Introduction to Subject Cataloging

FRSAD
 Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data (FRSAD)
 Published in 2010
 Expansion of FRBR

User Tasks (FRSAD, 2010):

 Find – To locate one or more subjects and/or their appellations, that correspond(s) to
the user’s stated criteria, using attributes and relationships.
 Identify – To confirm a subject and/or its appellation based on their attributes or
relationships.
 Select – To choose a subject and/or its appellation appropriate to the user’s needs.
 Explore – To explore relationships between subjects and/or their appellations.
Controlled Vocabulary
 Controlled vocabulary – “A list or database of terms (or phrases) in which all terms
representing a concept are brought together” (Joudrey & Taylor, 2016, p. 476).

 Purposes of controlled vocabularies (“ANSI/NISO Z39.19”, 2010):

o Translation
o Consistency
o Indication of relationships
o Label and browse
o Retrieval

 Types of controlled vocabularies (“ANSI/NISO Z39.19”, 2010):

o List – “…a limited set of terms arranged as a simple alphabetical list or in some
other logically evident way” (p. 17).
o Synonym ring – “…set of terms that are considered equivalent for the purposes
of retrieval” (p. 18).
o Taxonomy – “…consisting of preferred terms, all of which are connected in a
hierarchy or polyhierarchy” (p. 18).
o Thesaurus – “…arranged in a known order and structured so that various
relationships among terms are displayed clearly and identified by standardized
relationship indicators” (p. 18).
History of Subject Access in Library Catalogs
History of Subject Access in Library Catalogs (Chan & Salaba, 2016)
 Classed or Classified Entry
o Plants—Trees—Evergreens—Pines—Southern pines
o Zoology—Vertebrates—Mammals—Domestic animals—Cats
 Dictionary or Alphabetical Specific Catalog
 Online Catalog

Charles Ammi Cutter’s Principles of Subject Cataloging (Chan & Salaba, 2016)
1. User and Usage – consider the library patrons' usage of terms in deciding the terms
and forms of subject headings
2. Uniform and Unique Headings – Uniform headings (bring under one heading all
resources dealing with that particular subject); Unique headings (a term should not be
used to represent more than one subject)
3. Specific and Direct Entry – Specific entry (use the most specific term applicable to the
subject); Direct entry (assign as the main heading the appropriate term for a subject ,
if possible)
4. Consistent and Current Terminology – Use the same heading for all other terms which
are synonyms of the subject heading; apply the current term for obsolete terms (e.g.,
use "Computers" instead of "Electronic calculating machines" used in old/obsolete
resources).
5. Cross References
a. See reference
b. See Also references
c. General references – direct the user to a group or category of headings

General Methods of Subject Analysis (Chan & Salaba, 2016, p. 481-482)

1. Read/examine the work in detail
2. Identify the main and subsidiary subjects
3. Represent the content according to a particular system or scheme.

General Guidelines on Assigning Subject Headings (Chan & Salaba, 2016):

 Levels of Subject Cataloging – subject headings to be used will depend if the cataloger
assigns subject headings for individual parts or the entire material (e.g., chapter or the
whole book).
 Specific (Co-Extensive) Entry – assign the subject heading which represents the
subject content of the resource; in the absence of the most specific heading, use the
broader or more general heading.
 Number of Headings – the number of subject headings will depend on the policy of the
library.
 Multitopical and Multi-Element Works – assign appropriate subject headings for works
which deals with more than one subject; or the most desirable heading for a work
which features a single central topic considered from different aspects or elements
such as form, place, and time.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Introduction
 Development
o Originally developed by the Library of Congress.
o List of Subject Headings for Use in Dictionary Catalogs (a.k.a. A.L.A. list) as
base text for development.
o Begun in 1898; first published in parts between 1909 and 1914, under the title
Subject Headings Used in the Dictionary Catalogues of the Library of Congress.
o Library of Congress Subject Headings – 8th edition (1975)
o Latest edition: 41st (2019)

 Formats
o Print (5-6 volume set)
 Electronic
(http://www.loc.gov/aba/publications/FreeLCSH/freelcsh.html)
 Manual:
(https://www.loc.gov/aba/publications/FreeSHM/freeshm.html)
 Web (Classification Web)
 Library of Congress Authorities (http://authorities.loc.gov)

Types of Main Headings

 Topical Headings – words/phrases for common things or concepts that represent the
content of various works.

Types of Topical Headings:

A. Single nouns
o Abstract ideas and the names of disciplines of study are usually stated in the
singular, e.g. Biology; Existentialism
o Actions are expressed in the singular, e.g., Editing; Fraud
o Concrete things are most commonly in the plural form, when those things can
be counted, e.g. Playgrounds; Children

B. Conjunctive phrase headings

o Subject headings that consist of two nouns joined by “and”.
o Used mainly to connect:
 Topics or concepts which are usually treated together in works
 Opposite subjects that are usually treated together in works
 Examples: Bow and arrow; Good and evil; Forests and forestry;
Publishers and publishing; Cities and towns; Rugs and carpets;
Church and state; Television and children

C. Adjectival phrase headings

o Nouns with adjectives
 Examples: Unemployment insurance; Buddhist art; English language;
Space flight; College students

D. Inverted phrase headings

o Examples: Chemistry, Organic; Maps, Statistical; Bridges, Steel plate deck;
Knowledge, Sociology of

E. Prepositional phrase headings

 o Examples: Insects as carriers of disease; Violence in popular culture; Cooking
for the sick; Religion in public schools

 Form Headings – describes the form of a work, not the subject content.

Types of Form Headings:

1. Physical forms (e.g., Sound recordings; Motion pictures)
2. General arrangement of the material and purpose of the work (e.g., Atlases;
Dictionaries; Almanacs; Gazetteers)
3. Names of literary forms and genres (e.g., Fiction; Poetry; Drama; Science fiction;
Children’s plays)

Geographic Headings – names of places and political jurisdictions

 Examples:
o Africa
o North America
o United States
o Philippines
o Chicago (Ill.)
o Vatican City
o Korea (North)
o Arctic regions

Free-Floating Phrase Headings – Designated as free-floating components which may be

combined with any heading within designated categories to form new headings.

Types of Free-Floating Phrase Headings:

a. [Name of city] Metropolitan Area ([Geographic qualifier])
 Atlanta Metropolitan Area (Ga.)
 Washington Metropolitan Area
b. [Name of region] Region ([Geographic qualifier])
 Dallas Region (Tex.)
c. [Name of city] Suburban Area ([Geographic qualifier])
 Atlanta Suburban Area (Ga.)
d. [Name of river] Region ([Geographic qualifier])
 Mississippi River Region
 Tweed River Region (Scotland and England)
e. [Name of geographic feature] Region ([Geographic qualifier])
 Himalaya Mountains Region

Name Headings
A. Personal names – Individual/personal name headings are usually established in the
inverted form, with dates (if necessary), and with See references from alternate forms.
 Clinton, Bill
 Holmes, Sherlock (Fictional character)
B. Corporate names – Corporate names are commonly established names of corporate
bodies, such as business firms, institutions, buildings, sports teams, performing
groups, etc.
 University of the Philippines Diliman
C. Uniform titles – Uniform titles are the established names of sacred scriptures,
anonymous literary works, periodicals, motion pictures, radio and television programs,
etc.
 Gone with the wind (Motion picture)
  Beowulf
 Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Hamlet

Pattern Headings
Pattern Headings – Representative headings which are to be used as guides in developing
similar subject headings with authorized subdivisions.
 Examples:
o Fishes
o English language
o English literature
o World War, 1939—1945
o Heart
o Tuberculosis

Types of Subdivisions
1. Topical
2. Geographic
3. Chronological
4. Form
5. Free-floating – “…a form or topical subdivision that may be used under designated
subjects without the usage being established editorially, and, as a consequence,
without an authority record being created for each main heading/subdivision
combination that might be needed” (“Subject Headings Manual: Free-Floating
Subdivisions: H 1095”, 2019, p. 1).
a. General application (H 1095)
 Examples:
o –Abstracts
o –Examinations
o –Lighting
o –Study and teaching
o –Periodicals
b. Under classes of persons and ethnic groups (H 1100 & H 1103) (e.g., Youth;
Women; Judges; Eskimos; French-Canadians; Indians of North America)
 Examples:
o –Abstracts
o –Examinations
o –Last years
o –Trials, litigation, etc.
o –Political activity

c. Under names of individual corporate bodies, persons, and families (H 1105)

 Examples of pattern headings:
o –Membership
o –Officials and employees

d. Under place names (H1140 & H1145.5)

e. Controlled by pattern headings (H1147-H1200)

Symbols used in LCSH
 UF = Used For
 USE = use the term which follows
 BT = Broader Term
 RT = Related Term
 NT = Narrower Term
 SA = See Also
 [Former heading] = term formerly used as an authorized heading
 (May Subd Geog) = term may be followed by a geographic subdivision
 (Not Subd Geog) = term may not be followed by a geographic subdivision

Order of Subdivisions
A. If the topical, geographical, or form subdivision is followed by (May Subd Geog):
 [Topical]—[Geographic]—[Chronological]—[Form]
o Farm buildings—Specifications—Philippines
o Art—Collectors and collecting—United States—History—20th century—
Exhibitions

B. If the topical heading is followed by (May Subd Geog):

 [Geographic]—[Topic]—[Chronological]—[Form]
o Farm buildings—Philippines—Heating and ventilation
o Nobility—Great Britain—History—16th century—Sources

C. If the main heading is a geographic name:

 [Topical]—[Chronological]—[Form]
o United States—Civilization—1960-1970—Periodicals
o Great Britain—Court and courtiers—History—16th century—Sources

Sears List of Subject Headings

Development
 Neither Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) nor the earlier American Library
Association (ALA) list was deemed suitable for the access needs of small and medium-
sized libraries (Chan, 2007).

 To accommodate the needs of the aforementioned libraries, Minnie Earl Sears

developed a new standard list of subject headings.

 First named as “List of Subject Headings for Small Libraries”; later renamed to “Sears
List of Subject Headings” starting from the 6th edition.

 Latest edition: 22nd (2018)

 Editors:
1. Isabel Stevenson Monro (4th & 5th ed.)
2. Bertha M. Frick (6th - 8th ed.)
3. Barbara M. Westby (9th - 12th ed.)
4. Carmen Rovira and Caroline Reyes (13th ed.)
5. Martha T. Mooney (14th ed.)
6. Joseph Miller (15th – 20th ed.)
7. Barbara A. Bristow (21st & 22nd ed.)
Types of Main Headings
Headings used in Sears List of Subject Headings are similar to those used in Library of
Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).

A. Topical Headings
a. Single noun headings
b. Phrase headings
1. Compound headings (a.k.a. conjunctive headings in LCSH)
2. Adjectival headings
3. Prepositional headings
B. Form headings
C. Geographic headings
D. Name headings

"Key" Headings
 "Key" headings are select headings in Sears List which "...serve as examples, at which
the subdivisions particularly applicable to certain categories of headings are given"
("Sears List of Subject Headings", 2014, p. xliii). Any subdivision provided under such
heading may also be used under any heading of the same category or type ("Sears List
of Subject Headings", 2014).

 Some "Key" Headings:

o Authors: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616
o Ethnic groups: Native Americans
o Languages: English language
o Literature: English Literature
o Places: United States; Ohio; Chicago (Ill.)
o Public figures: Presidents—United States
o Wars: World War, 1939-1945

Symbols used in Sears List

 UF = Used for
 SA = See also
 BT = Broader term
 NT = Narrower term
 RT = Related term
 [Former heading] = Term that was used as a heading and is no longer
 (May subdiv. geog.) = Heading that may be subdivided by name or place

Some Examples of Cancelled and Replacement Headings

20th ed.
Cancelled Replacement
Hypertext Hyperlinks
Soviet Union Russia–History–1917-1991, Soviet Union
Videodiscs DVDs
High fidelity sound systems [no replacement]

21st ed.
Cancelled Replacement
Firearms Guns
Socially handicapped
People with social disabilities
Extraterrestrial beings
Aliens (Fictional characters)
Ethnic art
[no replacement]
Sex role
Gender role
Hispanic Americans
Latinos (U.S.)

Introduction to Subject Cataloging

References
ANSI/NISO Z39.19: Guidelines for the construction, format, and management of monolingual
controlled vocabularies. (2010). Retrieved from
http://groups.niso.org/apps/group_public/download.php/12591/z39-19-2005r2010.pdf

Chan, L. M., & Salaba, A. (2016). Cataloging and classification: An introduction (4th ed.).
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Joudrey, D. N., Taylor, A. G., & Miller, D. P. (2016). Introduction to cataloging and
classification (11th ed.). Santa Barbara, Calif.: Libraries Unlimited.

Functional requirements for subject authority data. (2010). Retrieved from

http://www.ifla.org/files/classification-and-indexing/functional-requirements-for-subject-
authority-data/frsad-final-report.pdf
Library of Congress Subject Headings
References
Chan, L. M. (2007). Cataloging and classification: An introduction (3rd ed.). Lanham, MD:
Scarecrow Press.

Chan, L. M., & Salaba, A. (2016). Cataloging and classification: An introduction (4th ed.).
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Library of Congress (2019). Library of Congress Subject Headings (41st ed.). Washington,
D.C.: Library of Congress.