Website: /library_/about-us/policies: Library FAQ

Click on the letters below to view that section of the alphabet:

• A: (abstract, article)

  • abstract: A summary of an article, book, or book chapter. Often included in library databases.
  • article: A brief piece of writing – generally between 1 and 35 pages in length - included with others in a journal, magazine, trade publication, or newspaper. Articles are indexed in library databases.

• B: (book, bibliography, bibliographic record)

  • book: A relatively lengthy work, often on a single topic. May be print or electronic.
  • bibliography: A list of materials such as books and articles that have been cited in a work or consulted during the preparation of the work.
  • bibliographic record: A bibliographic record is a detailed description of a book, article, or other resource in a library’s collection. It includes essential information such as the title, author, publication date, subject, and physical description, as well as a unique identifier (such as an ISBN for books). This record helps users locate and reference specific materials within the library.
• C: (call number, catalog, check out, chapter, citation, citation style, controlled vocabulary, course reserve)

  • call number: A combination of letters and numbers used to organize items on the shelf. The call number we use to the Library of Congress call number system.
  • catalog: A tool used to find items that the library owns in physical copy or in electronic copy. Sometimes called the “online catalog.” The term catalog used to be short for "card catalog" which was a collection of index cards in drawers used to locate items in a library's collection.
  • check out: To borrow a book or other item from a library. Libraries lend items to library users and expect the item to be returned to the library at the end of the loan period. You may be able to extend the loan period by requesting a renewal. See due date and renew.
  • chapter: A division of a book or other work.
  • citation: Information used to give credit to a source or to help find the original information to which a source refers. A citation contains information such as author, title, date published, page numbers.
  • citation style: Refers to the way that a citation is formatted. Different styles (such as MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) have different formats or orders in which the citation information is presented.
  • controlled vocabulary: An established list of preferred terms assigned as subject headings or descriptors in a database record. Controlled vocabulary is often part of the metadata used to describe information in library databases.
  • course reserve: Course-related material made available to students through the library at the request of a professor. Items include books, DVDs, maps, and other tangible items.
• D: (database, documentary film, discovery tool, due date)
  • database: A structured source of information that is regularly updated and related to a specific subject or field. Database records are typically uniform in format and organized to make it easy to search and retrieve information through a search engine. Databases can range from general subjects to very specific subject matter. See library database.
  • documentary film (source type): A non-fiction motion picture intended to document reality for the educational purposes or to maintain a historical record.
  • discovery tool: Tools used by libraries that allow researchers to simultaneously search for books, audio, video, journal articles, news, and more. A one-stop search engine for items you would otherwise have to look for in separate search tools. The duPont-Ball Library’s discovery tool is called OneSearch.
  • due date: The date when an item borrowed (checked out) from the library is due to be returned so another person may use the item.
• E: (eBook, encyclopedia)
  • eBook: A book in electronic format.
  • encyclopedia: Books with authoritative summary information about a variety of topics in the form of short essays, called entries, usually arranged alphabetically. May be print or electronic.
• F: (finding aid, fines)
  • finding aid: A published or unpublished guide, inventory, index, register, list, or other system for retrieving archival primary source materials that provides more detailed description of each item than is customary in a library catalog or discovery tool.
  • fines : To encourage borrowers to return materials promptly, some libraries charge a small amount for each day that an item is kept past its due date, referred to as an overdue item. The duPont-Ball Library does not charge for overdue items. Instead, borrowers are charged replacement fees.
• I: (index, interlibrary loan)
  • index: An index arranges (by author, title, or subject) citations for articles from a set of periodicals (journals, magazines, trade publications, etc). A library database that does not contain full-text articles may be referred to as an index.
  • interlibrary loan: A process for requesting books, articles, and other information sources that the duPont-Ball library does not own, but another institution does. The duPont-Ball library borrows the item in question from a different library on your behalf! A service where the library will borrow from other libraries items not held in the Stetson Library.
• J: (journal)
  • journal (source type): A publication, issued on a regular basis, which contains scholarly research published as articles, papers, research reports, or technical reports. May be print or electronic.
• L: (library database, Library of Congress)
  • library database: Information in library databases is typically bibliographic in nature and licensed (paid for) by the library. A library database is a search engine that typically includes bibliographic records, abstracts, full-text documents, directory entries, images, statistics, etc.
  • Library of Congress: The national library which set standards such as call numbers and subject headings that many academic libraries follow. Public libraries often follow the Dewey Decimal standards.
• M: (magazine, metadata)
  • magazine: A publication, issued on a regular basis, containing popular articles, written and illustrated in a less technical manner than the articles found in a journal. Used to describe information sources that are not scholarly or peer-reviewed. May be print or electronic.
  • metadata: Structured information describing information resources or objects. Many library databases search metadata, rather than the source’s full-text, to determine search results.
• N: (newspaper)
  • newspaper: A publication containing information about varied topics that are pertinent to general information, a geographic area, or a specific subject matter (i.e. business, culture, education). Often published daily. May be print or electronic.
• O: (OneSearch, overdue)
  • OneSearch: A tool on the duPont-Ball library website that allows you to simultaneously search for books, audio, video, journal articles, news, and more. It's a one-stop shop for items you would otherwise have to look for in separate search tools.
  • overdue: An item kept past its due date is considered overdue. Some items may be renewed to extend the due date. The library’s automated system will send an email overdue notice to remind the borrower to return the item to the library. The notice includes information on how to renew the item.
• P: (peer-review, periodical, podcast, popular source, primary source, proxy login)
  • peer-review: The process through which some scholarly articles go prior to publication in a journal. Authors submit articles to a journal and the article is reviewed by experts in the field. Suggestions about the article are sent to the author for revision. This process continues until the experts deem the article acceptable for publication.
  • periodical (source type): An information source published in multiple parts at regular intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, biannually). Journals, magazines, and newspapers are all periodicals. May be print or electronic.
  • podcast (source type): A digital audio file available online for download or streaming, typically available as a series.
  • popular source: Used to describe information sources that are not scholarly or peer-reviewed. Popular sources include newspapers and general interest magazines (e.g. National Geographic, Wired, The Economist). Popular sources written for a general audience of readers, to entertain, inform, or persuade. Popular sources help you answer who, what, when, and where questions and are essential for finding information about current events or issues. Compare with trade sources and scholarly sources.
  • primary source: An original record of events, such as a diary, a newspaper article, a public record, or scientific documentation. Compare with secondary source.
  • proxy login: To access library resources from off campus, use the OFF CAMPUS LOGIN link which is also known as the proxy login.
• R: (renew, rent, replacement fee)
  • renew: To extend the period of time for which an item is loaned by a library, usually by the length of the normal loan period. Renewal policies vary depending on the item.
  • rent: Paying for the use of an item. Libraries typically do not ask for payment to borrow items and use the words check out or borrow in place of rent.
  • replacement fee: The fee charged to a borrower who does not return an item after an extended period. The fee is used to purchase another copy of the item. Replacement fees can be charged when an item is lost or damaged by the user.
• S: (secondary sources, scholarly source, subject heading, social media)
  • secondary sources: Materials such as books and journal articles that analyze primary sources. Secondary sources usually provide evaluation or interpretation of data or evidence found in original research or documents such as historical manuscripts or memoirs.
  • scholarly source: Publications intended for use in support of conducting in-depth research, often containing specialized vocabulary and references to sources. The content has been reviewed by academic peers to ensure the reliability of methods used and the validity of findings ensuring that a book or journal article meets academic standards for quality. Compare with trade publications and popular sources.
  • subject heading: In the library catalog and many databases, these are "tags" applied to information sources to describe what they are about, and to link to other similar sources. These are sometimes called descriptors or controlled vocabulary.
  • social media (source type): Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content and to interact with other users.
• T: (trade publications)
  • trade publications (source type): Sources intended to share general news, trends, and opinions among practitioners in a certain industry or profession. Although generally written by experts, they are not considered scholarly because they are not peer-reviewed and do not focus on advancing new knowledge discovery or reporting research results. Trade journals, however, are an essential source of information in the field of business. Compare with popular sources and scholarly sources.
• W: (website)
  • website (source type): A group of related web pages located under a single domain name, typically produced by a person or organization.

If you received an e-mail stating your library account has been charged for lost or damaged items, then you have several options. You can return the items or pay the bill with a credit card, e-check, check, or cash.

• Returning the Items

  If you are still in possession of the lost (non-damaged) items, then return them to the library as soon as possible. Once the items have been processed by our Circulation staff, the bill on your account will be cleared.

• Credit Card or E-Check Payment

  Go here to pay by credit card.

  1.) On the first page, enter your name, e-mail, 800#, and the total amount of the bill. Please obtain this amount from a Circulation staff member.

  2.) On the second page, enter your credit card or e-check information, review all the information to make sure it is correct, and click on “Process Transaction.” You will receive an e-mail confirming your payment.

  3.) Your library account will be credited as soon as payment is verified, which may take one or two business days.

• Check or Cash Payment

  To pay by cash or check, please speak with a Circulation staff member.

• Questions or Concerns

  For questions or concerns about your library account, contact Debbi Dinkins, Associate Dean of the duPont-Ball Library.

  Phone: 386-822-7179

  E-Mail: Contact Debbi

The library provides Interlibrary Loan (also called ILL) service to obtain material (books, dissertations, magazine and journal articles) that we do not currently own. We generally get the material from other libraries, although occasionally we purchase items that are not available for loan by any library. Please note that many libraries will not lend films or DVDs. Before submitting an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request, check the library catalog and the Journals List for books and journals already in the library.

Any Stetson student, faculty member, or staff member is eligible to use the Interlibrary Loan service. Retired faculty and staff members may also use ILL services.