| New York State Library |
Handbook for Library Trustees of New York StatePublic Library Glossary |
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The complete Handbook is also available as a .PDF file (approx. 765k) |
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This glossary presents words and acronyms commonly used in public libraries in New York State.
90.3 -- The Regulation of the Commissioner of Education governing membership in the Public Library Systems. It is often referred to when discussing "reciprocal borrowing" between libraries or "free direct access" for residents of areas unserved by a public library.
AACR2 (Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, Second Edition) -- These are the rules for cataloging materials.
Acquisition -- The process of acquiring the materials that comprise the library's collection.
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) -- The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), considered to be the most comprehensive civil rights legislation since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation and telecommunications.
ALA -- American Library Association.
ALTA -- Association for Library Trustees and Advocates.
Authority Control -- Authority control is a general term for the process of controlling the relationship between various entries in a catalog. There are two main elements to authority control. The first is making sure that names and subjects are always entered the same way. The second element is making sure that 'see' and 'see also' references always lead the patron to other materials.
Bibliographic Utility -- A bibliographic utility is an online cataloging system. These systems provide access to MARC records from the Library of Congress and MARC records contributed by other users of the utility. OCLC is the largest such utility.
Capital Funds -- Funds for the acquisition of or addition to fixed assets such as buildings or major equipment. Often kept separate from annual operating funds.
Cataloging -- The process of describing an item in a library collection and assigning it a classification (call) number.
Charter -- The document of incorporation granted to a public library by the New York State Board of Regents.
CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act) -- A Federal law governing Internet access in schools and libraries. Compliance with CIPA is mandatory for eligibility for most e-rate subsidies.
Circulation -- The process of lending library materials.
Direct Access -- The ability to borrow library materials in person from a public library outside your community.
DLD (Division of Library Development) -- DLD is the division of the New York State Education Department responsible for the oversight of library funding and compliance with State Regulations.
e-Book -- An e-Book is the electronic version of a print book.
EDL (Electronic Doorway Library Program) -- Now referred to as "NOVEL-Ready Library Services" as a part of the statewide NOVEL Program.
E-rate -- E-rate is the Federal program that provides reimbursements to libraries and schools for investment in and ongoing costs of communications.See also the Division of Library Development E-rate information page
Federated Searching -- Federated searching is the ability to search several subscription databases simultaneously or to search a database, OPAC or the Web and some combination simultaneously.
FOLUSA (Friends of Libraries USA) -- A national membership organization whose mission is to motivate and support local Friends groups across the country in their efforts to preserve and strengthen libraries.
FRBR -- Functional Requirement for Bibliographic Records is a new conceptual model for the aggregation and display of bibliographic records. It does not replace MARC or AACR2. The use of FRBR makes it easier for patrons to identify the material format they want.
The Gates Library Initiative (GLI) -- The New York State partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the purpose of making computer and Internet technology more available to those who have no other means of access.
ILL (Interlibrary Loan) -- Interlibrary Loan is when one library lends a book to another library for its patron's use.
IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) -- An independent Federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities.
Integrated Library System (ILS) -- Integrated library (automation) systems provide libraries with a variety of integrated computerized functions -- Cataloging, Circulation, OPAC, WebOPAC, Acquisitions, and Serials Control.
ISP (Internet Service Provider) -- An institution that provides access to the Internet in some form.
LAN (Local Area Network) -- A network, usually running in one building, that connects multiple computers to a server computer.
LC -- Library of Congress -- The national library of the United States.
LLSA (Local Library Services Aid) -- The New York State aid program for local public libraries.
LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) -- The largest Federal library aid program for libraries. Funds are used to support state services and are awarded to libraries and library systems on a competitive basis.
MARC (MAchine Readable Cataloging) -- MARC is a format for storing the bibliographic description of a book, serial, video, etc. on a computer. The MARC format is an international standard used by most libraries and library computer software vendors.
Meta Search -- A meta search product searches several different databases simultaneously and provides search results from all of the products.
NLS (National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped) -- NLS is a Federal program and a part of the Library of Congress that provides braille and audio materials to the blind and physically disabled.
New Century Libraries -- The Regents' endorsed legislative initiative to enhance library services statewide.
NOVEL (New York Online Virtual Electronic Library) -- A statewide program to improve public access to electronic resources.
NYLA (New York Library Association) -- New York's statewide library association.
NYSALB (New York State Association of Library Boards) -- New York's statewide association for library boards and trustees.
NYSL -- New York State Library.
NY3Rs (New York 3Rs Organization) -- The state organization for the Reference and Research Library Resources Councils (3Rs).
OCLC -- OCLC is a bibliographic utility used by more than 7,000 libraries.
OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) -- A computerized card catalog, which can be searched, edited and updated online. Links to New York State public library system OPACs
PLA (Public Library Association) -- A division of the American Library Association.
PLS -- Public Library System.
Provisional Charter -- The initial incorporation document granted to a public library by the Board of Regents. Libraries are generally given five years under provisional status in order to meet state standards and become a registered public library. If successful, a permanent charter is granted to the institution.
PULISDO (Public Library System Directors Organization) -- The statewide association of Public Library System Directors.
RBDB (Regional Bibliographic Data Bases and Interlibrary Resources Sharing Program) -- A program funded by the state for improving resource sharing through the use of technology. RBDB funded programs must involve different types of libraries.
Regents Advisory Council -- A standing advisory committee appointed by the Regents to review and advocate for library issues.
Regents Commission on Library Services -- The Regents Commission on Library Services (RCOLS) was formed to recommend a vision for library services in the 21st century and a plan for ensuring the greatest access to information for all New Yorkers. Established in June 1998, the Commission's final report was presented in July 2000.
Registration -- The process by which libraries demonstrate compliance with CR 90.2 (Minimum Standards). A library must maintain its registration to collect public funds.
Retrospective Conversion -- The process of converting cataloging information for library materials from traditional card catalog form to machine-readable form to make them usable by a computer.
SED (State Education Department) -- The state agency responsible for educational services, including libraries.
SLD (Schools and Libraries Division; formerly Schools and Libraries Corporation) -- SLD is the Federal agency that administers the e-rate program. This program provides schools and libraries with significant discounts for ongoing communications costs.
SLS (School Library Systems) -- Similar to public library cooperatives, these organizations exist to promote resource sharing and library development in school libraries.
SLSA (School Library Systems Association) -- The statewide organization for School Library Systems.
TDD/TTY -- Telecommunications devices for the hearing impaired.
Union Catalog / County Catalog -- Public library systems are mandated by the state to provide a "locator file" of the book holdings of the public libraries in their service area. The file must be in MARC format in order to be supported by State funds.
Unserved Area -- Refers to regions of the state without chartered public library service.
USA PATRIOT ACT (PATRIOT ACT) -- Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act. Federal legislation that, among many other provisions, governs access to library records in certain circumstances by law enforcement agencies.
WAN (Wide Area Network) -- A Wide Area Network can be any network whose computers are geographically dispersed.
WebOPAC -- WebOPAC is the presentation of a library's catalog in graphics. Typically Netscape or Internet Explorer is used to connect to a library's WebOPAC. The power of a WebOPAC is that it includes hypertext links so patrons can simply point and click to use the catalog or connect to other resources on the Internet. Links to New York State public library system OPACs