A book’s format generally refers to its physical shape and dimensions. Bookseller catalogs and others listings can use a variety of terms and abbreviations to describe book sizes (8vo, 12mo, folio, quarto, etc.). A ‘folio’ is a large upright-shaped book, an ‘octavo’ is a small upright-shaped book, while a ‘quarto’ is in-between the two and mostly square-shaped. The term "codex' is often used for historical ancestors of the modern book, with pages composed of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. All formats are considered; the key factor being whether the work as a whole is of value to Tulane University.
For examples, aside from common books or monographs, the Rare Books collection also contains a Judaica scroll for celebrating Purim, and an Islamic certificate of the completed Hajj.
