Information ServicesLibrary glossary
An outline or summary of a document. For example, a book, article, dissertation, or thesis. Use it to decide whether or not you'd like to read the complete work.
Items and records acquired by the University. Includes the University Archives (the official records of the University of Strathclyde from 1796 to the present day) and Deposited Archives (various items and documents acquired by gift or deposit to support the University’s teaching and research).
Details of all the materials which provided you with information or helped you to formulate your ideas for your assignment, even if they are not directly referred to in your text.
Search a database using AND, OR, NOT to combine your search words.
Find articles, authors or books that have cited previously published research.
The system is used to classify books on the shelves in Lending, Reference, and Short Loan. Find out more about Dewey Decimal Classification on our in-depth help page.
Bookable rooms to use for studying in groups. Can be booked online up to two weeks in advance. Book a group room.
A unique number for an electronic document, often a journal article. It will never change, unlike a URL.
All staff and students at Strathclyde have their own IT account. This is called a Directory Services (DS) account.
You log in to your account using your DS username (a string of letters and numbers) and password.
Your DS account gives you access to many University computer systems, including those that hold your personal information. Never share your DS password with anyone else. You can change your password if you have forgotten it, or if you think someone else might know it.
This is the Wi-Fi network provided by the university. Your username when connecting to eduroam is your DS username, followed by @strath.ac.uk. Your password is the same as your DS password.
A desktop bibliographic service for students and researchers that organises personal reference collections and saves time retyping references for coursework and publication. Available on University computers. We provide training on using Endnote.
A web version of Endnote. We provide training on using Endnote.
A staffed desk that assists with all Library and IT enquiries. Check our opening times and contact Information Services.
Electronic library resources, including eBooks, eJournals, databases and more.
Theses that is available in electronic format.
UK Electronic Theses Online Service (EThOS) is a project that is making theses' available electronically.
A division of the University comprising related subject areas. The four Faculties at Strathclyde are:
- Business
- Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS)
- Engineering
- Science
Each Faculty has its own Faculty Librarian who acts as the first point of contact between the Faculty and the Library.
Areas where group work or transactional activities may be undertaken. Group discussion is allowed on Level 2, and in bookable group discussion rooms on Levels 4 and 5.
A directory on the University computer network where you can save your own individual files and folders.
A measurement of the academic importance of a journal. Use the ISI Web of Science Journal Citation Reports via SUPrimo. Scopus metrics can also be used.
Allows you to access electronic resources off-campus. See also Shibboleth login.
If a book or journal is not available in the Andersonian Library, we can get it for you from another library. This is called an inter-library loan.
A collection of articles dealing with a particular subject e.g. the British journal of management. Can be held electronically or in print format.
Books are available for a 1-week loan and a standard (6-week) loan. Available on Levels 4 and 5 of the Library. We organise books in numerical order by their Dewey number/class number. All class numbers at Strathclyde have a 'D' before them. For example, 'D598.44 LEV'.
An online record that you can access and use to monitor your Library transactions, renew book loans and place various requests. Accessible using your University DS login or your student number and name.
Closed access collections. To access these items, make a Store Request online or at the Enquiry desk.
Where the specific item is shelved in the Library. For example, Standard Loan, Short Loan, Reference, and Store.
The virtual learning environment (VLE) used at Strathclyde. It is known as Myplace.
Shown in search results in SUPrimo. This means the book/item should be on the shelves and available to borrow. Contact Information Services for help if you cannot find it.
Shown in search results in SUPrimo. This means the book/item is not currently available. This might be because it's on loan to another borrower. You may want to place a reservation on the item.
The practice of providing unrestricted online access to peer-reviewed research, most commonly scholarly journal, and conference papers. But also other forms of scholarly work, including book chapters, monographs and datasets. Visit the Open Access pages to learn more.
PEGASUS stands for Portal Engine Giving Access to Strathclyde University Systems. PEGASUS provides a way into a range of online services for staff, students, and applicants.
Photocopying including enlargements and reductions, and binding of dissertations/assignments. Available at the Library Shop on Level 2 of the Library.
Areas for studying quietly, with only low-level interaction. Found in the computer suites on Level 3 of the library.
Reference materials are books, journals or other items which you can not take out of the Library. On SUPrimo, the location of these items is given as 'Reference'. Most of our reference materials are on Level 1. Reference materials relating to Law are on Level 5. Contact Information Services if you need help finding any items in the Library.
Details of all the materials you have referred to/cited in your text.
You can place a reservation on books that are currently on loan to another borrower, to be sure that you get hold of them next.
The things you can borrow and use with your Library account. We say 'resources' to mean books and eBooks, journals and eJournals, newspapers, databases, music, and videos. And everything else that may help you with your research.
SCONUL is a scheme allowing certain users (academic staff, postgraduate students, part-time, placement and distance learning students) access to the libraries of other member institutions.
Self-service machines are used for borrowing and returning items. Located on Level 3. There are separate machines in the Short Loan area to borrow/return Short Loan items.
An OpenURL linking resolver that allows users to link directly to the electronic full-text for a reference (the SFX target) plus other related information.
Seen in SUPrimo search results, this tells you where in the Library you will find your book/item. Our books are arranged numerically by subject, then alphabetically by author or title. Note the full Dewey shelfmark before going to the shelves. For example, 'D598.44 LEV'.
Allows you to access Library eResources off campus.
High-demand items available for 1-day loan. The Short Loan Collection is on Level 3 of the Library.
Areas for studying in silence can be found on Levels 1, 4, and 5 of the Library. Mobile phones must be off or kept on silent mode.
Rare or significant printed material and books. These include the Anderson Collection (the personal library of John Anderson, 1726 to 1796, natural philosopher). Plus over 30 other collections spanning the 16th to the 21st centuries.
When you borrow a standard loan book, we initially give you 6 weeks to read and return it. However, we may ask you to bring the book back to the Library sooner if another user has placed a reservation on it. If no other user is waiting for the book, we will automatically renew it for you for a maximum of 24 weeks.
Older books are often kept in the Library Store and are available for borrowing. You may submit a Store Request to view or borrow the item. You can do this online through SUPrimo, or at the enquiry desk on Level 3.
A digital repository of research publications from the University of Strathclyde.
The Library's SUPrimo online search system enables you to find books, journals, journal articles, exam papers, databases, theses, and more.
Strathclyde postgraduate research theses (print) held in the Andersonian Library. Use SUPrimo to search for specific titles. Electronic copies, when available, are accessed via SUPrimo.
Allows off-campus access to Library eResources.
VLE stands for the virtual learning environment. The VLE at Strathclyde is called Myplace.
Strathclyde students and staff have 'full access' to electronic resources. Some other users have 'walk-in' access to electronic resources. Walk-in access means you can access electronic library services inside the Library building. You will not be able to access electronic services from elsewhere. The Library has computers set aside for walk-in users.
Electronic resources include:
- eJournals
- eBooks
- databases
Find out which membership types give you walk-in access to electronic resources or read our walk-in policy.