Mary E. Brown, Ph.D., Professor
Information Science

Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515

Department of Information and Library Science
Fax: 1.203.392-5780 / Phone: 1.203.392-5781
Toll Free: 1-888-500-SCSU, then press 4

The following notes are taken from: Gates, J. K. (1994). Guide to the use of libraries and information sources. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Oral tradition, using language to express ideas, is regarded as "the earliest system for storing information and transmitting it from one person to another was language" (p. 3). Using the oral tradition, "history, rituals, stories, prayers, and medical and other knowledge were passed on from one generation to another" (p.3).

"The first writings were crude pictures carved on rocks, stone, bark, metal, and clay or whatever materials were at hand They were of three kinds: (1) pictographic, representing an object; (2) ideographic, representing the idea suggested by the object; and (3) phonographic, representing the sound of the object or idea. Some of these ancient inscriptions can be interpreted. Crude picture writing was done on other materials which were at hand: vegetable fiber, cloth, wood, bark, animal skin, clay, and metal. However, only the writings on clay, metal, and stone have survived.

"[W]ith the first "book" came the necessity for a place to keep it, to make it accessible for use, and to pass it on to succeeding generations." [p. 3]

"...[E]ach of the parts of the book has been added because it contributes to the usefulness of the book and to the ease of use by the reader." [p. 25]

Physical Divisions of the Book

"The physical divisions of the book can be grouped as follows: (1) the binding, (2) the preliminary pages, (3) the text, and (4) the auxiliary or reference material.

BINDING

"The binding holds the leaves of the book together, protects them, and makes them easy to handle. It may be plain or decorated, and it may bear the author's name and the title. It has two important parts, the spine and the endpapers.

"The spine is the binding edge of the book and carries the title or a brief form of it, the author's name, the publisher, and the call number if it is a library book.

"The endpapers are pasted to the covers to make them stronger; they may carry useful information, such as tables, maps, graphs, and rules. " [p. 25]

PRELIMINARY PAGES

"The preliminary pages precede the body of the book and include the flyleaves, the half-title page, the frontispiece, the title page, the copyright page, the dedication, the preface, the table of contents, lists of illustrative materials, and the introduction."

Note: a single sheet of paper in a book is called a leaf; each side of the leaf is called a page.

Flyleaves: blank pages next to the endpapers; they are the first and last leaves in a book

Half-title page: the page preceding the title page, serving as a protection for it, and includes a brief title of the book and the series title if the book belongs to a series

Frontispiece: an illustration relating to the subject matter of the book

Title page: the authoritative source of information used in listing the book in a bibliography and includes:

• Title or name of the book
• Subtitle (a descriptive phrase which clarifies or explains the main title)
• Author's name (may include credentials such as degree or position or other titles by the author)
• Name of the editor if there is one
• Name of the illustrator or translator if there is one
• Name of the person who wrote the introduction if different from the author
• Edition if other than the first
• Imprint, which includes the place of publication, the publisher, and the date of publication

Copyright page: the back (verso) of the title pages contains the date of the copyright, the names of the copyright owners, and other information including restrictions such as on photocopying

Dedication: follows the title pages and states to whom the author dedicates the book; it can be as simple as the word to followed by initials or name or more narrative in nature

Preface: introduces the author and the reasons for writing the book, the audience for the book, acknowledges or thanks you to individuals, explanations of the arrangement of the book or symbols and abbreviations used, and any special features

Table of contents: list of chapter of the book with page numbers; may include outlines or descriptions of each chapter

Lists of illustrative materials: may include illustrations, maps, tables

Introduction: description of the general subject matter and organization plan of the book
[pp. 26-27]

TEXT

"The text is made up of the numbered chapters and constitutes the main body of the book" [p. 28]

AUXILIARY OR REFERENCE MATERIAL

"The auxiliary or reference material follows the text and may include an appendix or appendices, a bibliography, a glossary, notes, and one or more indexes.

Appendix: material referred to but not explained in the text

Bibliography: books, articles, and other materials used in writing the text or books, articles, and other materials that pertain to the text (for further reading)

Glossary: all technical or foreign words used in the text and their definitions or explanations

Footnotes: if footnotes are not placed as the bottom of each page or at the end of each chapter, they may be placed together in a section

Index: topics in the text, arranged alphabetically, at least by lead term, and giving page references for each term or topic

"Not all books have all the parts" listed above "nor do the parts always follow the order" listed above. [p. 28]