Library congress subject headings

Library Congress Subject Headings PPT

1. Subjects Headings and Library Congress Subject Headings 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 Introduction

3. S/No 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 Agricultur e Library 1980 AD Subject Headings List

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 Subject Headings 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 Textbook chemistry (Chemistry) Theory of philosophy (Philosophy ) Five Figures of Nepal ( May be Biography or Political science or Economics Seto Bagh (Literature or White Tiger or ? ) How to Get the Subject Heading ?

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 Contd …

7. Library Congress Subject Headings (LCSH )

8. 33rd edition, 6 Volumes of LCSH

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 Introduction

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 History of LCSH

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 Contd …

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 Contd …

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 Subject Area/Usefulness

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) Contd …

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 heading s 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 Other Tools of LCSH

16. Subject Headings: Two types 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. Use Warrant Literary Warrant Uniform Heading and Unique Heading Specific entry Consistency Dynamism Preordination and postcoordination Principles of LCSH

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] Principles of LCSH

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] Use Warrant

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 Literary Warrant

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 Uniform Heading- [ one heading per subject ]

22. Unique Heading[one subject one heading] 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 Specific Entry

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 Specific Entry Examples

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 Consistency

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 Dynamism

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

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 Postcoordination

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—18 th cent ury Subject Headings

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 Types Subject Headings in LCSH

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 ; O rganisms; Some types of events ; Classes of people; Ethnic groups ; Names of Individual Animals; Places, and Organizations etc Topical Subject Headings

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; Form Subject Headings

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 Name Subject Headings

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 Name Subject Headings

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 Syntax (Word Formation)

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 Articles (A ; An and The)

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 Plural vs. singular

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 Phrase Headings: Single concept

39. Components of Entries in LCSH 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. Authorized Headings Note:-Authorized Headings are listed in boldface type

41. References 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 Notes 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 e g . 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 Subdivisions in LCSH

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 Subdivisions in LCSH

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. Free-Floating Subdivision

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. Free-Floating Subdivision Free-Floating Subdivision

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

48. Thank you