Many may find some terms used in the library unfamiliar. This page will provide you with a list of some common terms and their definitions, which may help you as you conduct library research. You can also access a glossary of library terms translated in 6 languages (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish, and Arabic)
Understanding library jargon can be difficult for anyone who is not a regular user of the library.
This glossary guide consists of commonly used terms in academic libraries today.
The Glossary is divided into two parts: (1) the Language Table, which presents a list of these terms in seven languages, and (2) the Definitions, which give explanations in English for each of the terms.
Here is a list of some commonly used Library Terms.
Bibliography: A source which contains a list of citations to books, articles, or other documents, usually related to a particular topic.
Call number: A sequence of numbers and/or letters used to identify a particular item in a collection and to place the item in its proper place on the shelf. The Library of Congress classification system is used at Manhattanville. (Example: HM1206.S72 2013)
Circulation (Borrow/Return, Get Quick Help): The department in a library responsible for checking out books, checking in books, and other tasks related to the circulation of materials
Citation (or bibliographic citation): The information needed for someone to find an item. For example, the bibliographic citation for a book would contain the Title, Author or Editor, Edition, Place of Publication, Publisher and Year of Publication. The bibliographic citation for an article would contain the Title of the Article, Author of the Article, Title of the Periodical, Volume Number, Issue Number (or sometimes the month and date), Year of Publication, and the Page Numbers.
Course Reserve: A special collection of materials deposited by faculty members for use by students for a limited time period. Ask at the Library Desk to obtain course reserves.
Database: A database is an organized collection of computer records. The most common type of library databases consists of records describing articles in periodicals. By entering search terms related to a topic, patrons are able to retrieve information about articles of interest from the database. Check the library website for a list of available databases in various disciplines (for example: Academic Search Premier, Proquest General)
Desensitizer: A magnetic device that deactivates the security strip placed inside a book, etc.
Library Catalog/Quick Search/WMS: The online system used for finding books, videos, and other materials owned by the Manhattanville library.
Illiad: A service which allows students, faculty, and staff to borrow books from member libraries at several other colleges and public libraries provided that those books or periodicals are not available in the Manhattanville Library.
Interlibrary loan (ILL): An interlibrary loan/document delivery service for Manhattanville for students, faculty, and staff to obtain books, magazine or journal articles not available from the Manhattanville College Library. At Manhattanville our ILL system is called Illiad.
ISBN: International Standard Book Number. A unique 10-digit code assigned to a specific edition of a book before it is published.
ISSN: International Standard Serial Number. A unique 8-digit code assigned to the specific title of a serial.
Journals A-Z: A search tool on the library website used to determine the date ranges and formats of all the journals and magazines the library subscribes to or has access to (to let you know whether we have a particular publication). At Manhattanville, it is called Journals A-Z located on the library homepage.
Libguides: See Research Guides
Library of Congress classification system: The classification system developed by the library of Congress which divides knowledge into subject areas. This system is used for cataloging books and also for shelving purposes.
Library Liaison: Librarian assigned to specific Manhattanville academic program who is familiar with the discipline and course requirements. Students are encouraged to set up Research Consultations appointments to assist them with their research ( for example: Art, Business, History, Psychology, and Physics).
Periodical: A publication that is produced at regular intervals, or "periodically", under the same title and is intended to appear indefinitely ( for example magazines, newspapers, journals)
Reference Collection: Books not meant to be read cover-to-cover, such as dictionaries, handbooks, and encyclopedias, shelved together in a special section of the library called the reference area. These books cannot be checked out of the Library and must be used in the building.
Research Guides (also called LibGuides): Collection of print and electronic resources created by each academic liaison librarian, specific to their discipline; available on the library website. The purpose of the research guide is to help student with their research in various disciplines.
Scholarly journal: A periodical which contains articles written by researchers or professionals in a particular subject or discipline, supported by in depth research, and bibliographies/references to all articles. Also called refereed or peer-reviewed journal.
Special Collections: The Special Collections Department houses rare, unique or historically significant items within the Manhattanville Library. The department encompasses both the Rare Book Collection and the Manhattanville Archives.
Style Manual: Special handbooks that illustrate the accepted forms for citing references in bibliographies, footnotes, and endnotes. Some style manuals are for general use. Others are published by professional associations as form guides for articles in journals in that field of knowledge and research. (For example, MLA, APA, and Chicago)