Navigation and service

DNB Glossary

Have you ever been asking yourself what “Germanica” is? Or what is meant when we talk about “online publications”? With our glossary, we offer you the possibility to look up these and many other terms commonly used at the German National Library. Please note that the terminology collection is under construction and does not claim to be complete.

Are you missing a term? Then feel free to contact us at webredaktion@dnb.de.

DDC

DDC Deutsch

DDC Short Number

We also say: Short Number
German: DDC-Kurznotation

A Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) number selected according to specialised criteria which is longer than a DDC Subject Category but shorter than a full DDC number. DDC Short Numbers are used for machine-based classificatory cataloguing; in WebDewey Deutsch they are indicated by a backslash (\).

More about DDC Short Number on our website

DDC Subject Categories

German: DDC-Sachgruppen

System based on the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) which is divided into disciplines and used to arrange the New Release Service and individual Series in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie.

More about DDC Subject Categories on our website

Descriptive cataloguing

German: Formalerschließung

In libraries the process of recording the physical and bibliographic information about a media work in the catalogue using specific cataloguing rules. Descriptive cataloguing makes it possible to retrieve works through criteria such as the title, media type or ISBN and uses common standards to ensure that bibliographic metadata can be linked and exchanged.

More about descriptive cataloguing on our website

Descriptor

See also:

Deutsche Nationalbibliografie (German National Bibliography)

German: Deutsche Nationalbibliografie

National bibliography of the Federal Republic of Germany, which is created and issued by the German National Library on the basis of the statutory collection mandate. The Deutsche Nationalbibliografie contains all media works about Germany and/or published in Germany since 1913, including foreign translations of German-language media works and foreign-language media works about Germany. It also contains works by exiled German writers published between 1933 and 1945.

More about Deutsche Nationalbibliografie on our website

Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)

Abbreviation: DDC
German: Dewey-Dezimalklassifikation (DDC)
We also say: DDC Deutsch

Widely used international universal classification system which divides disciplines and subjects into classes numbered from 000-999. The DDC is used by libraries as a shelving system and/or for literature research in library catalogues. We also refer to the translated version as DDC Deutsch.

More about Dewey Decimal Classification on our website

Digital object

German: digitales Objekt
We also say: digital resource

An object consisting of a series of bit sequences, i.e. anything that can be stored and processed with the help of a computer. If it is available as an electronic resource, a digital object can be physical (e.g. an audio book on CD-ROM) or non-physical (e.g. an e-book in the internet).

More about digital object on our website

digital preservation

Digital resource

German: digitale Ressouce

See also:

Digitised work

German: Digitalisat

Result of the conversion of analogue objects into digital data which can then be processed further by a computer.

More about digitised work on our website

to the top