TRT

Friends and Trustees Round Table - Lay persons' round table of TLA.

FAX

Facsimile Transmission - The process of sending printed material from one point to another by electronic means such as telephone, radio, and computer. The image is usually scanned at the transmitting point, converted into electronic impulses, and is reconverted in an exact duplicate by the receiving unit.

FOLUSA

Friends of Libraries USA - Affiliated organization of ALA.

FTRF

Freedom to Read Foundation - An ALA foundation with membership separate from the general membership and devoted to raising funds to promote and protect intellectual freedom in American libraries; and to provide legal counsel, or the means to secure it, to libraries and librarians engaged in litigation arising from their efforts to resist censorship.

FY

Fiscal Year - A 12-month accounting period based upon the established budget of the organization. The fiscal year of the State of Texas is September through August. The federal fiscal year is October through September.

HEA

Higher Education Act

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ILL

Interlibrary Loan - Loans of materials between independent libraries.

INFORMATION

The total of recorded human experience, plus the unrecorded experience that is available only from human resources, to which librarians and library users may refer.

INFORMATION SCIENCE

The study of how humans create, use and communicate information.

INSTITUTIONAL LIBRARIES

Libraries located in a prison, hospital, nursing home or other similar residential facility.

INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM COMMITTEE

A TLA committee devoted to the interests, issues and activities of intellectual freedom.

INTERNET

Global system of computer networks for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information.

ILS

Integrated Library System

ISBN

International Standard Book Number (ISBN) -- A number given to a book before publication as a means of identifying it concisely, uniquely, and unambiguously. The numbering system is administered among cooperating publishers in participating countries.

ISDN

Integrated Services Digital Network.

ISSN

International Standard Serial Number.

JOBBER

A dealer who buys from publishers and sells to libraries and bookstores. Synonymous with wholesaler and vendor.

LAY REPRESENTATIVE

Under the Texas Library Systems Act, a citizen (one who does not work for a local library) who is appointed to represent that library and vote for that library in system affairs. A lay representative can stand for election to the system's Advisory Council.

LC

Library of Congress - Established as the research library for Congress, it acts as the National Library with more than 17 million books, manuscripts, maps, etc.

LCCN

Library of Congress Classification Number.

LCSH

Library of Congress Subject Headings - Subject headings developed, maintained and published by the Library of Congress and used in many library catalogs.

LIBRARY

A place where all types of information is stored, systematically organized, and made available for use. A library may also be called an Information Center, Media Center, Learning Resource Center or Instructional Materials Center.

LIBRARY CONSULTANT

an external expert commissioned by a library to give professional or technical advice on planning, management, operations, physical facilities, or other areas of concern.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

A system developed by the Library of Congress for classifying and shelving library materials.

LIBRARY SYSTEM

Two or more public libraries cooperating in a system approved by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to improve library service and to make resources accessible to all residents served by the member libraries.

LRC

Learning Resources Center - See Library

LSA

Texas Library Systems Act - Texas legislation passed in 1969 and revised by subsequent legislatures to provide for the establishment and operation of a state library system consisting of interrelated cooperating library systems.

LSCA

Library Services and Construction Act - Federal legislation passed in 1956 and amended in 1965, 1977 and 1986, providing funds for public library development. Under the various titles of the act, funds have been made available for construction of facilities, interlibrary cooperative efforts, and other library development activities. In 1997, replaced by LSTA.

LSTA

Library Services and Technology Act - Beginning in 1997, this federal program replaced the LSCA. Administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, LSTA emphasizes library integration of technology and development of programs to underserved populations with a collaborative approach to library services.

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MAGNETIC TAPE (MAG TAPE)

A tape of any materials impregnated or coated with magnetic particles, on which audio and video signals and digital data can be recorded.

MARC

Machine Readable Cataloging - Developed by the Library of Congress as a standard bibliographic format for the exchange of machine-readable bibliographic information.

MEDIA

Materials in all formats and all channels of communication that serve as carriers of information.

MICROFILM

Photographic films containing micro-images. The term normally refers to roll film sufficiently long to be placed on reels, cartridges, or cassettes and retrieved by manual or automatic means. Images may be positive or negative and rolls may be 8, 16, 35 or 70mm wide and up to several thousand feet long. Special equipment is required to read microfilm.

MICROFICHE

A flat sheet of photographic film usually, 4" x 6" or 3" x 5", containing micro-images in a grid pattern. Special equipment is required to read microfiche.

MICROFORMS

A term which includes microfiche, micro-opaques, and microfilm. Microforms greatly reduce the space required to store graphics and printed matter. Special equipment is usually required to read microforms.

MLS

Master of Library Science Degree - The standard degree for a professional librarian. The American Library Association accredits MLS programs that meet certain standards. Accredited programs in Texas are provided at the University of North Texas, Texas Woman's University and the University of Texas at Austin.

MLIS

Master of Library and Information Sciences Degree - See MLS

MRC

Major Resource Center - A public library in Texas designated as the headquarters library for a library system for resource sharing and other services.

MULTITYPE SYSTEM

An organization comprised of libraries of more than one type. Libraries are generally divided into four types: Public, School, Academic, and Special.

NCLIS

National Commission on Library and Information Science - Established by Congress in 1970 to advise the President and the Congress on fulfilling the national policy for developing plans in meeting national library and information needs and on coordinating activities at the federal, state and local levels.

NETWORK

A group of libraries joined together to pursue common goals called a network, consortium, or system. NON-PRINT -- See Audiovisual materials

NON-RESIDENT

A person who neither resides within nor pays taxes to the government jurisdiction that provides public library services and operates a public library.

OCLC

Online Computer Library Center - A non-profit computer service and research organization whose network and services link more than 30,000 libraries in 65 countries and territories. OCLC help libraries locate, acquire, catalog, access, and lend library materials. OIF -- Office of Intellectual Freedom - An office of ALA encompassing all intellectual freedom issues and activities.

ONLINE SYSTEM

Connection of a remote user computer to a central computer through telecommunications.

OPAC

Online Public Access Catalog - See PAC

OUTPUT MEASURES

Methods used to measure a library's performance as determined by use of the library's services and resources, and designed to reflect results or outcomes.

PAC

Public Access Catalog -The term refers to a library's public catalog or index that is in machine-readable form and is accessed by computers.

PAC

Political Action Committee - One example is the TL-PAC.

PERIODICAL

A publication appearing, or intending to appear, at regular or stated intervals, generally more frequently than annually.

PLA

Public Library Association - An association within ALA devoted to issues and activities of American public libraries.

PLANT

Public Library Administrators of North Texas (PLANT) - An organization of public library directors whose purpose is "to better public library service within the North Texas area through the cooperation and mutual aids of all public library administrators." Membership is by invitation.

PLD

Public Library Division - A division within TLA devoted to issues and activities of Texas public libraries.

PROCESSING

A catchall term generally indicating the preparation of books and other materials so they can be placed in circulation. Processing may include cataloging, making protective covers, and the preparation of catalog cards or catalog information in machine-readable format.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

A library that is operated by a single public agency or board, that is freely open to all persons under identical conditions, and that received its financial support in whole or in part from public funds.

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RECIPROCAL BORROWING

The extension of lending privileges to citizens of other communities or libraries. RFI -- Request for Information - A document used to solicit information from prospective bidders in order to prepare or consider preparing a Request for Proposal. RFP -- Request for Proposal (RFP) - A document used to solicit proposals from bidders to design or supply a service.

ROTATING COLLECTION

Any collection of materials supplied by a central organization to the individual libraries to be used in each library as part of its own collection for a period of time before being rotated to another library.

SCHOOL LIBRARIES

Libraries which are a part of a school system and provide materials and services for use by students and teachers. Frequently called Learning Resource Centers or Media Centers.

SEARS

An authority file of subject headings used by many small and medium sized libraries. Full title of the list: Sears List of Subject Headings.

SHARED CATALOGING

Any organized effort to share the cost and the benefits or providing bibliographic descriptions of commonly held collection items. Now usually refers to automated cataloging systems such as OCLC.

SHELFLIST

A catalog of items in a library collection arranged by call number. SLA -- Special Library Association - An association within ALA devoted to issues and activities of special libraries.

SPECIAL LIBRARIES

Libraries which are privately or publicly supported information centers in business, industries, government agencies, institutions of higher education, research organizations, museums, etc.

STACK(S)

A series of bookcases, or sections of shelving, arranged in rows or ranges, freestanding or multi-tiered, for the storage of a library's principle collection.

TEA

Texas Education Agency

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

The transmission of data between remote locations. Common methods include modem, ISDN, T-1, radio, microwave, and fiber optic.

TEXAS STATE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES COMMISSION (TSLAC)

Six lay persons, appointed by the Governor, to govern the agency called Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Often called "The Archives Commission."

TEXNET

The statewide interlibrary lending network financed by federal funds and available to all public, academic, and special libraries in Texas.

TEXSHARE

The cooperative program for library services to patrons of Texas institutions of higher education and public libraries.

TIF

Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund

TLA

Texas Library Association - An organization, founded in 1902, of librarians, library workers, and others interested in the promotion and improvement of library service in Texas. Membership is open to individuals and organizations.

TL-PAC

Texas Library Political Action Committee - Funded by private donations, this committee lobbies for legislation compatible with the goals of all types of libraries.

TML

Texas Municipal League

TMLDA

Texas Municipal Library Directors Association

TSL

See TSLAC

TSLAC

Texas State Library and Archives Commission - An agency of the Texas state government, also known as the Texas State Library, charged with many functions, including aiding and encouraging the development of libraries; collecting, preserving, classifying, and publishing manuscripts relating to Texas history; and serving the reading needs of the state's blind and physically handicapped citizens.

VENDOR

An individual or company that buys and sells books or other materials acquired by libraries.

VERTICAL FILE

A collection of materials such as pamphlets, clippings, and pictures which, because of their shape and often ephemeral nature, are filed vertically in drawers for easy reference.

WEED (OR WEEDING)

To select items from a library collection for withdrawal or for transfer to storage area.

WEIGHTED VOTING

A method of assigning a relative weight to each lay person's vote in a Texas library system. The weight must be based on a population served by the library the lay person in representing. The weighted votes are required under the Rules and Regulations of the Texas Library Systems Act.

WHCLIS

White House Conference on Library and Information Services - A national conference of lay people and librarians who evaluate and plan for library services. The first such conference was held in Washington in November 1979; the second was held in July 1991.

WWW

World Wide Web - Global network of information servers that use a specific protocol for communication. Z39.50 -- A protocol which provides library users easy access to other libraries' automated systems.

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