Academic Libraries Glossary
128 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
Subject Liaison
A librarian assigned to work with a specific academic department or subject discipline to understand research and teaching needs, provide targeted information resources, and support scholarly communication. They serve as the primary contact between the library and their designated subject area.
Abstracting and Indexing Service
A resource that systematically summarizes and catalogs the contents of journals, articles, and other publications to fac...
Acquisition Budget
The allocated financial resources designated for purchasing library materials, including books, journals, databases, and...
Acquisitions
The process of selecting, ordering, and receiving library materials including books, journals, and electronic resources....
Acquisitions department
The library unit responsible for selecting, ordering, receiving, and processing new materials for the collection. This d...
Acquisitions Workflow
The systematic process of selecting, purchasing, and receiving library materials from vendors and publishers. It encompa...
Altmetric indicators
Quantitative measures that track the online attention and impact of scholarly works through social media mentions, news...
altmetrics
Alternative metrics that measure the online attention and engagement academic publications receive across social media,...
Archival appraisal
The systematic evaluation process by which archivists determine which records and documents have lasting historical, leg...
Assessment and Evaluation
The systematic process of measuring the effectiveness, impact, and quality of library services, programs, and collection...
author guidelines
Formal instructions provided by publishers outlining submission requirements, formatting standards, and editorial proced...
Authority Control
The standardization and management of name headings, subject terms, and other access points in bibliographic records to...
backfile
The archived collection of previously published issues of a journal or serial publication.
Bibliographic Citation
A standardized reference that identifies and locates a source, including author, title, publication details, and access...
bibliographic control
The systematic organization and description of library materials to ensure they can be identified, located, and accessed...
Bibliographic Database
A searchable collection of bibliographic records describing published materials, organized to facilitate discovery and a...
Bibliographic Record
A standardized digital or physical description of a library material containing metadata such as title, author, publicat...
Call Number
A unique alphanumeric code assigned to library materials that indicates their physical location on shelves and organizes...
Cataloging
The process of creating standardized bibliographic records that describe library materials and organize them within a cl...
Circulation
The library function that manages the lending and return of materials to patrons, tracking checkouts, renewals, and over...
Circulation desk
The library service point where patrons check out and return materials, renew loans, and manage their accounts. Staff at...
Circulation Statistics
Quantitative data measuring library material usage patterns, including checkout frequency, return rates, hold requests,...
Citation Analysis
A research method that examines the frequency, patterns, and relationships of citations within scholarly literature to i...
Citation Impact Factor
A metric published annually by Journal Citation Reports measuring the average number of citations received by articles i...
Citation Index
A searchable database that tracks and displays citations between published scholarly works, enabling researchers to iden...