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Library Definitions A - H
- abstract - summary of a book or articles
- articles - essays written on specific topics usually found in periodicals
- Boolean operators - words such as AND, OR, NOT that can be combined with search terms to retrieve precise information
- call number - a group of letters and numbers assigned to each item in the library used to organize information by subject
- circulation desk - area on the 2nd floor near the elevators where you can apply for a library card and check out library materials
- citation - information needed to locate a particular book or article (e.g., author, title, page numbers, etc.)
- database - collection of information organized for retrieval by a computer program which can be searched with key words or
- full-text - in a database, information available in its complete form sometimes without pictures or other graphics
- government documents - publications issued by or with the authority of a governmental agency (e.g., U.S. Department of Education)
I - Q
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Internet - worldwide network of computers linking individuals, businesses, organizations, schools, etc.
- journals - regularly issued publications (i.e., periodicals) that contains articles usually documenting research studies written by experts for other experts in a subject area
- key words - in a database, important terms related to a topic of interest that can be combined in a search statement to pinpoint useful information on a topic
- microfiche (also fiche) & microfilm (also film) - photographic film that stores information (e.g., magazine issue) in a reduced format that can be copied onto paper using a special printer
- NHMCCD online catalog - database that you can search for books, government documents, videocassettes, and audiocassettes owned by North Harris, Kingwood, Tomball, and Montgomery Colleges and Montgomery County Public Libraries
- paper index - alphabetical listing, usually by subject and author, of the contents of a specified group of periodicals published during a specified time period
- periodicals - publications published on a regular schedule (e.g., monthly, quarterly, etc.), such as journals, magazines, or newspapers
- Periodicals Holdings List - alphabetical collection of magazines, journals, and newspapers owned by North Harris and other NHMCCD colleges
- phrase search - in a database, using a designated symbol or other specified method to locate words adjacent to each other in a sentence or paragraph
- ProQuest Direct - online database including articles from periodicals, most useful for current topic research which can be searched by subject headings or key words
R - Z
- reference desk - area on the 3rd floor near the elevators where you can ask for help from a librarian
- search engine - a computer program that looks for information on the World Wide Web using key words that a user specifies and provides a list of results including those key words
- search statement - key words or subject headings strategically organized with Boolean operators, phrase search, and/or truncation, to retrieve information from a database
- subject headings - designated words chosen by a database or paper index to describe topics
- truncation - in a database, using a specified character after a root word (e.g., psych?) to retrieve all words beginning with a common root (e.g., psychology, psychiatry, etc.)
- World Wide Web - portion of the Internet (accessed through software such as Internet Explorer) that provides information via text, graphics, sound, and/or video
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