Subject cataloguing

1. Subject Cataloguing
Dr. Sarika Siddharth Sawant
Assistant Professor,
SHPT School of Library Science,
SNDT Women’s University, Churchgate,
Mumbai 400 020

2. Definition of Subject
Cataloguing
•S C is the one which shows documents on
specific subject possesssed by a given
libray. It attempts to bring together entries
on a sepcif subject.
Subject can be expressed thru
•Words
•Notation

3. Subject Catalogue Types
•Alphabetico Direct Catalogue
•Alphabetico Indirect Catalogue
•Alphabetico Classed Catalogue
•Classified Catalogue

4. Objectives of Subject
Entries/Cataloguing
(1) to enable a person to find a book of which
the subject is known, and
(2) to show what the library has on a given
subject

5. Basic principles of subject entries
•User and Usage
•Uniform heading
•Term chosen should not be ambiguous
•Synonyms should be avoided
•Terminology
•Specific and direct entry
•Cross references
–See reference
–See also reference
–General reference

6. Problems of deriving subject
entries
•Overlap in subject extension and intention
•Subjects shifts their scope and coverage
and change their nomenclature
•Subject may not have specific names
(single term)
•More than one name
•Document may cover one or more than one
subject

7. Methods of Subject Analysis
•Printed list of subject headings
•Chain procedure

8. HOW TO ASSIGN SUBJECT
HEADINGS
subject content
principal concepts
subject headings list can be consulted
From the list, a subject heading is chosen
which will best express the subject content
of the work

9. Number of Headings Assigned
The ideal situation is one in which one
heading
There is no theoretical or physical limit to the
number of headings
Cataloger's magie number—three

10. General versus Specific Headings
•Use the most specific heading which expresses the
subject of the work
• In some cases, a specific heading may be assigned
to a portion of the work, while a more general
heading is assigned to the entire work.
•For example, if a large portion of a book on
mathematics in general is devoted to algebra, both
the general heading Mathematics and the specific
heading Algebra may be assigned.

11. Multitopical Works
•more than one heading is usually required
•For a work dealing with two or three distinctive
subjects or concepts separately, assign two or
three separate headings
•For example, for a book about Chinese and
Japanese literature, assign two separate headings.
•When a work deals with four or more subjects, all
of which form parts of a larger subject, assign the
heading for the larger subject, e.g., use the heading
South America—Descrip-tion and travel for a
book about traveling in Argentina, Brazil, Chile,
and Ecuador.

12. Multielement Works
•work which treats a single central topic considered
from different aspects or containing various
elements (such as form, place, and time)—assign a
heading which brings out these aspects or
elements, if one is available.
•If such a heading is not available, a new heading
may be established or several headings may be
used to bring out the aspects and elements as
appropriate.

13. Standard Lists of Subject
Headings
•Library of Congress Subject Headings
•Subject Headings for Children's Literature
•Sears List of Subject Headings

14. Advantages of Subject Headings
lists
Choice of the term among the synonymous
terms is to be preferred catalogue entry;
Indicates the rendering of the subject
heading; ie, the sequence of the terms in a
multi-worded heading;
The lists also indicate the references to be
made (see and see also)

15. Limitations of the Subject Headings lists
•lists are always found inadequate
•Most of the lists are based on the practices in one
or a few libraries.
•need constant revision
•As the intention of the subject increases the
subject heading becomes complex
•'insufficiënt' for bibliographies and documentation
lists
•Creation of new terms, new terms for old subjects,
homonyms and synonyms pose a lot of problems
in keeping the lists up-to date

16. Types of Subjects Headings
•1.Noun Headings : Philosophy
Chemistry
•2.Adjectival (qualifying the noun)
–21 Inverted : Chemistry—Organic
–22 Direct : English—Drama
•3.Phrase headings (A phrase formed out of two
nouns)
31 Inverted : Plant, Protection of—
32 Direct : Chinese—in India.

17. Sub-Divisions
Types
•1Form Subdivision
11 Outer: Music-—Dictionary
12 Inner: Music—History
•2Geographical subdivision
21 Direct: Architecture—India
22 Indirect : India, Politics and
government More than one geographic division may
be given if warranted : Art.India.Rajaputana
Period Division
1 Specific period: Mughal Empire
2 Dynasties: Gupta dynasty
3 Battles: Panipat battle

18. Fiction Subject Headings

19. Non-Fiction Subject Headings

20. CHAIN PROCEDURE
•Dr. Ranganathan advocated Chain Procedure for
the first time i 1938 in his Theory of Library
Catalogue and modified in the second and third
editions of Classified Catalogue Code
•It is a semi-mechanical method of deriving Class
Index Entries (CIE) classified catalogue and
subject headings in a dictionary catalogue

21. Pre-requisites
of CHAIN PROCEDURE
•The class number should be co-extensive
with the depth of the specific subject.
•The class number should provide a string
with no gaps.

22. Steps in Chain Procedure I
•Class number is analysed into a series of classes
from the Basic Class or Main Class to the specific
subject
•These series of classes from the Main Class to
specific subject constitute a chain and each
number of the chain of classes tnu produce a class
index entry.
•Then the chain of classes are retranslated to verbal
language m accordance with the specific terms
used in the scheme classification..

23. Steps in Chain Procedure II
•Unfamiliar, archaic and insufficiently precise
terms are replaced with more suitable synonyms.
•Steps in the chain which are unlikely to Be sought
are omitted (unsought links).
•Steps produeed by faulty subordination in the
classification scheme are likewise omitted (false
links).
•Certain of the super-ordinate terms are added to
reveal the context.
•Alink missing in the chain is to be inserted at the
proper place (= missing links).

24. Drawing the Chain
•1. Analyse the class number digit by digit;
•2. put an 'equal to' sign (=) infront of each link;
•3. Link the equal to signs with downward arrows;
•4. Look into the classification scheme and write the
equivalent terms
•5. Identify if there is a Missing Link and insert it in
its position;
•6. Analyse each and every link to decide the sought
and unsought links.
•7. Prepare headings of CIEs or subject headings
taking the last link as the first heading and then
upward till the first link is reached (which would be a
Basic class or Main class).

25. Illustration E.g. Class Number— 011,2J04, P
0 = Literature (Sought link)
01 = Indo-European Literature
011 = Teutonic Literature
0111 = English, Literature (Sought
Link)
0111, = (False Link)
OUl, 2 = Drama, English (Sought
Link)
011, 2J64 = Shakespeare
011, 2J04,P = Othello(Sought Link)

26. Othello011, 2J04,P
Shakesphere 0111,2J64
Drama, English 011,2
English Literature0lll
Literature 0

27. Example of Indexing with DDC
•600 = Technology (SL)
•620 = Engineering (SL)
•621 = Mechanical Engineering [FL]
621.3 = Electrical Engineering (SL)
621.32= Electrical lightening [FL]
•621.328 = Apparatus at service enf of line [UL]
•621.328 = Fuses (SL)
•621.328 = Cartridge fuses (SL)
Headings
•Cartridge fuses 621.328
•Fuses, Electrical Engineering621.328
•Electrical Engineering621.3
•Engineering 620
•Technology 600

28. Sears List of Subject Headings
•first edition of List of Subject Headings for
Small Libraries, prepared by Minnie Earl
Sears, appeared in 1923.
•1923,1926,1933,1939,1944,1940,1954,
1959, 1965(9th)
•1986, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2004 (18
th
)

29. FORMS OF HEADINGS
Single Noun Headings : broad fields of knowledge
and concrete objects are represented by headings
consisting of a single noun
e.g., Chemistry; Education; Law; Books; Rocks;
Water; etc.
When a noun has more than one meaning, a qualifier
is added in parentheses to limit the heading to one
subject or concept, e.g., Bridge (Game)

30. Compound Headings: heading consists of
two nouns or noun phrases connected by the
word and
1. To connect topics or concepts which are usually
treated together in books, e.g., Skis and skiing;
Clans and clan system; Cliff dwellers and cliff
dwellings
2. To connect opposite subjects that are usually
treated together in books, e.g., Open and closed
shop
3. To express a relationship bet ween two concepts
or things, e.g., Church and education; Medicine
and reügion.

31. Adjective-with-Noun Headings: e.g., English
language; Space flight; Ground effect machines;
College students;
e.g., Chemistry, Physical and theoretical

32. CROSS REFERENCES
Specific See References
These refer the user from terms that are not used as
headings to those that are. In the Sears list,
instruction for making see references is given after
the heading. The symbol x means that see
references are to be made from the terms that
follow to the heading immediately above it, e.g.,
Adolescence Art, Modern
x Teen age x Modern art
Teen age. Modern art
See Adolescence. See Art, Modern

33. Specific See also References
A see also reference connects a heading to another
related heading or headings. Before making the
reference, the cataloger should ascertain whether
the library has material listed under both headings.
The see also references are made for two
purposes:
(l) to refer from a general subject to more specific
parts of it, and
(2) to refer from a subject to a related subject of
more or less equal specificity.
Bees Honey
See also Honey see also Bees
xx Honey; Insects xx Bees

34. SUBDIVISIONS
Different Types
•subject or topical;
•form;
•period or chronological;
•place, local, or geographic

35. Subject or Topical Subdivisions
•A subject or topical subdivision added to a
main heading brings out a special aspect or
characteristic of the general subject, e.g.,
English language—Business English
English language—Dialects English
language—
Etymology Education—Curricula
Education—Finance

36. Form Subdivisions
1. Physical or Bibliographic form
Chemistry-Dictionaries
Library science-Bibliography
Railroads—Maps
Space sciences—Periodicals
2. Represent the authors point of view or approach to
the subject e.g.
Economics—History
Science—Philosophy
Gold- Law and legislation
Library science-Study and teaching

37. Bibliography
also names of persons, places and subjects
with the subdivision Bibliography, e.g.,
Shakespeare, William— Bibliography;
U.S.—Bibliography;
Agriculture— Bibliography; etc.

38. Period or Chronological
Subdivisions
•National history lends itself to chronological
treatment. The period sub-divisions appear as sub-
subdivisions under the subdivision—History.
U.S.—History — Colonial period, 1600-1775
—King William's War, 1689-1697 —Revolution,
1775-1783 —Civil War, 1861-1865
Japan—History—To 1868
—1868-1945
—Allied occupation, 1945-1952
—1952-

39. Place, Local, or Geographic
Subdivisions
•Flowers—U.S. Flowers—Hawaii Flowers
—Honolulu
•Folk art (May subdiv. geog. adjective
form, e.g., Folk art, Swedish; etc.)

40. Test
•Women in Politics
•Unicef Annual Report 2000
•Bharat Ratnas
•Special non vegetarian
•Chambers Biographical Dictionary of
Women

41. Test Answers
•Women in Politics
WOMEN-POLITICAL ACTIVITY
•Unicef Annual Report 2000
UNITED NATIONS ANNUAL REPORT 2000-
PERIODICALS
•Bharat Ratnas
INDIA-BIOGRAPHY
•Special non vegetarian
COOKING-NONVEGETABLES
•Chambers Biographical Dictionary of Women
WOMEN-BIOGRAPHY-DICTIONARIES

42. Test
•Table Tennis the skills of the Game
•McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Computer
•UGC Model Curriculum: Botany
•Dictionary of Economics
•Handbook of Leprosy

43. Test Answers
•Table Tennis the skills of the Game
- TABLE TENNIS
•McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Computer
- Computer SCIENCE- DICTIONARIES
•UGC Model Curriculum: Botany
- BOTANY-CURRICULA
•Dictionary of Economics
- ECONOMICS-DICTIONARIES
•Handbook of Leprosy
- LEPROSY-HANDBOOKS, MANUALS, ETC

44. Subject Headings for Biography
Individual biography
A biography of Robert F. Kênnëdy
Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968—Biography.
Collective biography
General biography: not limited to any geographic area or
subject or a particular class of people
Webster's Biographical Dictionary or International Who's Who,
the heading Biography—Dictiortaries
Local Biograghy : contains lives of people from a particular
geographic area or a specific'ethrtic group, e.g.V/ho's Who in
Australia, and Canadian Who's Who, the subject heading is in
the form of the geographic or ethnic name with the subdivision
—Biography or —Biography—Dictionaries:
Australia—Biography—Dictionaries
Canada—Biography—Dictionaries
Blacks—Biography

45. Subject Headings for Literature
Literature (with or without subdivisions
depending on the scope)
American literature (use English literature as
the pattern for subdivisions)
Drama
German drama—History and criticism
Essay
French essays—History and criticism