Glossary

Assessment - The act or process of gathering data to better understand the strengths or weaknesses of student learning. -ALA-

Bibliography - List of information resources related to a specific topic. Bibliographies are generally provided at the end of journal articles, book chapters, and research papers. -McNeese-

Boolean Logic - Keyword search system that uses sets to include or exclude search terms. Use "AND" to combine multiple search terms (narrow your search). Use "OR" to find either search term (broaden your search). -McNeese-

Call Number - The exact address of an item on the library's shelves. Most library materials are shelved according to Library of Congress classification. -McNeese-

Citation - Information, such as author, title, journal name, volume, and page number(s), needed to locate a specific resource. -McNeese-

Course-related instruction - Focused for the students taking a course, and teaches aspects of library use and the resources needed to accomplish the assignments for the course. It supports the objectives of the course but does not constitute an integral part of them. -ALA-

Course-integrated instruction - The teaching of the use of the library and the library resources as an integral part of the objectives of the course. It is considered essential for the student to learn and be tested on both their understanding of the course concepts and their ability successfully complete library-related assignments. -ALA-

Collaboration - Two or more partners bringing different strengths and perspectives to a task with shared goals, a shared vision, and a climate of trust and respect. -ALA-

Information Literacy - The set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information. Information literacy is more closely tied to course-integrated instruction but it extends far beyond coordination between the reference librarian and the individual faculty member. Even a cursory review of the Information Literacy Competency Standards (link) will show that there is much more to information literacy competence than library-related research. Students must demonstrate competencies in formulating research questions and in their ability to use information as well as an understanding of ethical and legal issues surrounding information. This requires a campus culture of collaboration and focus on student learning. -ALA-

Database - A large collection of information designed for rapid search and retrieval. -McNeese-

e-BOOK - An electronic version of a traditional print book that can be read by using a personal computer and/or an e-Book reader. ACC offers e-books through its subscription to netLibrary. -McNeese-

EBSCOhost - An index and periodicals database containing citations to articles on various academic and general-interest topics. Abstracts (summaries) and/or full text are available with some citations. -McNeese-

Full Text - Indicates that a particular database provides the entire textual content of an article or document. Some databases provide only citations and/or abstracts, while others provide full-text. -McNeese-

Keyword - Any words, phrases, or synonyms which describe a research topic. Keyword searching can be utilized when searching many library resources, including the catalog and periodical indexes. Boolean connectors "AND" and " OR" permit users to narrow or expand searches. -McNeese-

Internet - A vast network of interconnected computer systems which permit users to communicate and share information. The graphical portion with hypertext links is called the World Wide Web. -McNeese-

Learning outcomes - A specific measurable achievement, a unit of what we expect a student to learn from the material we are teaching. -ALA-

Primary Source - Published results of experiments or original research. Examples include autobiographies, letters, diaries, photographs, and newspaper articles. -McNeese-

Resource-based learning - A method of teaching and learning that requires the student to explore a topic by finding information in numerous and varied sources of information. -ALA-

Search Engine - A specific type of search tool that retrieves information from the World Wide Web. -McNeese-

Standards - A standard represents a specific idea of what we expect the student to recall, replicate, manipulate, understand, or demonstrate at some point and of how we will know how close a student has come to meeting that standard. The Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education establish a set of criterion that defines an information literate person. -ALA-

• ALA = www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/infolitoverview/infolitglossary/infolitglossary.htm

• McNeese = library.mcneese.edu/tutorial/glossary.htm

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