Some Info. Org.-Related Library Acronyms

There are a lot of acronyms thrown around in the library world, and in particular a few are so similar (DDC/DC, RDA/RDF) that they can be hard to keep straight! This post is to help you refer back throughout the semester, to help keep this crazy alphabet soup straight.  Here are a few related resources:

• ALA has a list that includes both its divisions/committees and general library acronyms
• The U of Arizona has a glossary of LIS terms that includes acronym
• LIS Wiki also has a good list

Here are some of the most frequently-used acronyms in our class:

• AACR2: Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd edition; a cataloging code (rules used for creating records)
• DC: Dublin Core, a metadata format
• DDC: Dewey Decimal Classification; a classification system often used in public and school libraries
• EAD: Encoded Archival Description; a metadata format used primarily by archives
• FRBR: Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records; a model for bibliographic records that is based on relationships between information objects, which are grouped into four levels: work, expression, manifestation, and item
• ILS: Integrated Library System; a library automation system, which generally has interfaces for acquisitions, cataloging, and circulation
• LC or LCC: Library of Congress Classification; a classification system often used in academic libraries
• LCSH: Library of Congress Subject Headings; a standardized list of subjects used in catalog records to describe the content/aboutness of a information object
• MARC: Machine-Readable Cataloging; a cataloging structure & encoding format
• OCLC: formerly Online Computer Library Center; a collaborative library tool that provides access to shared bibliographic records to member libraries
• OPAC: Online Public Access Catalog; an online library catalog
• RDA: Resource Description & Access; a cataloging code designed to replace AACR2, based on the FRBR model
• RDF: Resource Description Framework; a model for online data interchange, which names the relationship between linked items
• XML: Extensible Markup Language; a markup language for information that is both human-readable and machine-readable

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