Resources
Library Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Abstract
Short summary of an article, paper, report, or book. Gives an idea about the content of the item.
Article
Piece of writing or composition in a journal, serial or periodical. Normally on a particular topic and may contain such things as an abstract, introduction, discussion or conclusion.
Ask A Librarian
24 enquiry service provided by the WUTH Integrated Library Service.
Short summary of an article, paper, report, or book. Gives an idea about the content of the item. Piece of writing or composition in a journal, serial or periodical. Normally on a particular topic and may contain such things as an abstract, introduction, discussion or conclusion. 24 enquiry service provided by the WUTH .
Athens
Athens is the brand name of a system that controls access to online resources such as e-journals and databases. This is free to NHS employees and also to students on academic courses at a UK university. Athens accounts have varying levels of access. The resources available usually reflect the organisation i.e. NHS organisations will have access to a larger range of NHS resources than academic organisations.
An NHS Athens account will provide you with a username and password which you can use to log in to NHS resources on the Internet. WUTH Librarians are Athens Administrators for staff working in the Community (including NHS Wirral and Wirral Community Trust), WUTH, Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology and Wirral Hospice St. Johns.
Audio Visual
This term is used in the Library Catalogue to indicate audio-tapes, CD Roms, DVDs, Video-tapes and similar formats.
B
Bibliography
An alphabetical list of books, articles and other types of material that the author has consulted in relation to the production of a thesis, academic work, article or book. Integrated Library Service users have access to software called Reference Manager which is designed to help with bibliographies.
Blog
The word ‘blog’ is short for ‘web log’, and is traditionally an online journal or diary that is updated regularly. It is a source of the latest information, news and events on a particular subject. The Integrated Library Service produces a Library, Research and Evidence Based Practice blog.
Boardmaker
A computer software program used to make communication boards, picture schedules, instruction sheets and more in order to remove challenges to communication such as learning and language barriers.
Boolean Logic / Operators
Boolean logic uses the operators AND, OR and NOT to link keywords and phrases in order to perform precise searches.
Borrowing, Renewing and Reserving service
This is a service provided by the Integrated Library Service. Books and other items may be obtained from other Library Services. There may be a charge depending on where the book or item is obtained.
C
Catalogue
The catalogue or library catalogue is the searchable comprehensive list of resources held in the library. It consists of a collection of electronic records which details what is held in the library and where it is located.
Citation (also known as reference)
Brief information about a book, journal, conference paper, book chapter etc. Book citations might include author or editor, title, publisher, place of publication, year of publication. Article citations might include author, article title, journal name, volume number, issue number, page numbers, year of publication.
Classification
The items available for loan in the McArdle Library and John A. Aitken Library are classified by subject and organised on the shelves in Dewey Decimal classification order.
Classification Number (also known as the shelf number)
Found on the spine of a book or journal which designates where it is shelved in the library. Books with similar classification are generally on the same or a similar topic.
Clinical Librarian service
The Clinical Librarian Service is part of the Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) Integrated Library Service. The specialist service is designed to support staff in the delivery of evidence-based practice, clinical governance, high quality patient care, education and training, lifelong learning and research. The Clinical Librarian can also provide Assisted Literature Searches in which you can work on a one-to-one basis with the Clinical Librarian as you undertake a Literature Search based on a topic of your choice.
Copyright
Copyright law protects creators of published works from the exploitation of their work without fair reward. NHS England is covered by a Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) Licence.
D
Database
A database is an electronic store of information that is organized and structured. Databases usually contain records of items of a similar nature and all records are laid out in the same way
E
E-books (electronic books)
A book that is published in electronic form, for example on the Internet or on a disk, and not printed on paper. E-books provide the benefits of 24/7 availability and allow you to read the e-book without visiting the library in person.
EBP / Evidence-Based Practice
The process of finding, appraising and using the best available research findings as the basis for clinical decisions.
E-bulletins
Electronic bulletin, usually on a specific subject, published at regular intervals. Examples include the WUTH Library, Research and Evidence Based Practice alerts.
E-journal
The contents of a journal issue published online. The contents may be accessed for free, with an Athens account or through taking out an online subscription.
Evidence Alerts
Evidence Alerts aim to improve your decision making by keeping you up to date with the latest developments as well as anticipated events in your particular healthcare interest area. Evidence Alerts are delivered to you by email and will alert you to new innovations, improvements, best practice, news and evidence in your area of interest. Sign up to receive alerts.
F
Full-text
The whole article, report or book not just an abstract or summary.
H
Hard copy
Print version of an item (in contrast with an electronic version).
Helpsheets
The Integrated Library Service produces a series of helpsheets to assist you in using NHS resources.
Holdings
Items (books, journals etc.) held by a particular library.
Horizon Scanning Service
A bespoke service available to support groups within WUTH and NHS Wirral who are currently involved in decision making / service redesign aligned to the business needs of the Trusts. You can sign up for bulletins through our Evidence Alerts service.
I
Induction
The Integrated Library Service (ILS) provides a series of inductions as part of the ILS Training and Induction Programme designed to help new users get the most out of the Library service.
Integrated Library Service
The Integrated Library Service offers a wide range of facilities, resources and services to support the core business and health service needs of the Trusts it serves: Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (WUTH), Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology (CCO) and NHS Wirral.
Integrated Library Service Staff
Staff in the library who offer information, and instructional services on how to use the library effectively.
Inter- Library Loan service
If you require a book or journal article that is not available in our collection, or online then we can obtain it for you from other sources, including:
• British Library Document Supply Centre
• British Medical Association (BMA) Library
• Library and Health Information Network Northwest (LIHNN)
• University of Liverpool (LIVU)
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, is a unique, numeric commercial book identifier based upon a 10 or 13-digit number that identifies a particular title and edition of a book.
ISSN
The International Standard Serial Number is a unique, numeric commercial identifier for periodicals and other serially-produced products.
Issue
Part of a journal published on a particular date. Several issues normally make up a volume. Individual issues are usually unbound (soft covered); when all issues of a volume have been published, the library often has them hard–bound together in one volume.
Items for sale
The Integrated Library Service offers a number of items for sale.
J
Journal
Also known as a serial, magazine or periodical. Item consisting of issues published at regular intervals (usually more frequently than once a year). Each year issue has the same title, but a different number. Issues are often grouped into volumes, e.g Volume 50 issue no 1,2,3 etc and bound together. Increasingly journals are available online and these are called e-journals.
Journal Club Support Service
A Journal Club is a group of professionals who meet regularly to discuss and appraise a research study of relevance to their topic area / specialty. Meetings usually consist of one member of the group delivering a structured presentation to colleagues in which they will critically appraise a research paper. A group discussion will then examine the potential application of the findings into clinical or non-clinical practice.
K
Keywords
A significant word or phrase in the title, subject headings, contents notes, abstract, or text of a record in an online catalogue or database which can be used as a search term in a free-text search to retrieve all the records containing it.
L
Librarian
Librarians are members of Library staff who have a graduate or post-graduate level professional qualification in librarianship. Most Librarians are chartered members of CILIP (the Chartered Institute of Librarians and Information Professionals). The other staff who work in the Library are Library Assistants.
Library Assistant
Library Assistants are staff who work in the library but who are not professionally qualified Librarians.
M
MeSH (Medical Subject Heading)
A controlled vocabulary term used by all the indexers in an organization to ensure consistency in assigning terms to articles (or records) on the same topic. They are also used in searching to avoid having to think of all the possible words that various authors could have used to express the same concept.
Medline
Medline is a bibliographic database produced by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences as far back as 1966.
N
NHS Evidence (formerly the National Library for Health)
The NHS portal for health information which aims to provide easy access to a comprehensive evidence base for everyone in health and social care who takes decisions about treatments or the use of resources – including clinicians, public health professionals, commissioners and service managers – thus improving health and patient care.
NVIVO
Qualitative analysis software designed to aid users in managing, organising and supporting research in qualitative data analysis projects.
North West OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue)
Online searchable catalogue of the North West region health care libraries.
O
Online
Connected to the Internet.
Outreach library services
Outreach library services are designed to support the work, learning and development needs of NHS staff working for, or on placement in Wirral who are not based near to a branch of the Integrated Library Service. Staff working for or on placement with the following organisations are eligible to access outreach library services:
* NHS Wirral
* Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology
* Wirral University NHS Foundation Trust
P
PCT
Primary Care Trust – on the Wirral the name of the PCT is NHS Wirral.
PDF (Portable Document Format)
A file format developed by Adobe Systems. Viewing a PDF requires Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded free from Adobe. PDF documents can also be a version of an electronic journal article or book which is a scanned image of the item. A PDF item will look like a photocopy from a hard copy journal article.
Periodical
See journal.
Q
Quick Reference Section
A selection of Library resources used to begin research and to answer quick questions. These include dictionaries; encyclopaedias and bibliographies.
R
RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
RSS feeds or newsfeeds are a type of automatically generated web feed. An RSS feed will alert you when new content is added to a website of your choice. RSS feeds provide a way of sharing and broadcasting content from a website and offer you another way to keep up to date in your area of interest without having to regularly visit several separate websites. See Library Helpsheet No. 12 for more information.
Read & Relax Collection
A collection of items which provide recreational reading including fiction, biographies, thrillers, horror, crime, classics, fantasy, family sagas and other non-fiction which do not relate to the study of healthcare.
Recall
An item may be recalled from loan if another borrower wishes to use it.
Reference
1. Similar to a citation. Brief information about a book, journal conference paper, book chapter etc. Often found at the end of articles or chapters. Normally organized according to a particular referencing style, e.g. Harvard or APA (American Psychological Association).
2. Reference is the status of some resources in the Library – itemed that have a ‘Reference’ or a ‘Reference Only’ sticker may be loaned at a Librarian’s discretion for a period of one day or until the Integrated Library Service is next staffed.
Reference Manager
Software for managing bibliographies.
Renew or renewal
An item may be renewed if the borrower wishes to keep it for longer than the original loan period within specified limits, and as long as another borrower doesn’t want the item.
Reserve
The Integrated Library Service will reserve an item on your behalf if it is currently out on loan to another borrower. A recall notice will be sent to the current borrower and the requestor will be contacted when the item is ready to collect.
S
Shelf number (also known as the classification number)
Home address for the book in the library. Number or letters found on the spine of a book or journal which designate where it is shelved in the library. Books with similar classification are generally on the same or a similar topic.
SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences)
Software system for data management and analysis, available on certain computers in the McArdle Library.
Supplement
Material which didn’t fit into the original published work. Additional information on the same topic published in a separate issue or volume. Conference abstracts are often printed in a supplement.
T
Training
The Integrated Library Service (ILS) offers a series of training and induction sessions as part of its Information Literacy and Skills Training Programme. The sessions will enable you to develop a range of lifelong information handling skills and teach you to find, retrieve and appraise information gathered from an ever-expanding range of health related resources (both print and electronic formats).
U
U.R.L. (Uniform Resource Locator)
URL stands for ‘uniform resource locator’ which is the address of a file or content on the internet. They begin with www (world wide web), followed by the name of the company or product. For example, the URL for NHS Evidence is www.evidence.nhs.uk.
Useful Links
A list on the Integrated Library Service webpage of links to websites that may be of interest to colleagues across the Trusts that we support.
V
Volume
1. Journals have one or more volumes a year, divided into issues. Individual issues are often bound together to form a volume.
2. A volume can also be an individual part of a multi-part book.