Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science (ODLIS)

ODLIS began in 1994 at the Ruth Haas Library as a four-page printed handout titled Library Lingo, aimed at undergraduates who were not fluent in English and English-speaking students who were unfamiliar with basic library terminology. The text expanded and converted to HTML format in 1996 for use on the WCSU Libraries Homepage as Hypertext Library Lingo: a Glossary of Library Terminology. Many more hypertext links were added in 1997, and the format improved in response to user feedback. Several hundred terms and definitions were added during the summer of 1999, and a generic version was created, removing all references to specific conditions and practices at the Ruth Haas Library.