Page 196 - DLIS002_KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION CLASSIFICATION AND CATALOGUING THEORY

Unit 10: Subject Heading List

Explain the Methods of Deriving Subject Headings Notes
Discuss the Use of Subject Headings

Introduction

Access problems such as these have, over time, spurred the use of subject headings that indicate
the topics covered by materials in the library. Because consistency is an important issue when
providing access to information in a library catalogue, there have been a small number of very
comprehensive and regularly updated subject lists developed for use in libraries. The two most
commonly used lists for public, academic and school libraries are Sears List of Subject Headings
and Library of Congress Subject Headings. These lists were developed to try to cover most
known topics in a consistent manner, enabling libraries to provide access to materials on similar
subjects under one consistent term.

10.1 Need and Purpose

In this, when looking at subject headings, we will be using examples from the Library of
Congress Subject Headings list. Many libraries use authority for their subject headings because
it is the one most commonly used in creating the MARC records that are shared through
cataloguing databases such as OCLC. Sometimes when items are catalogued by the Library of
Congress they will also be given subject headings from the List of Subject Headings. However,
the most commonly used subject headings list in the United States is currently the one from the
Library of Congress. This section will be a short review of the use of subject headings, looking
particularly at the ones that might be of use when cataloguing music sound recordings.
The purpose of using a subject heading in a cataloguing record is to give the person searching for
items in the library a way to find information by the topics that are covered in those items.
Subject heading lists are used to provide consistency in the terms used to describe the subjects or
topics covered by the materials in the library. Having an already established listing of subject
heading terms means that the cataloguer does not need to think of what word to use to describe
the topic of the item being catalogued – the correct word or phrase is chosen from the list being
used, and consistency is provided for all items on the same topic in the library.

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Caution As a reminder, traditionally when cataloguing items for a card catalogue, a limit
of 1-3 subject headings was imposed to limit the number of card sets and cards that would
need to be typed and filed into the catalogue.

With the option of entering information into computer catalogues, these restrictions no longer
apply, and cataloguers are free to use the number and variety of headings that seem appropriate
to their collections and patrons needs.
The most commonly used type of subject heading is a topical heading. These are headings
created to describe the topic of the item being catalogued – the content in that item. For books,
this may be terms such as POTTERY or UNITED STATES – HISTORY. For sound recordings, there
are still many topical headings that can be used. When using a subject heading list, the starting
point is to look up a term that the cataloguer believes is an accurate reflection of the content of
the item being catalogued. For sound recordings, the cataloguer always can start with the term
MUSIC. One of the useful features of the subject heading list is the information in the scope notes
given with many of the subject headings. For MUSIC, the scope note indicates that a subdivision
of SONGS AND MUSIC can be used under many types of subject headings, including the names
of persons, place, and topical headings. This gives the cataloguer very broad options for creating

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