Definitions Flashcards
AACR2
Anglo-American Cataloging Rules: standardardized rules for creating the bibliographic description of an item of any type and rules governing the choice and form of entry of headings (access points) in the catalog.
administrative metadata
Data about an information resource primarily intended to facilitate its management, for example, information about how and when a document or digital object was created, the person or entity responsible for controlling access to and archiving its content, any restrictions on access or use, and any control or processing activities performed in relation to it.
Compare with descriptive metadata and structural metadata.
The concept of administrative metadata is subdivided into:
Rights metadata - facilitates management of legal rights in a resource (copyright, licenses, permissions, etc.)
Preservation metadata - facilitates management of processes involved in ensuring the long-term survival and usability of a resource
Technical metadata - documents the creation and characteristics of digital files
Descriptive Metadata
get it
Structural Metadata
get it
Code of Ethics
A set of standards governing the conduct and judgment of librarians, library staff, and other information professionals in their work.
The ALA Code of Ethics sets standards for equitable access, intellectual freedom, confidentiality, respect for intellectual property rights, excellence, accuracy, integrity, impartiality, courtesy, and respect for colleagues and library patrons.
Banned Book
A book, the publication and/or sale of which has been prohibited or suppressed by ecclesiastical or secular authority because its content is considered objectionable or dangerous, usually for political and/or social reasons (examples: The Grapes of Wrath and Leaves of Grass).
Banned Books Week has been celebrated annually in the United States since 1981. Lists of banned books are available in the reference section of most large libraries.
Challenge
A complaint lodged by a library user acting as an individual or representing a group, concerning the inclusion of a specific item (or items) in a library collection, usually followed by a demand that the material be removed. Library programs may also be targeted. Public libraries are challenged far more frequently than other types of libraries because they are supported by public funds and must provide resources and services for a highly diverse clientele (“This library has something to offend everyone”). An unambiguously worded collection development policy is a library’s best defense against such objections.
Intellectual Freedom
The right under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution of any person to read or express views that may be unpopular or offensive to some people, within certain limitations (libel, slander, etc.). Legal cases concerning free speech issues are heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Freedom of Information
Censorship
Prohibition of the production, distribution, circulation, or display of a work by a governing authority on grounds that it contains objectionable or dangerous material. The person who decides what is to be prohibited is called a censor. Commonly used methods include decree and confiscation, legislation, repressive taxation, and licensing to grant or restrict the right to publish.
The ALA Code of Ethics places an ethical responsibility on its members to resist censorship of library materials and programs in any form and to support librarians and other staff who put their careers at risk by defending library policies against censorship. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) maintains a Web page on Internet Censorship.
Book Store Model
A philosophy of public librarianship based on the success of large bookstore chains, that focuses on the library patron as customer and seeks to attract users by creating an ambiance that is user-friendly. Libraries operating on the bookstore model typically strive to identify and meet the unique needs of the community served, often through outreach and a marketing plan. More books are displayed face out on bookstore-style shelving, and interiors are designed to please the eye, with comfortable seating, professionally designed signage, attractive book displays, and a coffee shop or cybercafe for people who like to “hang out” at the library. Portions of the collection may be arranged according to reading interest (health, business and finance, genre fiction, etc.). Sometimes used synonymously with customer-driven library.
Caldecott Medal
A literary award given annually since 1938 under the auspices of the American Library Association to the illustrator of the most distinguished children’s picture book published in the United States during the preceding year. Donated by the family of Frederic G. Melcher, the medal is named in honor of the Victorian children’s book illustrator Randolph Caldecott.
Newbery Medal
A literary award given annually since 1922 under the auspices of the American Library Association (ALA) to the author of the most distinguished children’s book published in the United States during the preceding year. Sponsored by the family of Frederic G. Melcher, the medal is named after John Newbery (1713-1767), the British publisher who first issued books written specifically for children.
Call Number
A unique code printed on a label affixed to the outside of an item in a library collection, usually to the lower spine of a book or videocassette (see these examples), also printed or handwritten on a label inside the item. Assigned by the cataloger, the call number is also displayed in the bibliographic record that represents the item in the library catalog, to identify the specific copy of the work and give its relative location on the shelf.
Library of Congress Classification (LCC)
A system of classifying books and other library materials developed and maintained over the last 200 years by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. In LCC, human knowledge is divided into 20 broad categories indicated by single letters of the roman alphabet, with major subdivisions indicated by a second letter, and narrower subdivisions by decimal numbers and further alphabetic notation.
In the United States, most research libraries and academic libraries use LCC, while most school libraries and public libraries use Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC).
Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
A hierarchical system for classifying books and other library materials by subject, first published in 1876 by the librarian and educator Melvil Dewey, who divided human knowledge into 10 main classes, each of which is divided into 10 divisions, and so on. In Dewey Decimal call numbers, arabic numerals and decimal fractions are used in the class notation (example: 996.9) and an alphanumeric book number is added to subarrange works of the same classification by author and by title and edition (996.9 B3262h).
Carnegie Library
A library facility constructed wholly or in part with grant funds provided by the American steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), who in his later years devoted his considerable wealth to the promotion of libraries and world peace. Between 1881 and 1917, over 2,500 Carnegie libraries were built around the world, the majority in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. The libraries of many small towns in the United States still occupy facilities built with Carnegie funds. The buildings are typically monumental in appearance–to see examples, try a keywords search on the term “carnegie library” in Google Images.
Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
Legislation passed by Congress in 2000 that makes the E-rate discount on Internet access and internal connection services provided to schools and libraries under the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996 and eligibility for Library Services and Technology Act funds contingent on certification that certain “Internet safety policies” have been put in place, most notably technology designed to block all users from accessing visual materials that depict child pornography or are considered obscene or harmful to minors. Filtering of text is not required. In March 2001, the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed separate suits challenging CIPA on grounds that filtering restricts access to constitutionally protected information.
In May 2002, a three-judge panel in federal district court unanimously ruled CIPA unconstitutional, agreeing that current Internet filtering software blocks speech protected under the First Amendment. In June 2002, the U.S. Department of Justice appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court and on June 23, 2003, by a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court reversed the lower court decision, ruling that First Amendment protections are met by the law’s provision that filtering software is to be disabled by the library without significant delay at the request of an adult user. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that public libraries and schools wishing to retain federal technology funding must certify by July 1, 2004 that filtering software is installed and in use on all computers providing Internet access, including those used only by staff. CIPA provides no funds for libraries to implement filtering. Some libraries and library systems have decided to forgo federal library funds in order to maintain local control over Internet access.
In a statement of objectives regarding CIPA issued on July 25, 2003 by ALA president Carla Hayden and the ALA executive board, the ALA pledged to identify technological options that minimize the burden on libraries, continue to develop and promote viable alternatives to filtering, and gather and disseminate authoritative information and research on the effects of CIPA and filtering on libraries and library users, including evaluative information for use in selecting filtering software.
Circulating Library
A type of library established by booksellers and other businessmen in Britain in the early 18th century that provided popular reading material to the general public for a limited period of time in exchange for payment of a modest fee (usually no more than a shilling per month), comparable to a modern rental collection.
Subscription Library
A type of library that developed in Britain during the second half of the 18th century as a natural extension of private book clubs, in which a group of fairly prosperous readers in a community joined to form a “reading society” that included a library for the exclusive use of members. Michael H. Harris notes in History of Libraries in the Western World (Scarecrow Press, 1995) that dues were usually collected from members on a monthly or yearly basis, and the quality of the reading matter available was generally higher than that provided by circulating libraries of the same period. At first, subscription libraries were usually housed in rented quarters, with a person on duty at certain hours, but by the mid-19th century, many had acquired their own facilities. The London Library, established in 1841 and still in existence, is one of the most successful examples, containing over 500,000 volumes by 1900.
Collection Development
The process of planning and building a useful and balanced collection of library materials over a period of years, based on an ongoing assessment of the information needs of the library’s clientele, analysis of usage statistics, and demographic projections, normally constrained by budgetary limitations. Collection development includes the formulation of selection criteria, planning for resource sharing, and replacement of lost and damaged items, as well as routine selection and deselection decisions.
Large libraries and library systems may use an approval plan or blanket order plan to develop their collections. In small- and medium-sized libraries, collection development responsibilities are normally shared by all the librarians, based on their interests and subject specializations, usually under the overall guidance of a written collection development policy.
Collection Development policy
A formal written statement of the principles guiding a library’s selection of materials, including the criteria used in making selection and deselection decisions (fields covered, degrees of specialization, levels of difficulty, languages, formats, balance, etc.) and policies concerning gifts and exchanges. An unambiguously worded collection development policy can be very helpful in responding to challenges from pressure groups.
USA Patriot Act
Signed on October 26, 2001, by President George W. Bush, the USA Patriot Act, six weeks after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Library issues concerning the USA Patriot Act (PL 107-56) fall into two main categories: (1) civil liberties, especially privacy and confidentiality of patron records, and (2) denial of access to information, such as the removal of information resources from publicly accessible government Web sites and from the Federal Depository Library Program. The Patriot Act redefines “business records” to include medical, library, and educational records. Under Section 215, law enforcement agencies can compel libraries to produce circulation records, patron registration information, Internet usage records, etc., stored in or on any medium, by presenting a search warrant obtained in a nonadversarial hearing before a Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court closed to public scrutiny. The law also includes a “gag order” prohibiting any library or librarian from disclosing the existence of such a warrant, even to the person whose records have been inspected and/or seized.
Copyright
The exclusive legal rights granted by a government to an author, editor, compiler, composer, playwright, publisher, or distributor to publish, produce, sell, or distribute copies of a literary, musical, dramatic, artistic, or other work, within certain limitations (fair use and first sale). Copyright law also governs the right to prepare derivative works, reproduce a work or portions of it, and display or perform a work in public.
Such rights may be transferred or sold to others and do not necessarily pass with ownership of the work itself. Copyright protects a work in the specific form in which it is created, not the idea, theme, or concept expressed in the work, which other writers are free to interpret in a different way. A work never copyrighted or no longer protected by copyright is said to be in the public domain.
In 1998, the controversial Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA) lengthened the period to life of the author plus 70 years for works published on or after January 1, 1978, the same as in Europe.
Digital Rights
Ownership of information content published and distributed in electronic format, protected in the United States by copyright law. Digital rights management (DRM) uses technologies specifically designed to identify, secure, manage, track, and audit digital content, ideally in ways that ensure public access, preserve fair use and right of first sale, and protect information producers from uncompensated downloading (copyright piracy).
Confidentiality
In the delivery of library services, the right of patrons to have the nature of their research and library transactions remain private. Under the guidance of the ALA Code of Ethics, librarians and library staff members are encouraged to “protect each library user’s right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.” For this reason, automated circulation systems are designed to delete from the patron record all indication that a specific item has been borrowed once it has been returned to the library and to limit access to borrower accounts to authorized personnel.
Infringement
The use without permission of material protected by copyright or patent in a manner reserved under law to the holder of rights in the work. Such use may be subject to legal action at the discretion of the copyright owner.
Intellectual Property
Tangible products of the human mind and intelligence entitled to the legal status of personal property, especially works protected by copyright, inventions that have been patented, and registered trademarks. An idea is considered the intellectual property of its creator only after it has been recorded or made manifest in specific form. Abbreviated IP
Digital Preservation
The process of maintaining, in a condition suitable for use, materials produced in digital formats, including preservation of the bit stream and the continued ability to render or display the content represented by the bit stream. The task is compounded by the fact that some digital storage media deteriorate quickly (“bit rot”), and the digital object is inextricably entwined with its access environment (software and hardware), which is evolving in a continuous cycle of innovation and obsolescence. Also refers to the practice of digitizing materials originally produced in nondigital formats (print, film, etc.) to prevent permanent loss due to deterioration of the physical medium.
Digital Publishing
The activities involved in the business of preparing, processing, producing, protecting, and preserving information content in digital form, whether the result is delivered in print or electronic format (e-journal, e-book, Web document, etc.). In 2005, the Pennsylvania State University Libraries formed a partnership with Penn State Press to create an Office of Digital Scholarly Publishing which will use new media technology to advance scholarly communication at Penn State and within the wider academic community. One goal of the new Office will be to make research publications available online by moving existing print journals and monographs to a digital environment.
Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
Legislation passed by Congress and signed into law in October 1998 to prepare the United States for the ratification of international treaties protecting copyrights to intellectual property in digital form, drafted in 1996 at a conference of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The bill was supported by the software and entertainment industries and opposed by the library, research, and education communities. Click here to learn more about the DMCA, courtesy of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
Coretta Scott King Award
Chosen by a seven-member national jury and presented by the Coretta Scott King Task Force of the American Library Association’s Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table ( EMIERT), the annual Coretta Scott King Awards are made to an author and an illustrator of African descent whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of “the American Dream.” The Awards commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honor his widow, Coretta Scott King, for her continuing work for peace and world brotherhood. Winners receive a framed citation, an honorarium, and a set of the Encyclopaedia Britannica or World Book Encyclopedia.
Digitization
The process of converting data to digital format for processing by a computer. In information systems, digitization usually refers to the conversion of printed text or images (photographs, illustrations, maps, etc.) into binary signals using some kind of scanning device that enables the result to be displayed on a computer screen.
Mass digitization is the conversion of texts or images to digital format on a very large scale using robotic equipment capable of scanning hundreds of pages per hour (see this example). After raising billions of dollars in an initial public stock offering, Google and five major research libraries (the University of Michigan, Harvard University, Stanford University, Oxford University, and the New York Public Library) announced in December 2004 plans to digitally scan over 10 million unique books over the next decade and make them searchable online, the largest digitization project ever attempted.
