1. Library of congress subject headings

2. DID you know? SUBJECT HEADINGS
24 out of 88 national libraries on six continents
300 specialized controlled vocabulary sets
Free Access to all past documentation.
Approximately 5,000 new added yearly
342,947 subject authority records
242,511 topical subject headings
61,885 geographic subject headings

3. Subject headings tell us about the content not the container.
IS versus ABOUT
Use the material in hand to discover the content.
LCSH provides consistency in language use, clarifies ambiguous language.
Since 2013, LC updating SH to work with RDA.
Heading added as material added to Library of Congress.
Headings designed with the “most important” word first – Erie, Lake
Subject headings tell us about the content not the container. (IS versus ABOUT)
Organization was done to try to keep related terms near each other, inversion was used for this reason and uses parentheses, subdivisions, and commas. Ex. Cooking (Fish); Art, Byzantine; Railroads—Timetables.
Often LCSH uses technical terminology that would only be familiar to professionals in the field. Relationship information important in Authority records when intended audience is not familiar with the jargon of the subject heading.
LCSH provides consistency in language use, clarifies ambiguous language
Use the material in hand to discover the content.
REMEMBER – the targeted user of LCSH is still an American/Western European, Christian, white, heterosexual male
LCSH updates to RDA include expanding abbreviations, modifying a formal term to common term, re-formatting name conflicts/ RDA has relationship designators, replacing abbreviations (ca [circa]=approximately, fl [floruit/flourish]=active),
LCSH describes the contents of the work, RDA is a standard for descriptive cataloging; describes the relationships

4. Ways to access LCSH

5. What is in a LCSH record?
Control number -- Headings – Class numbers – References and Relationships – Sources used to build subject heading
Scope/References
Scope notes
See Also
Subdivisions
Free floating
Pattern
Authorized
Relationships
(hierarchical and associative)
Broad Term
Narrow Term
Related term
Use For/USE ($w nne=former heading)
Not all headings have Subject Authority Records
Built headings (with free-floating subfields) do not have Authority Records

6. MARC and Labeled subject heading record

7. Building is fun(ctional)! ASSIGNING AND CONSTRUCTING SUBJECT HEADINGS
Be through, but don’t over do it [20% rule]
Use headings that correspond to the work
Don’t overload on subject headings (<10)
Start with the most important, most encompassing
Be specific (specificity is not a property of a heading, but of the relationship of the term to the work)
Less is more, if work covers all
Use narrow term when broad term over covers
Broad term and narrow term relevant, both may be used
Don’t over build a subject headings (rule of 4)
There is right and wrong way to build
Sometimes a subject headings needs clarification.
Free floating – subdivision constructed by rules, not authorization; created through a building block process by cataloger
Topical ($xPolitics and government)
Geographic ($zSan Diego (Calif.)
Chronological/Historical ($y20th century)
Form ($vFiction)
Preferred order:
$a[Topic] $x[Topic] $z[Geographic] $y[Chronological] $v[Form
Pattern headings —
standardized sets of topical and form subdivisions
Authorized subdivisions
(May Subd XXXX) (Not Subd XXXX)

8. Join the fun Join PCC (Program for Cooperative Cataloging)
Commit to cataloging through cooperation
BIBCO
CONSER
NACO
SACO
Make suggestions to Policy and Standards Division (PSD)
PDF proposal form
Geographic (yes or no) UF BT RT
670 – work that inspired change
670 – Sources for changing heading
675 – Sources looked for and not found
667 - Notes
653 field for uncontrolled subject terms
Order of subject headings is predominance
Subject heading must relate to 20% of the work
Related headings: scope note will relate topics covered by heading.
If 3 or more topics are covered then use the one overarching subject,
If only 1 or 2 are covered then list headings. Do not use broader term