Skip to main content
ExLibris
  • Subscribe by RSS
  • Ex Libris Knowledge Center

    Book Type Values

    Rialto enables users to search for unique titles that fall under a specific type of publication, such as a dissertation or textbook. These values are manually assigned to offers by the New Titles team. The New Titles team locates and evaluates newly published content and provides enhanced metadata to enable optimal collection management activities. 

    See the table below for a complete list of available Book Type values:

    Attribute Name Definition
    Activity Book A collection of suggested games, exercises, drills, lessons or other tasks that a teacher or trainer could assign to a class or a student.
    Anthology Collection of literary works by more than one author, chosen by a compiler or editor.
    Atlas Bound collection of maps, charts, plates, etc. presenting a geographic approach to any subject. Or, applied to medical books containing detailed illustrations of human or animal anatomy, or of a specific disease.
    Bible Commentary A work of exegesis on a book or books of the Bible.
    Bibliography  List of written works by a specific author or on a given subject, or that share one or more common characteristic (language, form, period, place of publication, etc.).
    Biography - Critical  Scholarly work about the life of an individual or individuals, or other material of a scholarly nature that is primarily biographical.
    Biography - General Work about the life of an individual or individuals, or other material primarily biographical, written for a general readership.
    Book with Media Book accompanied by non-print materials including CD-ROM, software, slides, video and/or audio recordings, films, etc.
    Case Studies Books providing in-depth analysis of behavior of a single individual, group, or event, based on close observation over a period of time, often to reveal principles underlying behavior or events in general.  May be a study of a single case, or several cases.
    Chronology Book that lists events and their dates in the order of their occurrence.
    Coffee Table Book Oversize and lavishly illustrated, usually on a popular subject, with the text clearly subordinate to the illustrations. Primarily for display and casual browsing rather than cover-to-cover reading.
    Collected Articles Collection of works by various authors, which have been previously published in various forms including print journals or online, typically gathered and prepared by an editor or compiler
    Collected Work/Single Author Typically works of different types or on different topics (blog posts, articles, etc.) or combination of published and unpublished works.
    Computer Manual Introductory or advanced book meant for practical individual use about particular hardware, software, systems, Web applications, network technologies, or any other facet of computers.
    Cookbook How-to book that gives instructions for preparing food, including recipes for specific dishes, notes about tools and ingredients, weights and measures, etc.
    Dictionary Work listing words, terms and topics related to a specific language, several languages, or devoted to a particular subject, or field, arranged alphabetically. Entries in a dictionary are usually shorter than those contained in an encyclopedia (on the same subject), but the word “dictionary” is often used in the titles of works that are more appropriately called encyclopedias.
    Directory A listing of people, companies, institutions, organizations, etc., in alphabetical or classified order, providing contact information and other pertinent details in brief format.
    Discography A list or catalogue of audio recordings, usually of works by a specific composer or performer, in a certain style or genre, or of a specific time period, and providing descriptive elements.
    Dissertation/Thesis New publication that was previously issued in the same form as the author’s thesis, without revision.
    Edited Compilation Compilation of newly published academic work such as chapters or essays, gathered and prepared by an editor or compiler.
    Encyclopedia A book (or numbered set of books) containing authoritative summary information about a topic in the form of articles, usually arranged alphabetically by heading, or classified in some manner.
    Examinations, Questions, Study Guides Books consisting primarily of sample questions or other aids for students preparing for a test.
    Exhibition Catalogue Book containing reproductions of the works displayed at a public showing usually held in a museum or gallery.
    Festschrift A memorial publication issued in honor of a scholar or society. Usually in the form of a collection of essays by distinguished persons, on the occasion of an anniversary, birthday, or retirement celebration.
    Field Guide Provides concise visual and textual information intended for amateur or professional naturalists to enable identification of plant or animal species.
    Filmography A list or catalog of motion pictures, usually limited to works by a specific director or performer, in a particular genre, of a specific time period or country, or on a given subject, usually listed alphabetically by title or chronologically by release date.
    First Book Books by authors who have never been published, including first collections.
    First Novel Novels by authors who have never been published
    Gazetteer A dictionary of place names that gives the geographic location of each entry.
    Government Publication Government publications include all those issued under authority of any legislative body, executive or judicial department, ministry, bureau, agency, independent office, court, commission, or officer of any government.
    Handbook Contains scholarly research or a detailed summary of a topic.
    Index An alphabetically arranged list of headings -- names, places, or subjects -- giving access to another work, body of work, or discipline.
    Indie Book  Book written by authors whose publisher exists only to publish works by that author; or, works from publishers whose primary business is to solicit manuscripts from authors who will bear all costs of publication.
    Interview/Conversation Book that largely reproduces a dialogue shared by one or more persons.
    Limited/Delux Edition Often a signed edition.
    Manual ("How To") Book containing practical instructions, rules, or steps for performing a specific task or operation, such as practical works in professional fields such as business, education, social work, and nursing, or popular activities such as music, art, or sports.
    Open Access Available Titles offering 100% of the content ISBN digitally, regardless of the type of open access license(s); any titles identified by BIP and/or CIS data reports as open access
    Pictorial/Chiefly Illustrated Book that is at least half pictures, photographs, or illustrations; exists primarily because of the pictures. Include here collections of photographs (other than exhibition catalogs) published for artistic purposes.
    Playscript Working copy of a play for use by actors, actresses, and directors in rehearsal and production. Usually lower quality printing, often includes performance rights and a list of parts.
    Pocket-sized Undersized book for personal reference use and handy, fast-fact look-up.
    Proceedings Published record of a conference, congress, symposium, or course -- papers, proceedings, transactions, or, works based on such meetings.
    Quotations  Book consisting of quotations from a single person or multiple people with little or no accompanying commentary. Quotations could be from literary authors, political or historical figures, or other persons of interest.
    Readings/Extracts Book designed to bring together important selections (complete or extracted) on a given subject.
    Reference Book or set of books designed to be consulted when authoritative information is needed, rather than read cover to cover.
    Statistical Source Listings of numerical data. Must be used with the Reference interdisciplinary.
    Textbook Highly structured, course-related book specifically intended for the use of students enrolled in a course of study. Layout may include boxes, banners; end-of-chapter questions or exercises.
    Thesaurus Book of synonyms in a written language, usually arranged conceptually, but sometimes in a dictionary arrangement.
    Travel Guide Provides useful current information for travel -- to a city, state, province, region, country, or other geographic area, or for visitors to a museum, park, historical site, etc.
    Workbook A learning resource containing exercises, sample problems, worksheets, review questions, and other practice materials, often with blank space for recording answers.
    Works < 50 p Works < 50 pages in length.
    Works 50-100 Works that are 50-100 pages in length.
    Yearbook/Almanac An annual documentary, historical, or memorial compendium of facts, photographs, statistics, etc., about the events of the preceding year, often limited to a specific country, institution, discipline, or subject.
    • Was this article helpful?