Almanac - book of facts

Atlas - book of maps and information about different places

Author search -- when you need to find an author in the OPAC

Authorities -- people who know a lot about a subject

Autobiographies -- true stories that people have written about themselves

--B--

Back button -- the first button on the toolbar at the top of your screen in Netscape that will take you to the page before

Bibliographies -- lists of sources that you have used to write a report or do a project

Big6 -- an information problem solving process

Biographies -- books about people

Bookmark -- a way to keep a place marked on the Internet

Brainstorming -- thinking of ideas in a very fast manner

Browser -- a computer program used to look at the Internet, such as Netscape

--C--

Call number -- a number assigned to a book or other item in a library to help you find it

Chat rooms -- places on the Internet where you can talk to people by typing messages

Citing your sources -- making sure you give credit to the places or people where you get information

Classification -- putting things in groups where they can be easily found

Clipart -- graphics or pictures

Concept maps -- a way using pictures to organize your thinking

Criteria -- ideas that are used to judge what you do

--D--

Dewey Decimal System -- a method to classify library items and keep them in order

Dictionary -- a book that lists words with their meanings in alphabetical order

Direct quote, 40

Directories -- ways to keep files organized on a computer

Download -- to load a file from someone else's computer onto yours

--E--

Electronic materials -- information that is presented on a computer

E-mail - electronic mail, letters sent through the Internet

Emoticons -- symbols on the Internet used to show emotion

Encarta -- encyclopedia on the computer

Encyclopedia -- reference work with entries in alphabetical order

Escape key -- the key on the upper left hand corner of the computer keyboard

Evaluation -- grading or judging

Everybody section -- the part of the library where picture books and easy readers are filed

--F--

Fantasy -- fiction which is unbelievable

Fiction -- made up stories

Files -- pockets of information on a computer

Forward -- a button on the toolbar in Netscape which will send you to a page you have been on and retreated from

Ftp:// -- a protocol in a URL which means that a file can be sent from one computer to another

--G--

Gazetteers -- books that list place names in alphabetical order and give information about the places

General-to-specific triangle -- a way to narrow down a big topic

Glossary -- a dictionary for the words in a reference work

Gopher:// -- lists of links on the Internet -- called a protocol when it is part of a URL

Graphic organizers -- ways to put in order what you are thinking by using pictures

Graphics -- pictures

Grammar -- the correct way to use words in writing and speech

Guide words -- bold words at the top of each page of a reference work. These words are the first ones listed on the page

--H--

Historical fiction -- make believe stories that are based on real events or people

Home -- the button in Netscape that will take you back to the home page

Homepage -- the first place on the Internet your computer shows when Netscape is opened -- also a first file for a location that has several files

Http:// -- a protocol, or the first part of an Internet URL, which means that this address is on the World Wide Web (WWW)

Hyperlink -- a blue, underlined word in Netscape that will take you to a different file if you click on it

Hypertext -- a way to link information in one place to another place, by creating hyperlinks

--I--

Icons -- graphics, pictures

Index -- a section in the back of books that list terms contained in the books with the pages where they can be found

Information books -- books in the non-fiction section of the library

Information search strategies - ways that you can think of to find information, such as to look in books, ask people, etc. -- Big6 step number 2

Internet - a source of information that includes links to people and places all over the world

Internet driver's license - permission to get on the Internet in the Squires' library by going through the process of studying a manual, then taking and passing a driver's test

Interviews - a way to find information by asking other people questions

Journal -- a diary that a researcher keeps in order to write down facts, thoughts, and notes

Judge -- to evaluate something, or see what you think about its value

--K--

Keywords -- important words about a topic that you can use for searching, or when skimming for information

KWL -- a chart to help you know what you already know, what you want to know and what you have learned

--L--

Legends -- small tables of information that link an icon or picture to the information it stands for

Librarian -- a very helpful person who works in a library

Links -- in this case, these are blue, underlined words on the Internet that, when clicked on, will send you somewhere else for information

Listservs -- groups of people who share a common interest that use e-mail to communicate

Location & Access -- Big6 step number 3, where you figure out where and how you get a source

Location box -- the empty white box at the top of your screen in Netscape where you can type in an Internet address

--M--

Magazine indexes -- ways to help you find articles in a magazine, such as Reader's Guide, and SIRS

Matrix -- table to help you organize information

Menu bar -- the list of words at the top of the screen in Netscape. Each word has a list of choices hidden underneath

Microsoft Explorer -- another browser like Netscape, used to see the Internet

--N--

Narrowing your topic -- making your topic more manageable by making it smaller

Netiquette -- being polite and following the rules on the Internet

Netscape -- a browser where you can view the Internet

Non-fiction -- information that is true

Notecards -- index cards that you can use to keep notes from information as you read it

--O--

Online public access catalog -- also called OPAC

OPAC -- Online public access catalog, in libraries, used to help you search for items contained there

Opening screen -- the first screen of a computer program

Opinions -- someone's idea about a topic

Outlines -- ways of organizing information by using headings and sub-headings

--R--

Realistic fiction -- made up stories that feel real

Reference books -- books that are used for looking up information

Reference list -- list of sources used in a report or presentation

Reload -- a button on the toolbar in Netscape that will bring up the page that you currently see

Rubric -- a piece of information used to judge or grade a report or presentation

--S--

Search engine -- a method for looking up a topic on the Internet -- some are Yahoo, Alta Vista, Infoseek

SIRS -- a magazine index on CD-ROM

Skimming -- reading fast to get the main idea

Sources -- any places where information can be found

Stop -- a button on the toolbar in Netscape which will stop a page from loading onto your screen

Subject headings -- the main ideas of a book

Subject search - method to find a book in an OPAC by typing in a subject keyword

Survey -- a way to collect other people's opinions

Synthesis -- the 5th step in Big6, where you create a presentation from the information you have found

--T--

Table -- a way to organize information by putting things in columns

Table of contents -- an organized list of what is in a book, located in the front of a back

Task definition - first step of Big6, where you decide what your information problem is

Thesaurus -- a book that gives synonyms for words

Title search -- a method for finding the title of a book in an OPAC

Title bar -- the dark line at the very top of the screen on Netscape that tells you where you are on the Internet

Toolbar -- the line of buttons at the top of a program such as Netscape

Topic -- a main idea for research

--U--

URLs -- Internet addresses (uniform resource locators)

Use of information -- the 4th step in Big6

--V--

Vertical files -- information from various sources that is kept in file cabinets

Virus -- a computer file that messes up your computer

--W--

Web - a way that you can narrow down a topic for research

Web page - a computer file that looks like a page on a computer screen on the Internet