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Unit 9: Cataloguing and Subject Indexing: Principles and Practices

introduction: “A major difference between the two lists is that in Sears the direct form of entry has Notes
replaced the inverted form, on the theory that most library users search for multiple-word terms in
the order in which they occur naturally in the language.”
SLSH has got a new face since the 15th edition, which was published in 1994. Since then editions
have been coming quite regularly viz., 16th in 1997, 17th in 2000, and 18th in 2004.The new face is
due to the change in format that follows the NISO standards for thesauri. Earlier references, See,
Seeal so, x, and xx have been replaced with USE, NT, BT, RT and UF. Headings that have been
replaced have been appended with the phrase (Earlier heading). Another significant change came
in the 16th edition when new headings were added for other religions to reduce the Christian bias.
Some additions were done in the headings for ethnographic divisions, computers, personal relations,
politics and popular culture in the latter editions.
Delivering a core list of key headings, together with patterns and examples to guide the cataloguer
in creating further headings as required, Sears List of Subject Headings has been the standard
thesaurus of subject terminology for small and medium-sized libraries since 1923.
Examples Illustrating Use of SLSH SUBJECT HEADING
• 1. Tourist places in India–Description and travel
• 2. Marriages in Japan: A study of customs Marriage customs and rites–Japan
• 3. Pulse polio campaign in India: Public Vaccination–India health awareness
• 4. Directories of libraries in Delhi: Libraries-Delhi-Directories
• 5. Surgery of the human heart: Heart-Surgery
Its essential resource features
Agreement with the Dewey Decimal Classification system to ensure that subject headings conform
with library standards.
Easy-to-use thesaurus-like format.
Accompanying list of canceled and replacement headings, and legends within the list that identify
earlier forms of headings.
The 20th edition of the Sears List features expanded coverage for developing topics, as well as
updated headings in some areas.
New headings in this edition reflect the growing literature in areas such as ecology and the
environment, including
Rainforest ecology
Grassland ecology
Climate change
Sustainable agriculture
Headings have also been established for the different types of dinosaur, including
Raptorex
Pteranodon
Edmontosaurus
New trends in social networking are represented by entries like
Twitter (Web site)
Facebook (Web site)
And new headings for arts and crafts have also been added, such as
Acrylic painting
Wire craft

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