Reference Desk Hours
Professional librarians available to assist you with your research needs.
Habshan Library
By appointment, contact librarian (librarian@pi.ac.ae)
Arzanah Library
By appointment, contact librarian (librarian@pi.ac.ae)
Please note:If you need immediate assistance, please see the
circulation desk. Circulation staff will forward your inquiry to a librarian.
Alternately, you can contact a librarian at librarian@pi.ac.ae
Ask a Librarian
If there is a question of any kind about an assignment, research paper, etc.,
please email us at librarian@pi.ac.ae. We will do our best to help and
get back to you as soon as possible.
Inter Library Loans
If you need an article or a book that the library does not have in either its
print or electronic collections, you can request it via Inter Library Loan. Students may request articles ONLY if their professor
approves the request first, and the library receives a copy of that approval. Inter Library Loan requests should be e-mailed to ILL@pi.ac.ae
- You must include all relevant citation information in your request.
- Journal Article: article title, author, journal title, volume
and issue number, date, publisher, page numbers.
- Book: title, author, publication date, publisher [volume or edition
if a specific copy is needed].
- ILL articles may be delivered to you in either print or electronic form
depending on the license agreement with the article provider.
- ILL books must be picked up in person from the library, and are subject
to due dates determined by the lending institution.
Library Hours/Policies/Etc.
Please click here to view
the library's hours, contact information, staff listing, policies (including
renewal and returns), collections, and facilities.
Library Floor Plans
Please view the maps below to orient yourself with library layouts and collection locations.
Habshan Library floor plans
Arzanah Library floor plan (TBA)
How to Find Materials in the Library (understanding the
Library of Congress Classification System (LCC))
The Petroleum Institute's libraries arrange and access their materials using
the Library of Congress Classification System (LCC). In order to physically
find library materials on the shelves, it helps to understand a little bit about
LCC classification, call numbers, and the library shelving system.
Why Classify?
In order to access the vast amounts of information that exist in the
world, systems have been created to organize the information into different
subjects/topics. Fundamentally, it is the same as organizing something
as simple as your wardrobe. Instead of dumping everything in a chaotic
mess on your floor, your wardrobe could be organized into sections; such
as different drawers for socks and undershirts, and arranging your closet
with dress shirts on the left side and pants on the right. You can even
further organize your wardrobe into smaller sub-sections; like arranging
your shirts by color, fabric, or designer. If you do this you will be
able to find the clothing you want quickly and efficiently (compared to
the floor method!). Libraries have done the same thing with information,
but, as with wardrobes, there are many different ways to organize information.
Call Numbers
The LCC organizes information by using combinations of letters, numbers,
and decimal points. The combination of letters and numbers is called a call
number (example: TK 5105.888 .M677 2001). Call numbers are listed in the
library catalog, and are marked on or beside the spine of books and journals.
A call number tells you where to locate an item on the shelf. Think of it like
a postal address telling you where an item lives. Make sure to write down
the whole call number of an item when you are trying to find it, becuase,
as with postal addresses, if you do not have the whole call number you will
not be able to find the item. Could you easily find a person if you were told
they lived in Abu Dhabi on Hamdan Street, but had no further information about
building or flat number--NO.
Shelf Arrangement
Shelves are arranged first alphabetically and then numerically. For example,
the shelves labeled DS 258 - HD 30.26 is immediately followed by the next set
of shelves HD 30.26 - HF 3755 (See Fig. 1). You locate the item you want by
first finding the shelf range that contains the item's call number (Example:
the item with the call number BC 177.V38 2005 would be located on the shelves
with the call number range A1 - DA 16). Next you have to walk down the aisle
to the exact area with your call number. Materials are arranged on the shelf
in increasing order from left to right and then top to bottom. So if you start
in the top left hand side of a bookcase, follow the shelf until it ends on the
right. Drop down to the next shelf, but again start on the left and move to
the right. When you hit the bottom right corner of the bookcase, start at the
next adjacent bookcase to the right in the top left hand corner, and repeat
the previous process (See Fig. 2).
 |
Fig 1: Call number progression up
and down shelving aisles. |
| 1) Start ----------->> |
6) ---------------->> |
| 2) ---------------->> |
7) ---------------->> |
| 3) ---------------->> |
8) ---------------->> |
| 4) ---------------->> |
9) ---------------->> |
| 5) ---------------->> |
10) --------->> Finish |
|
Fig. 2:
The table represents two adjacent bookcase sections,
and the horizontal and vertical shelving order progression. |
Subject Representation
LCC numbers not only help to physically find an item, but they also give you
an idea about the item's subject. Each letter and number in an LCC call
number represents a specific subject area, or information particular to that
item. The broadest subject area is represented by the first letter on the left.
All subsequent letters and numbers describe increasingly narrow subject areas.
Becuase library materials are arranged by subject, if you go to a call number
range and browse the shelves, you can find relevent items you may have
missed in catalog keyword searches.
Example subject breakdown of an LCC call number:
Book -- "A Primer of Oil Well Drilling"
Call Number -- TN 871.2 B315 2001
- T -- Technology
- TN -- Mining Engineering
- TN 800 -- Coal
- TN870 -- Other natural carbons and hydrocarbons
- TN 871 -- Well testing, storage, diffusion, etc.
- TN 871.2 -- Well drilling
- B315 -- Information about the author or title
- 2001 -- Year of edition publication
Additional Information
The LCC was created for the United States Library of Congress, and is now used
internationally, especially in research and academic libraries. Please
click here for a listing of basic LCC subject headings that are
particularly useful to The Petroleum Institute. You can also view the
full Library of Congress Classification Outline by following this
link.
Subject Guides
Glossary of Common Library Terms
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | V | W
A
Abstract: a short summary of an article or book, often included with
citation information in a database or index.
Aisle: the passage area between two library shelving units.
Almanac: a volume containing a collection of facts and statistics on
many subjects.
Article: A document written by one or more authors and published in a
periodical.
Atlas: A book of maps.
Audio-Visual: Non-printed materials, such as sound recordings or videos,
the information on which can only be accessed by the use of equipment.
Author: person or persons responsible for creating a document or body
of work. Authors may be individuals, or organizations (such as corporate or
government bodies).
Author Search: searching in a database by an authors name to find a document.
The database matches the search term with words in the database's author fields.
B
Bar Code Label: a label with printed vertical stripes that record machine
readable data. All library materials have a bar code containing unique information
for that item.
Bibliographic Citation: identifying information about a publication including
author, title, publisher, date of publication, etc.
Bibliography: a list of books or articles used by an author in his/her
work.
Book: a set of written, printed, or blank sheets bound together into
a volume
Boolean Operator: the conjunctions AND, OR, and NOT used for combining
terms when conducting searches in electronic databases.
C
Call Number: sets of letters and numbers that act as unique identifiers
for materials in the library. Call numbers are used to determine where an item
in the library is physically located, and it also indicates the subject for
the item. Call numbers are listed in the library catalog, and are marked on
or beside the spine of books and journals.
Catalog: a database containing descriptive records of library materials.
Cataloging: the process of making entries for a library's catalog. This
includes recording descriptive information about the work (author, title, physical
characteristics, any notes deemed necessary, etc.), as well as assignment of
approved subject headings and call numbers.
Check-Out: borrowing library material.
Circulating: library material that may be checked-out/borrowed by library
users.
Circulation: the department of the library that deals with the borrowing
and returning of library materials.
Citation: a basic set of descriptive information needed to give credit
to or find a publication. Citation formats vary according to the field of study
and/or the requirements of a particular publication (see style guide). A book
citation usually includes: author(s), title, publisher, date. A citation of
a periodical article usually includes: author(s), article title, source journal
title, volume, pages, and date.
Classification System: a scheme used to arrange information into specific
groups or systems with the goal of making that information easily accessible.
Common classification systems are the Library of Congress Classification System
(LCC) and the Dewey Decimal System (DDC).
Compact Shelving: used to save space, shelves are grouped tightly together
in units. The shelves are mechanized, and can be moved so the materials in any
particular aisle can be accessed.
Controlled Vocabulary: a set of standardized subject terms used to search
a database. Databases often use different controlled vocabulary.
Copyright: The exclusive legal privilege to reproduce, publish, distribute,
or sell the form and content of a document or work.
D
Database: a searchable collection of information in electronic form.
The library catalog is a database, as well as the libraries collections of electronically
accessible journal articles and books.
Dictionary: a book listing words and their definitions (usually in alphabetical
order).
Document: a piece of writing conveying information.
E
Edition: 1) a reprint of a piece of work with alterations; 2) a separate
printing of a periodical that contains special information or is produced at
a different time from the main printing (example: "daily edition,"
"evening edition" or "special edition").
Entry: 1) a descriptive record (as in a catalog or an index); 2) a word
with its definition or identification.
F
Federated Database: a user interface that conducts searches through
multiple databases at once. Federated databases have the appearance of saving
time and effort, but often are not efficient in retrieving all relevant information.
Their inefficiency is a result of the subsidiary databases using different controlled
vocabulary.
Field: the part of a record that contains a specific set of information
(example: author field, title field, subject field). Fields in database records
are often searchable.
Full Text: an electronic document that is available in its entirety.
If a database does not provide full-text, it will only offer citations and abstracts--the
actual document has to be acquired elsewhere.
G
Glossary: a list of words and their definitions specific to a particular
subject or document.
H
Heading: a word or phrase by which you search for an item in a database.
Hold: a request that library material be retrieved and kept for a library
patron. If the hold is able to be filled, the patron can pick up the material
at the Circulation Desk.
I
Index: a list of terms (usually arranged alphabetically) describing
where to find information corresponding to those terms in a document. An index
for a book is usually listed in the back of the book.
Information Literacy: a branch of Library Science dedicated to teaching
students of all levels practical skills for effectively using electronic and
print information resources. The goal of Information Literacy is to transform
students into independent life-long learners, and to give them skills for critically
evaluating information.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL): a system by which users of a library can request
to get materials not in that library. The library will make arrangements with
an external library such that the external library will send its material to
the requesting library for lending purposes.
J
Journal: a periodical dealing with matters of current interest. Academic
journals publish the latest research in a particular subject, and the articles
are peer-reviewed. Journals often continue the page number system throughout
the subsequent issues of a given volume (that is, the first page number an issue
will be one higher than the last page of the previous issue).
K
Keyword: the most important word or term in a search question.
Keyword Search: A database search that finds articles or entries by matching
the search keyword(s) with words in the database's searchable fields. The synonyms
of keywords and other related terms can also be used for the search.
L
Library of Congress Classification System (LCC): a system used to organize
information by using combinations of letters, numbers, and decimal points. Each
letter and number represents a specific subject area. The broadest subject area
is represented by the first letter. All subsequent letters and numbers describe
increasingly narrowsubject areas. The LCC was created for the United States
Library of Congress, and is now used internationally, especially in research
and academic libraries.
Loan Period: the length of time for which library material may be borrowed.
M
MARC (Machine-Readable Cataloging): an international, standardized format
for computerized bibliographic data developed by the American Library of Congress.
MARC format simplifies exchange of bibliographic data.
Magazine: a periodical produced for the general public, or amateurs in
a specific field. Articles are usually written by staff writers. The magazine
layout is often picture intensive, and includes advertisements. Each issue usually
starts with page "1" and are not parts of volumes.
Monograph: a work that is not a serial and is complete by itself or in
a set (example: books, encyclopedias)
N
Non-Circulating: library materials that may not be borrowed and must
be used within the library (example: reference materials).
O
OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog): the publicly accessible version
of an electronic library catalog.
Overdue: library material that remains checked out past its required
return date.
P
Patron: a library user
Peer-reviewed: a document that has been read and accepted for publication
by an editorial board of scholars. The board members are experts within the
scholarly field of the document. Articles that are peer-reviewed are considered
to contain reliable and authoritative information.
Periodical: a serial which is continually published at regular intervals.
Periodicals include journals and magazines, but not newspapers.
Plagiarism:
Publication Date: the time at which a document is printed for distribution.
Books list only the year of publication. Periodicals can have the day month
or year listed depending on the frequency of publication.
Publisher: the person or organization that prints documents for distribution.
R
Reference: 1)a source of information (like a book or article) to which
a reader is directed; 2) a work (like a dictionary or encyclopedia) containing
useful facts or information.
Reference Collection: materials such as encyclopedias, dictionaries,
handbooks, directories, etc., kept in a stand-alone collection. The materials
are non-circulating so they will always be available.
Reference Desk: a service point in the library staffed by professional
librarians.
Renewal: an extension of the loan period for checked-out library materials.
Reserve: materials kept at the Circulation Desk due to their high demand.
Often reserved materials are important resources or required reading for a class,
but there are not enough physical items for everyone in the class to use at
the same time. Reserve materials can be used for a set period within the library.
Reshelve: the process by which trained library employees return library
materials to their proper location on the shelves.
S
Search: a systematic examination of data used to locate specific information.
Serials: any publication issued in sequential parts with no pre-determined
end.
Series: individual works that are grouped together under a collective
title.
Shelves: bookcases
Stacks: rows of bookcases
Style Guide: A document produced by a professional or editorial society
describing how to format writing for publication.
Subject Heading: a term used to describe the topic(s) of a document.
Subject headings are used for classification and help to facilitate finding
information.
Subject Search: finding information in a database by topic/subject heading.
Subtitle: the secondary part of a title that is separated from the first
part by a colon. It usually provides information about the subject of a document
(example: "Mother Without A Mask: A Westerner's Story of Her Arab Family")
T
Title: the given name of a document.
Title Search: A database search that finds articles or entries by matching
the search term with words in the database's title fields.
Truncation: the root of a word followed by a symbol (usually "*"
or "**") used in a keyword search to find variant endings (example:
"sup*" would find "super," "supper," "superfluous,"
etc.).
V
Volume: 1) a unit in a set or series; 2) a single bibliographic unit
(example: book); 3) a bound periodical containing several issues.
W
Wild Card: a symbol (usually "?" or "*") used in
a keyword search to stand for one or more unspecified letters or characters
(example: "wom?n" could represent either "woman" or "women")..
