Ask a librarian
Click on this link to contact a library staff member
and ask a question about library resources or services
Call number
The numeric or alphanumeric identifier assigned to
an item; this unique number is used to shelve and locate items in the Library
collection; at Brown we use the Library of Congress call numbers for most of our
collections and some local call number schemes. For example: LB1574.5
.G72 2006 located on the 4th floor of the Rockefeller
Library.
Carrel
A study space and desk reserved for graduate
students and faculty. Carrels can be requested at the Service Desks at the
Rockefeller Library and the Sciences Library. See carrel availability at: https://josiah.brown.edu/search?/rCarrels
Checkout
Borrow library materials using a Brown ID
Citation
A brief description of a text (book, article, report, World Wide Web page, or other) that has been quoted, paraphrased,
or used as an authority. A complete citation for a book includes author, title, place of publication, publisher, and year. A complete citation for a periodical or magazine article includ author and title of the article, title of the periodical, volume number, page numbers, and the dates.
The elements of a complete citation for other types of publications are different. Furthermore, even for the same type of publication, the exact arrangement and formatting of a citation is dictated by a style manual. The choice of style manual depends on the discipline or subject matter. Faculty
members and librarians will provide guidance to students as to which style manual to use for formatting complete citations.
Collections Annex
Location where the Library houses materials with low circulation or in need of preservation. Items from the Annex can be requested by clicking on the “Request It” button in Josiah and the material will delivered to campus. Journal articles will be scanned and sent as an email attachment.
Course reserves
See OCRA
Databases
A collection of information in electronic format,
searchable by a computer. Encompasses online bibliographies, catalogs and
indexes. May include journal articles, book chapters or full books. Also
called e-resources
Digital
The Library's Center
for Digital Initiatives is responsible for production of digital
materials for use in scholarship and teaching efforts at Brown. See also Electronic
easyBorrow
Borrow books from other libraries with a simple search and request form.
Electronic
Information transmitted by means of a computer
including resources available on the Web. Users of the Brown University
Library have access to Electronic books and Electronic journals.
Find
It
Software that enables searchers to link from a database citation to a full-text article or another bibliographic tool;
Free Internet Resources
Resources available on the Internet which require no
fee and no access restriction; also
referred to as free web.
Hold
A way to
request to be notified when library materials checked out by another user
have been returned
Holdings
Individual items held by a library in any format
Indexing
A list of names, terms or keywords that guide readers to
the contents of books, periodical articles, images, and other published items.
ILLiad
Use your ILLiad account to submit, review and track
your Interlibrary Loan requests as well as request renewals for items
currently charged out through Interlibrary Loan. You can also elect to
receive requested articles electronically
Interlibrary
Loan (ILL)
A way to
obtain materials such as a book or a copy of an article from another library. See easyBorrow and ILLiad
About the Libraries
A brief description of the seven facilities of the
Brown University Library.
Loan period
The length of time library materials can be borrowed;
the day the loan period ends is called the due date
Media
In libraries, the term is used to describe print and
non-print materials such as DVDs, films, recordings,
slides & digital; media are located at
the Orwig Music Library, the Sciences
Library, the John
Hay Library.
Microforms
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 special reader.
OCRA
Online Course Reserves Access: a service that
manages the circulation of electronice course materials selected by
professors or teaching assistants
Off-Campus Access Service
License agreements for most of the Library's electronic
resources permit access from off campus only to current University students, faculty and staff. Brown users must authenticate with a Brown
username and password before gaining access to these licensed resources.
Online
Any capability available or work done directly on a
computer
OPAC
Online Public Access Catalog: at Brown the online
catalog is called Josiah
Oversized
Items of a large size; at the Brown Library these
items are marked 1-SIZE, 2-SIZE or 3-SIZE. For additional information go to:
https://library.brown.edu/about/rock/Rstackguide.php for the Rock and https://library.brown.edu/about/scili/Sstackguide.php for Sciences
Periodical
A publication appearing or intended to appear
indefinitely at regular or stated intervals, generally more frequently than
annually, each issue of which normally contains separate articles, stories,
or other writings
Recall
A request for the return of library materials before
the end of the loan period or due date
Renewal
The process of extending the loan period of library
materials. Most renewals can be done online.
Request This
Josiah-linked service includes recalling an item in the
catalog that was checked out by another user or having the Annex scan and
send an article.
Resource guide
Prepared by subject librarians, these guides offer a list
of resources in specific subject areas
Reserve
Book, article, video, or other resource that a faculty has
indicated to be read or viewed for class. The item is typically located at the
circulation desk and may circulate for a shorter loan time. For electronic reserves, see OCRA.
Serial
A publication in any medium issued in successive
parts bearing numeric or chronological designations and intended to be
appearing indefinitely
Service Desk
Place where you check out, return, and inquire about
the location of library materials and ask for assistance or information about
library resources and services. At the Sciences Library the desk is on Level
A.
Special Collections
The John Hay Library houses those materials which
require special handling and preservation. While many of the items in Special
Collections are rare or unique, a majority of the materials are part of large
subject-oriented collections which are maintained as discrete units.
Stacks
The area where library collections are shelved;
"open" stacks allow all users to browse through collections while
"closed" stacks are only accessible to library staff
Subject Librarians
Librarians specialized in specific subject areas;
their role is to assist faculty and students in conducting their research,
acquire materials needed for teaching and research, and inform the Brown
community of the services and resources offered by the Library.
Selected Library Glossaries
Library terminology (Brigham Young University, available in English, French, German, and Spanish
Multilingual glossary for today's library users (Academic & Research Libraries Intruction Section)
