You too can learn to compose sentences like this: "At EC, the ADs agreed to ask DBAC to work with III on ways to delete MCHEL records from InMich." Baffle your friends, impress your bosses.
This is a lexicon of local MSU Libraries acronyms, MSU campus acronyms that are frequently encountered in library situations, jargon related to library work, obsolete designations still found in some documents, and common terms that are often used in a special sense around the libraries. It is intended for the orientation of new hires, visitors including international visitors unfamiliar with major American library organizations and tools, and others not familiar with the local vernacular. Except as noted, the acronyms are usually 'pronounced' as the sequence of letters. This is a very unofficial guide. It is not intended to cover acronyms in general use among a wide array of library workers (such as ALA).
Lexicon of terms
4-North/4-Center/4-South: On "4-West", the fourth floor of the West side of the Main Library, there are three conference rooms. The one that is farthest north (facing the Union) is 4-North (W449), with 4-Center (W450) next to it, then 4-South (W452).
AccessMichigan: See MeLCat.
ACNS: Academic Computing and Network Services for MSU.
ADs: The Associate and Assistant Directors of the MSU Libraries.
AFS space: Andrew File Server space is server space provided for personal Web pages.
AHIP: The Academy of Health Information Professionals.
AIS: Administrative Information Services, part of LCT and the Computing Center.
ALA: The national American Library Association.
AP: See CT.
APP&R: The Academic Program Planning and Review Recommendation process is a major part of setting the annual MSU budget.
APSA: See CT.
ATC: Assistive Technology Center, a small room near Circ, has devices for sight-impaired library users. RCPD has the same suite of tools and trains users.
ATL: See WRAC.
AUP: Acceptable Use Policy, the MSU rules for using the Internet on campus.
AVS: Magic, our OPAC from III, recently added an improved Keyword search that uses search software purchased from AltaVista: hence, "AltaVista Search" or AVS. Replaced in 2006 by RightResults.
BibSupport: The Bibliographic Support unit in the West Basement prepares book order forms for the subject bibliographers.
Branches: Besides the Main Library, MSU has a variety of external libraries in other buildings. Within Main, some service units are also called "internal branches." The MSU College of Law Library is a separate entity.
CATA: Capital Area Transportation Authority now runs the campus bus lines.
CCSAC: One of several Communications and Computer Systems Advisory Committees, part of LCT, such as HCCTC.
Chavez: Named for activist Cesar Chavez, this is a collection of relevant books in the main lobby of the Main Library.
CIC: The Center for Institutional Cooperation is the university group better known in sports as the Big 10, plus the Universities of Chicago and Illinois at Chicago.
Circ: The Main Library Circulation department.
Citrix: The Citrix server allows Web access to certain kinds of databases.
Collection Coordinators: The middle managers who coordinate department level materials funds; also this group's meeting twice a month with the AD for Collections.
Commons: See ERHR.
CT: Clerical-Technical, identifying library support staff affiliated with a specific union on campus (the largest in terms of library staff). Others are APs (Administrative Professionals) and APSAs (Administrative Professional Supervisors).
DataCat: This unit maintains Magic, the OPAC or "database" (what used to be the card catalog)
DBAC: The Data Base Advisory Committee formerly oversaw design questions for our OPAC. WAG will assume some of its larger functions.
DCL: The MSU College of Law (formerly Detroit College of Law) has its own library, with whom we share an online catalog.
DHCP: Dynamic Host Control Protocol manages laptop connections to the Internet.
DLI: A Digital Library Initiative grant from the National Science Foundation supported our NGSW project.
DMC: The Digital and Multimedia Center (including the Vincent Voice Library), formerly the DSC, manages our audio-visual collection, copyrights, and some grants.
Doc. Del.: See ILS.
DPS: The campus police, the Department of Police and Public Safety (also as DPPS).
DSC: See DMC.
E-token: Students can pay for printing from online sites with e-tokens paid out of accounts receivable money.
EC: The Executive Council is the meeting of the library director and the ADs.
ERASMUS: The "Electronic Resources And Selection Management Utility System" is the underlying database that feeds entries to the Electronic Resources pages for the public, along with managing the selectors' "wish list" pages.
Ergo: The library has an ergonomics committee to provide ergonomically correct office equipment and practices.
ERHR: The Electronic Resources Help Room (formerly Information Commons) provided basic instruction in the use of Magic and some databases before it was phased out in 2004. This space is now the Beaumont Instruction Room.
FAC: The Faculty Affairs Committee is elected by the librarians to help determine merit raises each year and to advise on reassignments and changed job descriptions.
FDG: See Front Door Group.
First Hour: The first hour of some 2-hour weekly Reference meetings is devoted to training.
FRBR: Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records is a developing system for thinking about cataloging.
"Fred": Shorthand for the new Biomedical and Physical Sciences building while it was under construction, and the branch library located there to combine the former physics & astronomy and chemistry libraries with some biology facilities.
Front Door Group: Front Door Group, sometimes FDG, was a committee assigned to designing the library's Web pages, especially main and unit home pages. WAG will asssume some of its functions.
FSA: Flexible Spending Account used to cover costs of certain benefits options.
Full Apps PCs: Most PCs in the library are set up just like the computer labs, with access via MSUNetID to the full set of applications. Contrasts with Selected Resource PCs.
Ground: In some documents, the Main Library Basement floor is referred to as the Ground floor.
Gs & Os: Librarians and units write Goals and Objectives each year.
Gull Lake: MSU maintains the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) at this location about an hour from East Lansing, including a branch library.
HCCTC: Health Care Computing and Technical Committee, one of the CCSACs.
HR: The Human Resources or personnel office and staff, either in the Main Library Main Office or the all-university office in the Nisbet Building.
III ("triple-I"): Innovative Interfaces Incorporated, the vendor for our integrated library system including the OPAC and tech services modules.
ILL: See ILS.
ILS: The MSU Libraries document delivery unit, formerly known as Doc Del, providing Inter Library Loan (ILL) borrowing and lending, and also delivery of copies of articles.
IMLS: The Institute of Museum and Library Services is another source of grant money.
Information Commons: See ERHR.
InMICH: See MeLCat.
Internal branch: See branch.
Intranet: In the library, refers to Web pages visible only to staff and not the public.
IRC: The Information and Referral Center was formerly a frontline information service point on the main level, now replaced more or less by ERHR and a desk at Circulation.
IUG: Through the Innovative Users Group, customers of III submit enhancement requests to the company.
JVE: Journal Voucher Exchange is a system for assigning costs among MSU units.
KBS: See Gull Lake.
LCT: The library director reports to the associate provost for Libraries, Computing and Technology, within the university provost's office.
LCTTP: Libraries, Computing and Technology Training Programs are offered by LCT.
LDLS: Library Distance Learning Services, formerly Outreach, provides library services to off-campus users such as Agricultural Extension Agents, and VU classes.
LM: Library of Michigan, or L of M, the state library in the downtown Lansing government complex, shares our online catalog.
M.A.C.: Variously, can refer to Michigan Agricultural College (MSU's precursor), or to "M.A.C. Avenue" named for the college, or to the Michigan Athletic Club.
MACUL: The Michigan Association of Computer Users for Learning.
MAGIC: The name formerly used for the MSU Libraries' OPAC; we are phasing this out, since some users confuse this name for the OPAC with the overall library web site..
MAU: Major Administrative Units at MSU are at the college or school level.
MCHEL: Some records for materials belonging to the Michigan Community Health Electronic Library and other state health agencies such as MDCH (Michigan Department of Community Health) and MPHI (Michigan Public Health Institute) formerly appeared in Magic. This pilot program has concluded and these records should no longer be encountered.
MDCH: See MCHEL.
MeLCat: Michigan Electronic Library. This began through a compination of the MeL free online site and the AccessMichigan grant from the State of Michigan to provide access to databases for all libraries in the state (administered by MLC). The pilot InMICH shared catalog project is now becoming the foundation for a system that pools resources via an online catalog and a delivery system.
MetaFind: III's federated searching product.
MHSLA: Michigan Health Sciences Library Association.
MLA: This acronym refers to one of three organizations, all with library ties: the national Medical Library Association, the state Michigan Library Association, or the Modern Languages Association for literature faculty.
MLC: Michigan Library Consortium is a cooperative serving libraries in the state.
MLR: The Main Library Reference unit or service desk.
MPHI: See MCHEL.
MRLT: Michigan Research Libraries Triangle consists of the MSU, the University of Michigan and the Wayne State University Libraries.
MSUNetID: Authorization required for access to the campus network (formerly "Pilot ID").
Mulver: Multiple format versions of a title in the same catalog record.
Netlink: Computer ports with this label use DHCP for laptops.
NGSW: The National Gallery of the Spoken Word grant of DMC is digitizing sounds and voices from the Vincent Voice Library collection, formerly in forms like tape.
OPAC: our Online Public Access Catalog, or "computerized card catalog," is a III product. We are phasing out use of the term "Magic" for the catalog.
OpenURL: Software that allows links to online full text (such as an article) in one database from another (such as an index).
Outreach: See LDLS.
PANs: See PIDs and PANs.
PIDs and PANs: Personal identification numbers used by MSU, needed to activate a Pilot email account, and used by the library to validate access to licensed databases.
Pilot: At one time, the email system offered by MSU, also used to authenticate users (see MSUNetID).
PRR/Micro: The Periodical Reading Room/Microforms area handles recent issues of magazines and microfilm holdings, as well as Reserve Reading and photocopiers.
PSDC: In the Public Services Division Council, public service unit heads meet twice a month to provide advice to the AD for Public Services.
RCPD: Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities. See ATC.
RECAP: The elected Reappointment and Continuous Appointment committee evaluates librarians for promotion, reappointment and "continuous appointment" or tenure.
Remote: Our remote storage warehouse off-campus relieves overcrowding in the book stacks.
RightResults: Latest version of the III OPAC keyword search engine, offering relevancy groupings. Replaces AVS.
Selected Resource PCs: Computer workstations for the public at the 1-East Reference Desk, needing no login but restricted to viewing library-selected databases and sources. See Full Apps PCs.
SPC: See Spec Coll.
Spec Coll: the Special Collections unit or rare book room.
SSAG: Support Staff Advisory Group provides advice to the library Director (see Steering).
SSHR: The old Social Sciences and Humanities Reference unit was combined with the Science Reference unit to form the current Main Library Reference unit in 1999.
Steering: The elected Steering Committee of librarians meets with and advises the library Director (see SSAG).
Sysdoc: Automated form for reporting computer trouble to the Systems department.
TLE: The Teaching, Learning and Education Fund provides extra MSU funds each year to LCT, which the library may tap for computer-related needs.
Turfgrass: A separate unit in the Main Library intensively collecting publications of all kinds on the use of turf cover.
USAIN: The library conducted a major microfilming preservation grant through United States Agricultural Information Network.
VU: The Virtual University delivers some MSU classes by computer.
WAG: Web Advisory Group, constituted in Fall 2006 to oversee the library's "Web presence."
WebBridge: III's OpenURL product.
WebPAC: the html-based, Web-compatible version of our OPAC.
WRAC: The Writing, Rhetoric and American Cultures program (formerly ATL, for American Thought and Language) includes technical writing classes that sometimes examine the library web site as a test case.
Modified 28 August 2006.
URL = http://www.lib.msu.edu/sowards/services/mlr/MSUacronyms.htm