A
Abridged
When a text is shortened by omissions while retaining its basic contents.
Abstract
A brief summary of the main points of a book, article or other work that helps users decide whether the content is relevant to their search.
Accessibility
Accessibility is a function that some web sites are designed with in order for them to be more accessible for people with disabilities or for people using mobile devices. Features include Access keys to navigate the site without a mouse and functions to increase and decrease the font size throughout the site.
Airpac
The library catalogue for wireless devices. Airpac can be used to search the catalogue and request and renew on a WAP enabled mobile phone or similar device. See also WAP.
Akozone
The word Akozone is a combination of the Māori and Polynesian word 'ako' (to teach and learn), and the English word zone. There are Akozone centres in most of the Auckland City Libraries. The services available include free internet access, computer tutorials, after-school homework help, scanning, printing, and copying facilites. See Akozone centres for more information.
Annotation
A note or series of notes of explanation added to a text.
Anthology
A collection of selected writing either by various authors, but in the same literary form, of the same period, on the same subject or a collection of selected writings all by one author.
Appendix
A collection of supplementary material, usually of an explanatory, statistical, or bibliographic nature, found at the end of a book.
Archives
The documents kept in the Auckland City Archives are the archival minute books, correspondence and ledgers of the Auckland City Council and those of all the former regional authorities before they amalgamated to become one. They are now available for research by the public.
Atlas
A collection of maps in book form or multimedia format.
Audiobook
An audiobook is a recording that is primarily of the spoken word as opposed to music. An oral reading of a book will often be in abridged form. Audiobooks are usually distributed on CDs, cassette tapes and/or downloadable digital formats (e.g., MP3 and Windows Media Audio.
Autobiography
A story of a person’s life, written by that person. See also Memoir.
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B
Bibliography
A list of items arranged in a logical order and having a common principle, such as author, subject or place of publication. A bibliography is often found at the end of a book or article, as listed references of the sources referred to in the text.
Biography
A written account of a person’s life, or a portion of their life.
Blog
Blog is short for web log, and our web pages that work as a journal that are normally updated daily. Blogging sites can provide excellent information on many topics, although content can be subjective.
Book of Hours
A book of hours is a prayer book to be read in private by ordinary people. Books of hours were extremely popular from the late thirteenth century onwards. They were often profusely illuminated in gold, and decorated with miniatures and elaborate borders. For information about Auckland City Libraries collection of medieval documents see the Special collections.
Boolean
Boolean searching allows the user to combine words or phrases using basic commands such as AND, OR, and NOT in order to limit or expand a search. An explanation of how to use boolean searching can be found in the help section of most databases.
Bound periodical
A term referring to pages, sheets or issues of periodicals which have been covered by a binding, usually hardback, to create a single Volume. This process is used in libraries to preserve items for long term use.
Browser
Software program used to view web pages. Common browsers include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape, and Safari.
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C
Call number
The combination of letters and numbers assigned to each item held in the library. The letters and numbers describe its subject matter and serves as its address on the shelf.
CD-ROM
(Compact Disk Read Only Memory) that holds thousands of pages of information. In the library, some journal indexes and other reference sources are available on CD-ROM.
Circulation desk
The circulation desk is the place to get items issued, renew items or pick-up items requested through the inter-loan service. Overdue fines are also paid at this desk.
Citation
A brief description of a book, article or other work that gives enough key information on the author, title, date, publisher, and page numbers, that it can be found.
Classification
Systems of arranging books and other materials, especially according to subject or format.
Copyright
Copyright is a form of legal protection to the authors of "original works of authorship," including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works.
Cross-reference
Directions that lead you from one subject or name to another in a catalogue or index. For example: Groundwater SEE Water, Underground.
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D
Database
An online collection of information that can usually be searched by a variety of methods (keyword, title, location, etc). Databases are usually large, frequently updated, and focus on a particular subject or field. Databases are often used to index articles within magazines or newspapers. Auckland City Libraries offers a large range of databases via the Digital Library.
Dewey Decimal system
The Dewey Decimal system is a hierachical system for classifying books and other library materials by subject, first published in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. Non-fiction titles have numbers on their spines which are frequently called shelf-numbers or call numbers - these numbers are derived from the Dewey sequence.
Dictionary
A book of alphabetically listed words in a language with generally accepted definitions, etymologies, pronunciations, and other information.
Digest
Digests are collections of previously published articles, essays or reports in an edited or condensed form. The content can consist of literary, historical, scientific or legal material.
Digital Library
A collection of resources available in electronic format. Auckland City Libraries' Digital Library includes fulltext databases, index databases, e-books and image databases. To access the Digital Library you will need your library barcode and PIN number.
If you are not currently a member and would like to join, please visit our membership information page.
Dissertation
A formal discourse in writing or in speech. See also Thesis.
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E
Edition
Some books are revised and republished, particularly reference books. New versions are called a "revised" or "second" editions. Subsequent editions are numbered sequentially. The latest edition is the most current, but older editions may contain useful information deleted from later editions.
eLGAR
eLGAR stands for electronic Libraries for a Greater Auckland Region, which is an informal association of the public libraries of Auckland including Auckland City, Manukau, North Shore, Rodney and Waitakere libraries. These libraries have undertaken a number of collaborative ventures the largest of which has been to jointly purchase and operate library management software. The five eLGAR libraries serve a population of approximately 1,200,000 people.
Encyclopedia
A reference book containing articles on various topics in alphabetical order, often in more than one volume. Less commonly, encyclopedias contain information limited to a special field or subject. Encyclopedias can also come in the form of databases and electronic archives.
Ephemera
Material such as pamphlets, newspaper cuttings, posters, menus, etc. Ephemera is generally discarded once its immediate use has passed, however, it is collected by libraries because it enhances information found in longer-lasting documents to give us a more “complete picture of life at a given point in time“. The libraries collection of ephemera can be located using the Ephemera index.
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F
Frontispiece
An illustration that faces or directly precedes the title page of a book.
Fulltext database
An electronic resource that retrieves the entire text of a book, article or other work.
G
Gazette
A newspaper or official journal that publishes the texts of the new laws and government decisions. You can browse our wide range of newspapers and gazettes at the Central Library's Newspaper room.
Graphic novel
Graphic novels are comics. They can be newspaper strips or individual issues reprinted as a single volume, or a book length original work in which words and pictures work together to tell the stories.
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H
HTML
Short for HyperText Markup Language, HTML is the form in which web pages display information. Often given as an option for viewing articles in a fulltext database.
I
In Transit
If an item has been returned to the library, but has not been re-shelved in its call number location, the catalog will indicate the items status as In Transit. If patrons need In Transit items immediately, they may inquire at the circulation desk.
Index database
An electronic resource that can be searched to find books, articles or other works. Results usually include an abstract telling you what the work is about, and a citation telling you where to find it.
Interloan
Interloans are an example of resource sharing between libraries. Material that is not owned by one library system might be available at another. Customers submit a request to their own library asking that the material they require be sought from elsewhere in New Zealand or from around the world. For more information, see Auckland City Libraries interloan services.
ISBN
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. The ISBN is a unique ten-digit publisher's code assigned for purposes of identification to a specific edition of a book prior to publication.
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J
Journal
A publication that is published on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, annually, etc.) similar to a magazine but usually contains peer-reviewed articles written by scholars, whereas a magazine contains popular articles written by journalists.
K
Keywords
Significant words that can be used to search different fields of information in databases. Keywords usually find terms from the title field, subject headings, contents notes, abstract or fulltext of the record.
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L
Limited edition
A book published in a comparatively small number of copies, often numbered and signed by the author and/or illustrator. Sometimes limited edition achieve a high value to collectors due to their rarity.
M
Magazine
Although the terms periodical, journal, serial, and magazine have slightly different definitions, they are often used interchangeably. They are published on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, annually, etc.) A magazine contains more popular articles often written by journalists.
Manuscripts
A manuscript is a book or document written before the invention of printing. It can be either hand-written or hand-recorded in other ways like chiselled upon a hard material or scratched with a knife point in plaster or with a stylus on a waxed tablet. For information about Auckland City Libraries collection of manuscripts see the Special collections.
Mark List
Some databases allow you to 'mark' particular articles or records and save them to a 'mark list'. This allows you to view them later in your session or print, email or save them. These records stay on your mark list until you clear them or finish your search session.
Memoir
A book, or any form of narrative describing the personal experiences of a writer. See also Autobiography.
Microfiche
A transparent film sheet containing a grid of miniaturized reproductions of documents. Microfiche usually have a title that is readable with the naked eye but to view the images one needs to use a special reader to project the full-sized image on to a glass screen.
Microfilm
A reel of film showing miniaturized images of publications such as the contents of papers, or engineering drawings. A speical reader is required to view the images in full-size.
Microforms
Microforms are films of miniaturized photographed documents for storage. Microfilm and microfiche are two common microform formats.
Mobile library
A mobile library is a large vehicle designed to hold books on shelves so when the vehicle is parked the books can be accessed by readers. The mobile library services city suburbs without library buildings and members who have difficulty accessing libraries.
The Auckland City Libraries' mobile library visits 80 different stops in Auckland city, clocking up around 1000 kilometres per month. Members can request items from any library in Auckland and collect them from the mobile library when it is in their area.
Monograph
A publication that appears one time only. Books or reports are monographs; periodicals or serials are not. Within the library field, this term is often used for any non-serial publication.
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N
Navigation
How the user moves from location to location within a web site, or between web sites. This is done by clicking on text links or navigation buttons.
O
OPAC
(Online Public Access Catalogue) is the electronic database that contains records that refer to the materials held by Auckland City Libraries.
P
PDF
(Portable Document Format) is a way of formatting documents so that different kinds of operating systems can display them. To view PDF files you will need the Adobe Acrobat program installed on your home computer.
Peer-reviewed
Means that an article has been critically evaluated by a number of experts in the subject area or field.
Periodical
Periodicals are regular publications printed weekly, monthly, or annually, etc. and contain articles written by various authors.
Plagiarism
To use work or creative ideas by someone else without acknowledgment to the author. Plagiarism includes: paraphrasing information without referencing the source, copying & pasting Internet information, graphics or media without citing the source, using someone else's homework or buying papers or research and turning it in as one's own, not putting quote marks around parts of sources that were copied exactly.
Primary source
A document or record used in research that contains firsthand information on a topic. Primary sources include original manuscripts, diaries, letters, and photographs.
Private press
A small printing press, usually devoted to the production of small quantities of finely printed books or as an artistic or craft-based endeavor, rather than as a purely commercial venture.
Q
Quartely
A periodical publication that is published every quarter or every 3 months with a total of four issues per year. See also Periodical.
R
Rare books
Books that are valued for the significance of their contents, their scarcity, their imprint or date of publication, their physical characteristics or condition, or their associations (eg. signed or annotated by a famous author).
Recall
A request made by the library to one of its members to return a borrowed item before its due date. Any item may be recalled at any time for Course Reserve or after two weeks if requested by another library member. This service is available through the Requests link at the top of any online catalogue record.
Reference
Books that are 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. Reference books may not be checked out because they are needed by librarians to answer questions at the reference desk.
Reference librarian
Reference librarians are specialists in the field of information retrieval. Generally they have a Masters degree in library science, and may have other graduate degrees as well. Reference librarians work in public services answering questions posed by library patrons at the reference desk, by telephone, via e-mail, or through an online chat session. They also provide instruction on the use of library resources and information technology.
Renewal
An extension of the loan period for charged library items. Renewals may be handled in person at the circulation desk, by phone, or through the link "paste link here".
Request, hold or reserve
When a book or other item is currently on loan, library members may 'request' to have it next. This can be done either through a staff member or via the catalogue. Library members may also place a request for an item to be sent from one Auckland City Libraries location, to be collected at another Auckland City Libraries location. There is a charge for this service. For more information, see loan periods & charges.
RSS
Really Simple Syndication : family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts.
S
Self-issue service
The barcode reading machines that members may use to check out materials themselves, rather than checking materials out at the circulation desk. A receipt is printed indicating when the materials are due back. CDs and DVDs cannot be issued at the self-issues, please go to the circulation desk to issue these items.
Serial
A serial is a generic term used to refer to publications that are published regularly.
Stack
Auckland Central Library holds some collections in the basement, also known as stack. Items from the basement can be requested at any Central City Library reference desk. Check the item details on the catalogue to confirm if the item is available for loan outside the library.
Standard
A standard is a published document that sets out the minimum requirements necessary to ensure that a material, structure, product, method, or system will do the job it is intended to do. Standards can be on practically any subject you can think of, from any aspect of construction to the safety of toys.
Streaming
Streaming is when a video or audio file can be played back without being completely downloaded first.
Synopsis
A summary of a manuscript or script.
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T
Tag cloud
Tags are usually single words that are listed alphabetically in a group formation, or cloud, rather than a vertical list. The tags refer to the topics covered on the website and are usually hyperlinks that lead to a collection of items that are associated with that tag. The most popular topics are normally highlighted in a larger, bolder font.
Thesaurus
A list of all the subject headings or descriptors used in a particular database, catalogue, or index.
Thesis
A written essay of original research submitted for a university degree.
Truncation
Truncation is a symbol put at the end or in the middle of a word in order to catch all variant endings or spellings of that word when searching a database. For example, if conducting research on computers, entering comput? as a search term would yield records with the terms computer, computers, computing, computerized, etc. The truncation symbol is placed at the point in the word where various endings can begin to occur. Databases use various symbols, such as $, #, +, *, !, and ?, to represent truncation. Some databases truncate automatically. Some databases allow for truncation symbols in the middle of the word in order to pick up variant spellings. For instance, entering behavi?r would retrieve behavior and behaviour. The Help or Search Tips links for each database will indicate which symbol to use for truncation, if any.
U
URL
Uniform Resource Locator, or web address. Usually in the form of http://host.subdomain.domain
For example: http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz
USB drive
A small, removable flash memory device that plugs into a computer's USB port. Though the official name is USB flash drive, there are many other names also used in popular language, including key drive, jump drive, thumb drive, flash drive, USB drive, keychain drive, memory key and pen drive.
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V
W
WAP
(Wireless Application Protocol) is a technology that enables mobile phone users to look at specially converted web pages, order goods from the Internet and use email from their phone screens.
X
Y
Z