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Glossary of Terms
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 ZACTIVE - Your request for the item is active and the pick-up library will receive the item when it is available.
ANY FIELD - All the indexed information fields. Similar to "keyword."
ASTERISK - A wildcard character. Example: "Johns*" will search for anything starting with Johns, so the results will include Johns, Johnsen, Johnson, Johnsville, etc.
AUTHOR - Author fields.
AVAILABILITY - The status of the item throughout the library system. IN means the item is available. OUT means the item is unavailable or checked out.
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BOOLEAN - A web search allowing the use of operative terms such as: and, or, and not.
BORROWER - Patron codes reflect different categories of borrowers, e.g. Adult, Juvenile, Staff, Volunteer.
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CALL NUMBER - A number, such as a Dewey Decimal Number that appears on the spine label of a nonfiction book and is used to identify its location and retrieve the item. For example: 307.12 K96H 1996. (Note that works of fiction, such as a novel, are shelved alphabetically by the author's last name. Biographies are preceded by the letter "B".)
CANCELLED - A hold request that has been cancelled. A cancelled request cannot be filled, but can be reactivated or deleted.
CHECKED OUT - Item status that indicates that materials are checked out to a patron.
CIRCULATING - When we say a book or video or CD "circulates" or is in the "circulating" collection, all it means is that that book, unlike a "reference" book, can be checked out and used outside the library. Reference books are for use inside the library only.
CODEN - Identifier for scientific and technical periodical titles. The six-character identifier can consist of letters and numbers.
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FIND TOOL - Used to find workforms in Polaris.
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GENERAL NOTES - Notes fields.
GENRE - Forms or types of materials, such as science fiction, romance, biography, bibliography, or large type books.
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HELD - The item is ready for the patron to pick up at the library they have chosen.
HOLD REQUEST - A request to set aside an item for you to pick up later, usually because the item is currently unavailable. Either you or a librarian may place a hold request.
HOLDS QUEUE - A list of requests with an active status and requests with a pending status for a title or item.
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ICONS - Used by the Polaris online catalog to indicate what "format" an item is; for example, a map, book or dvd. A list of all these icons with descriptions is online here.
INACTIVE - A request for an item in the library system has an activation date in the future; for an interlibrary loan item, the library must review the request before it is sent.
IN TRANSIT - Term used in Polaris for when an item has been returned at a branch other than the assigned branch.
ISBN - International Standard Book Number. Most published books have a unique ISBN. You can search for an item using this number by selecting the "Advanced Search" link in the Online Catalog and then scrolling down to choose the "Numeric Search" button.
ISSN - International Standard Serial Number. Most magazines and journals have a unique ISSN. You can search for an item using this number by selecting the "Advanced Search" link in the Online Catalog and then scrolling down to choose the "Numeric Search" button.
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KEYWORD - A search for significant words in any field; anywhere and in any order in the catalog.
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LCCN - Library of Congress Control Number
LIBRARY CARD NUMBER - The number under the barcode on your library card. It is a unique identification number used for checking in and checking out materials and placing requests.
LINKS - The way Polaris ties together related workforms.
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MARC - An acronym for "Machine Readable Cataloging Record." The MARC standard comprises "tags," "indicators," and "delimiters" to identify and separate information in the "bibliographic" or "authority" records stored in the library's computer database. "Bibliographic" records contain information about a work (such as a book or DVD) including the call number, date of publication, publisher, etc. "Authority" records contain the "authoritative" or "official" form of an author's name, the title of a work or a subject heading as determined by an agency such as the Library of Congress.
The MARC record can be displayed in the Online Catalog. It is the most detailed form of the record you see when you pull up a search in the catalog. (You can read all about the MARC standards at the Library of Congress website or see this website for a step by step introduction.)
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NOT-SUPPLIED - There are no items to fill a request that you placed in the library.
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ON-THE-FLY (OTF) - Basic item information created with a minimal-level item and bib record. This allows an item to circulate immediately
OPAC - Online Public Access Catalog. Our web based Online Catalog is an OPAC.
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PASSWORD - Also called a Personal Identification Number (PIN). Normally, this is the last four digits of your telephone number. You can change your PIN number by asking the Circulation staff. Use this number when placing requests via the Online Catalog. [Note that it is not the same as your Library Card number (aka "Borrower ID".)]
PIN Personal Identification Number. Normally, this is the last four digits of your telephone number. You can change your PIN number by asking the Circulation staff. Use this number when placing requests via the Online Catalog. [Note that it is not the same as your Library Card number (aka "Borrower ID".)]
PENDING - When an active request is routed to another library to be filled, the status changes to pending.
PUBLISHER - Publisher field.
PUBLISHER NO. - Publisher's number, the unique identifier assigned to the publishers of sound recordings, video recordings, printed sheet music, and other musical works
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READING LEVEL - Assigned to each item in the library catalog. The levels used here at Dallas Public Library include "Adult (A)," "Young Adult (Y)," and "Juvenile (J)."
REFERENCE BOOK - A reference book is one that is meant to be used inside the library. Unlike a circulating book, it cannot normally be checked out.
REQUEST - You place a request when you want the library to hold an item for you. This can be done by logging in to your accounts in the Online Catalog. You will need to know your Library Card Number and PIN. You may request that the item be delivered to any one of our 26 locations. You may also return items to any of our locations, even if it was picked up at a different branch.
REQUEST MANAGER - Under the patron account requests view, it the place where you may view the status of your requests.
REQUEST-TO-FILL (RTF) LIST - List of requests that are routed to designated libraries in a specified order. The request is routed until it is filled, it expires, or every library in the system indicates it is not able to fill the request.
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SERIES - Series fields.
Shelving - Status that appears when an item has been recently returned and is in the process of being shelved.
SHIPPED - A shipped hold request means that an item was trapped at a branch other than the pickup branch. It is being shipped to the pickup branch.
STRN - Standard technical report number (identifier) assigned according to ISO 10444 or NISO Z39.23 standards. The identifier can consist of letters and numbers
SUBJECT - Subject fields.
SUDOC - Superintendent of Documents classification number (identifier) assigned to government documents. The identifier can consist of letters and numbers.
SUSPEND/REACTIVE- Allows you to deactivate your hold if you are unable to pick it up (ex. you are on vacation) and later on (when you return) reactivate it when you are available again.
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TEXSHARE CARD - Issued under a reciprocal borrowing program run by the Texas State Library. If you have a TexShare card, you can borrow books from other participating institutions directly. You must apply for the free card at the library in the town where you live. There are certain restrictions on borrowing. A list of participating public libraries is available online.
TITLE - Title fields.
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VERTICAL FILE MATERIAL - Materials such as pamphlets or maps that are stored in file folders.
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WORKFORM - The way that all data is stored in Polaris.
WORKING LIST - A temporary list you can create and then add to one of your lists saved under your account. Items on this list will disappear when the user logs off.
WORKSTATION A personal computer with a Central Processing Unit, or CPU (containing a hard drive, RAM memory, a floppy disk drive, and in some cases a CD ROM drive), a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
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