Library Congress Subject Headings PPT

1. Arun Kumar Rai
Roll No: 14/2075
MLIBIS (First Semester)

2.  Subject Heading
A word or phrase selected from a standard list
of subject headings or thesaurus to express the
main subject/s of a book in the library
catalogue or electronic bibliographic database
A word or phrase which represents the subject
of a book. Also called Subject descriptor
Keywords (Database)
Subject descriptor
 Subject Heading List
◦ A subject heading list is a controlled vocabulary
or standard printed list of synonym terms

3. S/N
o
Name of Subject
Headings List
Subject
Area
Usefulness Published
Year
01 Library Congress
Subject Headings
(LCSH)
All Subjects Big libraries 1889 AD
first
published
1909 AD
02 Sears List of Subject
Headings (SLSH)
Social
sciences
Small and
Medium
Libraries
1923 AD
03 Medical Subject
Headings (MeSH)
Medical
Science
Medical
Libraries
1960 AD
04 UNECO Thesaurus Social
Sciences
Small
Medium
Libraries
1977 AD
05 AGROVOC Agriculture Agriculture
Library
1980 AD

4.  Local Authority List of Subject Headings-
Subject Authority File
 Subject Heading list instructs a cataloguer
how to assign Subject Heading while
cataloguing and Indexing the resources.
 Assign subject heading by Standard
Subject Heading List or Local Subject
Authority List

5.  Do not depend upon the title of a book only
unless it is simple book (where titles do
have the subjects) but titles of some books
do not give or disclose their subjects
 Example
1. Textbook chemistry (Chemistry)
2. Theory of philosophy (Philosophy)
I. Five Figures of Nepal ( May be Biography or
Political science or Economics
II. Seto Bagh (Literature or White Tiger or ? )

6.  Should consult – Full title page; Verso
page; preface, Contents; Index; Reference
Bibliographies; Authorship
 If not, We should read some pages of the
main body of the book

9.  Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is the
list of headings /the subject authority file
 Maintained by the United States Library of Congress
for use in bibliographic records.
 It is popularly known by its abbreviation as LCSH .It
is an alphabetical general list of Standard Name of
Subjects Headings arranged word by word [ALA
Filing Rules)
 Sometimes it is also called Subject Authority File of
Library of Congress.
 Now it does have about 6,67,734 authority
records

10.  LC decided to switch to a dictionary catalog with
subject headings based on ALA’s List of
Subject Headings for Use in Dictionary
Catalogs in 1898 AD
 Then LC started to list preferred terms to be
used as subject headings
 This collected list of subject headings was
published as the name of “Subject Headings
Used in the Dictionary Catalogues of the Library
of Congress” in 1909 AD

11.  Since 1975 AD – renamed as “Library of
Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)”
 1982-1984
◦ American Library Association –sponsored regional
institutes on LCSH
◦ Formation of Cooperative Subject Cataloguing Project
for enriching LCSH
◦ Published of Subject Heading Manual [1982]
 LCSH converted to machine-readable form in
1986

12.  Subject Authority Cooperative Program (SACO)
formed in 1995 AD and other libraries have
contributed subject heading to LCSH through
SACO
 Implementation of MARC subfield code $v for
form subdivisions in 1999 AD
 Web Version of LCSH started 2002 AD
 Print version of LCSH- sometimes called the Big
Red Books
 33 rd edition published 6 volumes (Printed).Now
it stopped publishing in print form

13.  Multidisciplinary vocabulary- includes headings in
all subjects – from science, religion, social
sciences, education, literature, language,
Literature, philosophy, Arts etc
 It includes heading for geographic features,
ethnic groups, historic events, building name
 It is the model for many other vocabularies in
English and other languages and has been
translated numerous languages

14.  It is the subject headings of Library Congress
(NL-US)
 It is also being used as indexing vocabulary in a
number of published bibliographies.
 It is very useful for big libraries (Like OCLC –
Online Computer Library Center and RLIN
(Research Library Information Network)

15. In Print
 Free-floating Subdivisions: An Alphabetical Index
-list of all the words that can be used as a subdivision
 LC's Subject Cataloging Manual. 2004
-provides all you need to know about subject headings
In Online
 LC Subject Headings Weekly Lists on
- changes, new headings, deletions
- good idea to assign a staff person to monitor these lists
to help with maintenance of your catalog

16.  Bold Face Type
Select and use bold type only
Eg.
Taxation-Law and Legislation
UF Tax law
Tax legislation
Tax regulation
Taxation law
 Light Face Type
To search the subject heading
in LCSH and follow the
instruction
Eg.Tax law
Taxation-Law and
legislation

17. 1. Use Warrant
2. Literary Warrant
3. Uniform Heading and Unique Heading
4. Specific entry
5. Consistency
6. Dynamism
7. Preordination and postcoordination

18.  No more than 3 headings per
information package
 If no subject heading exists, create
new subject heading [you have to
maintain the local authority file]

19. Use Warrant
Subject heading should be the terms of
Common Usage. It means the terms should be
up to date. The terms should be used on the
basis of use warrant.
The word or words used to express a subject
should represent common usage
eg. Labor; Color [American usage]
Labour; Colour [British usage]

20.  Literary Warrant - E. Wyndham Hulme’s concept as
the basis of book classification and the definition of
subject classes, where in classes and names of
classes would be derived from existing literature
rather than a preconceived philosophical order of
sciences
 Subject headings are created for use in cataloging and
reflect the topics covered in a given literature [book]
 The terminology selected to formulate individual
subject headings reflects the terminology used in
current literature
 Catalogers examine what is written, the terminology in
use and the context in which the terms appear in the
literature

21.  One Heading is chosen to represent a topic
 This allows materials about a topic to be retrieved
together, even if they contain different terms for the
topic Eg
Music (Uniform Heading)
Choral music
Guitar music
Violin music
 Choice Among Terms:
◦ based on standard, contemporary American English-
language usage
 Vocabulary
 attempts are made to choose neutral, inclusive, or
unbiased terminology, especially regarding topics
that might be controversial

22.  Each heading in LCSH represents only one topic
 If a term could represent more than one concept, it is
modified:
Venus (Planet) Essays (Nepali language)
Venus (Roman deity) Essays (Hindi language)
OR
 In cases where a deliberate decision is made to allow a
heading to represent more than one concept, a scope
note is generally provided. For example:
1. Letter writing
Scope note: Nepali letter writing.
2. Speeches
Scope note: Politicians 'speeches

23.  Each subject is represented by the most precise
term naming the subject, rather than a Broader
or Generic term that encompasses it
 Provides direct access to specific subjects not
generic subjects
 Example
1. For a work on school library , use:
School library
not Academic library

24. 2. For a work on Agricultural production,
Use: Agricultural Production
Not Agricultural Economics
3. For a work on low-carbohydrate diets,
Use: Low-carbohydrate diet
Not Carbohydrates
Not Reducing diets
Not Weight loss

25.  Attempts are made to maintain consistency in
form and structure among similar headings
 Assures stability and consistency, subject
headings need to be consistent.
 Because LCSH was developed over the past
century, it contains numerous inconsistencies in
styles of headings
 When headings are changed or new headings
established, headings in bibliographic records
need to be updated

26.  Changes to headings are made continuously to
maintain the currency and viability of LCSH
 Some examples in LCHS (Recent Change)
Handicapped
 People with disabilities
Computer network
 Internet
Machine-readable dictionaries
 Electronic dictionaries
Medicine, State
 National health services

27.  Combining elements into one heading string in
anticipation (guess) of a search on that
compound topic
 LCSH is primarily a precoordinate system
1. Furniture design—France—History—20th
century
2. Culture—Nepal—18th century

28.  Postcoordination
◦ Combining of headings or keywords by a user at the
time he/she looks for materials
◦ Many complex or multi-element topics require
postcoordination in LCSH
 Example:
◦ For a work on the library system of Rana period in
Nepal:
Library system, Rana period—Nepal

29. Subject Headings may appear in many formats in
LCSH:
1. Single Heading –Surgery; Roses; Flowers
2. Simple and compound phrase –Surgical
tools; Nepalese economic condition; Mobile
culture
3. Heading with subdivisions to create strings -
Alcoholic beverages-Taxation-
Law- Nepal; Culture—Nepal—18th century

30.  Topics are identified by terms or phrases that
represent what the material covers
 Headings can also reflect the form of the
material
 Three general categories of subject headings:
◦ Topical Subject Heading
◦ Form Subject Headings
◦ Names Subject Heading

31.  The topical subject headings are the simple
word or phrases used for reflecting the major
subject content of work or book /
 A topical heading represents a identifiable
concepts. These can be…
Things; Concept; Philosophies; Disciplines; Activities
and Processes; Organisms; Some types of events ;
Classes of people; Ethnic groups; Names of
Individual Animals; Places, and Organizations etc

32.  Form Subject Headings –the headings which
do not describe the subject content of a work or
book but describe their form. Form means their
intellectual form not the physical form
 Genre headings indicate what a work is, rather
than what it is about .Example
Artists’ books; Nigerian drama; Silent films; Yearbooks;
Periodicals; Almanacs; Atlases; Dictionaries; Essays;
Poetry; Short stories; Science fiction; Nepali fiction;
American novel;

33.  Personal Names :
◦ Personal name headings are constructed according to
AACR2. eg Koirala, B.P (1935-2038 BS)
 Corporate Names
 Corporate name headings are constructed according to
AACR2. eg. United Nations; Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation
 Works about conferences and organized events can have
subject headings for the name of the conference or
event.
◦ eg. World Cup 2018 (Football); World Conference on
Digital Library Management 2018 July 21-29, India

34.  Geographic Names
◦ Headings can be assigned for political jurisdictional
areas and geographic features that may range from
large continent like to small city or local place.
Eg. Thamal (Nepal); Bhedetar (Nepal)
 Note:
◦ It is not possible to cover all geographical name
available in the world for any subject headings list in a
single volume. So the cataloger must establish
geographical headings as needed with the help of
standard reference sources suitable to their need such
as National Geographical Atlas the World; Times Atlas
of the World

35.  LCSH may be in direct form using natural language
or qualified forms
 Direct form
Electric cars not Cars, Electric
Political parties not Parties, Political
 Represent an object or concept
CD-ROMs not CD-ROM Heat not Heats
Scooters not Scooters Love not Loves
Agriculture not Agricultures Trees not Tree
 Adjective or participle noun-equivalents
Blind; Poor etc

36.  Articles are not in the initial position
Arts not The arts
Education not The education
 Articles may be retained for grammatical
purposes
State, The not The State
Comic, The not The Comic
Nation, The not The Nation

37.  Headings representing objects or classes of
people are usually plural
Pencils; Physicians
 Biological species are generally singular,
higher levels are plural
Bald eagle Eagles
Australian caw Cows
Western lily Lilies

38.  Used when a single noun cannot represent an
object or concept:
Classical rhythms
Library ethics
 May be prepositional phrases:
Figures of speech
Quality of life
Adult children of alcoholics

39.  Authorized Headings
 Class numbers : About 36% of the headings in
LCSH have class numbers
 References
◦ USE, Used For (UF)
◦ Broader Term (BT) & Narrower Term (NT)
◦ Related Term (RT)
◦ General References (SA –See Also and USE)
 Scope notes

40. Note:-Authorized Headings are listed in boldface
type

41.  Equivalence relationship
◦ USE and UF (Used for)
 Hierarchical relationships
◦ BT (Broader Term) and NT (Narrower Term)
 Associative relationships
◦ RT (Related Term)
 General references
◦ SA (See Also)

42. Scope note (“Here are entered…”) provides
guidance in application of the heading

43.  Subdivisions of headings is for specific subject entry to
express specific aspect of a subject of a book (Bring out
specific aspects of a subject)
 Narrow the scope of a heading by using long dash [−] after
specific subject. There are 4 types of subdivisions in LCHS
and incorporated with authorized subject headings:
1.Topical subdivision
- topical subdivision is similar to a topical heading
- Limit the concept of a heading to a specific
subtopic
eg. Helicopters — Flight testing, Library science—Law
2. Form subdivision
If a work is about a specific form, the form is treated as
a topical subdivision
 Engineering — Periodicals; English —Dictionaries

44. 3. Geographical Subdivision
Geographic subdivisions may represent where
something is located or where it is from,
depending on the topic
 Library education — Nepal
 Nepal — statistics
 Physicians — Nepal
4. Chronological Subdivision
Chronological subdivisions are also referred to as
time period subdivisions. Time period covered in
the contents of a work not the publication of date
of work
 Printing — History —19th century
 Nepal — History —1951-1990 AD

45.  LCSH has 4 types of subdivisions [Tropical
Form,geographical,chronological]
 LCSH does have another separate common
subdivision called “Free-Floating Subdivision”.
 It is called the common subdivision. It helps
subject heading more specific or more individualized
 List of subdivisions that are authorized for free-
floating use in the Library of Congress Subject
Heading system
 Authorized subdivisions appear in boldface type
following a long dash, e.g., —Anatomy; —Civilization
, — Statistics.

46.  Began to create subdivision authority records to
control free-floating topical, form, and
chronological subdivisions in 1999.
 The full set of free-floating subdivisions has been
published in January 2018 and included one geographic
subdivision.
 More information on free-floating subdivisions and their
use may be found in the Subject Headings Manual
[SHM]
 Free-Floating Subdivisions is published by the Catalog
Distribution Service of the Library of Congress and is
revised and reissued annually.

47. Free-Floating Subdivisions: An
Alphabetical Index
Alphabetical listing of all free-
floating subdivisions in Subject
Heading Manual [SHM]
28