Idaho Commission for Libraries

Accessibility - Providing access to web resources for users of all abilities. Specifically, design that takes into account the needs of individuals with disabilities, such as vision impairments.

Aggregator - In this context, software that collects newsfeeds for use in a web site. Related terms: blog, podcast, RSS,syndication.

Blocks - A Drupal term identifying chunks of content that run down the left or right side of the website

Blog - An automated system for posting articles or announcements on a web site. Blog articles are usually accessed via a web page with a reverse-chronological listing of these articles, or via an RSS newsfeed. Related terms: aggregator, podcast, RSS, syndication.

CAPTCHA - Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. CAPTCHA is used to help prevent computer programs (bots) from automatically running and adding accounts, spam messages, etc. from websites. A common CAPTCHA technique is to take a common word and make it all squiggly or put a line through it. Humans are still able to read the word, but computers have a hard time deciphering it because of the difficulties of programming a machine for optical character recognition.

Content editor - When editing a node it is the space in which text is entered and formatted. Using the content editor, the user can edit text, add graphics, create tables, and add hyperlinks to the content.

Content management system (CMS) - Software that allows users to create, update, and manage
documents. In a web context, a CMS is software that lets a user with a web browser create web pages and manage a web site without having to deal with the technical aspects of web design.

Database - Software that warehouses data.

Domain name - The base of a URL. In http://www.example.com/this/is/a/url.html, example.com is the domain name. Related terms: URL.

Drupal - An open source content management system.

Embed - Placing a snippet of code, gadget or widget into a website to provide added functionality

Gadget - A prebuilt piece of code that interacts with a third
party website(s) to provide added functionality to a website.
Sometimes referred to as a Widget.

Library 2.0 - A concept of interactive library service in the digital age that is loosely tied
to Web 2.0. At current, it's still something of a buzzword that means different things depending on the speaker, but generally it denotes the goal of simple but ubiquitous access to library services and resources using technology.

Newsfeed - An automatically produced listing of blog or news headlines and excerpts. Related
terms: blog, RSS, syndication

Node - A Drupal term referring to a page or the main piece of content. If you take away the headers,
footers, and sidebars on a page, what is left is the node.

Open source - Community-developed and supported software. The development and support is usually facilitated by the Internet. Open source software is available for free in the sense that a kitten is free. It doesn't cost anything, but once you have it, it's your responsibility to care for it.

Parent/Child Relationships - These relationships are used for hierarchy purposes in the Drupal menu system . Parents are the top level items, and Children are items found one level below that.

Podcast - A blog presented in audio format. The term is a combination of the terms "iPod" and "broadcast." Related terms: aggregator, blog, RSS,syndication.

Region - Drupal themes are broken down into different regions: header, footer, left sidebar, right sidebar, and content. The header runs along the top of the page and usually contains the site logo and the site title. The footer runs along the bottom of the page and usually contains the library's address and phone number. The left and right sidebars usually run along the sides of the theme and contain the blocks. The content region typically contains the node.

RSS - Stands for Really Simple Syndication, which is a method for providing newsfeeds on the web. Related terms: aggregator, blog, podcast, syndication.

Sidebars - A Drupal term referring to the columns to the left and the right of the node, or central content area of a web page.

Snippet - A small, reusable piece of code that adds additional functionality to a website

Syndication - In a web context, pulling the content from an RSS newsfeed into a web site. Related terms: aggregator, blog, podcast, RSS.

Theme - A Drupal term; it is the default layout for a website.

URL - Stands for Uniform Resource Locator. A web site address, for example: http://www.example.com/this/is/a/url.html.

Web 2.0 - A new way of thinking about the web which provides tools and functionality for publishing, collaboration, and information access that normally existed only in the realm of desktop computing with software packages like Microsoft Office. Sometimes called "web as platform."

Widget - A prebuilt piece of code that interacts with a third party website(s) to provide added functionality to a website. Sometimes referred to as a Gadget.