ABSTRACT - This term can be used in three ways: (1) A short summary of an article in a scholarly journal. It usually appears at the beginning of the article. (2) An index to journal articles that not only provides a citation to the articles, but also gives a brief summary on each article. (3) A summary of a paper presented at a conference. The full text of the paper is not always published.

ARTICLE - A (brief) essay or research report on a subject. Articles can appear in magazines, journals, newspapers, or other sources such as encyclopedias.

AUDIOVISUAL - Information in a form other than words printed on paper. Examples include slides, audio tapes, compact discs, video cassettes, records, and computer software.

AUTHOR - The writer of a book or article. Usually this is a person (or perhaps two or three people), but it can also be a government agency, a symposium, a company, or other group that does not necessarily give the name(s) of the people who actually wrote the work.

BAR CODE - A small white label with closely spaced black stripes that can be read by a computer. Bar codes on books and on your student identification card are used to charge out books from the library.

BIBLIOGRAPHY - This term can be used in two ways: (1) References used while doing research for an article or book. These are gathered together at the end of the work, usually arranged alphabetically by author. (2) A publication that consists only of a list of books, articles and other works on a particular topic. Sometimes bibliographies are annotated; that is, they include brief abstracts summarizing the important features of the works. Bibliographies of both types can be very valuable in locating information on a subject.

CALL NUMBER - The number given to each book acquired by the Libraries.

CITATION - Complete information about a specific item. It may be a reference to a text that has been quoted, or to some source that has been used as an authority. A citation for a book includes author, title, place of publication, publisher, and year. A citation for an article in a periodical includes author, title of the article, title of the periodical, volume number, pages, and date. A single citation is sometimes called a reference. A group of citations gathered together is usually called a bibliography.

DATABASE - An electronic collection of information, often of citations to materials on a particular subject.

DUE DATE - The date stamped in the front of the book that reminds you when the book must be returned to the library. If you need to use the book for a longer time, you may renew it. If a book is returned after its due date, you will have to pay a fine.

FINE - The amount of money you will owe if you keep library materials past the due date. Your fine will equal the number of days an item is overdue times the number of items overdue.

INDEX - This term can be used in two ways. (1) A list of subjects discussed in a book. (2) A list of journal articles arranged by subject and/or author. The Libraries have indexes of this second type on many different subjects. Ask a Reference Librarian for advice in choosing the most appropriate index.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN - Borrowing a book or getting a copy of an article from another library. You can use this service (that is sometimes called "I L L") to obtain items that are not owned by the College for Women Library.

JOURNAL - A publication that contains scholarly articles written either by professors, researchers, or experts in a subject area. An abstract and a bibliography often appear with each article.

MAGAZINE - A periodical intended for the general public rather than for scholars. Examples are Newsweek, Time, and Business Week.

OVERDUE [books] - A book that has not been returned by the due date is said to be "overdue." The Libraries charge fines of 250 fils per book per day for books which are overdue.

PERIODICAL - A publication that appears on a continuous and predictable schedule. Examples include newspapers (daily or weekly), magazines, and journals.

REFERENCE DESK - A place where librarians give you directions, answer your questions, and show you how to find and use materials.

RENEW - To extend the due date for a book.

RESERVE - A collection of books set aside by professors for use by students in particular classes.