Cataloging practice
Subject Headings for Beginners
A subject heading provides a controlled access point for what a resource is about. Choosing one starts with reading the resource and identifying its focus. A title word is a search clue, not automatic evidence that the matching heading is appropriate.
Write an aboutness statement
Examine the title page, contents, introduction, and enough of the work to understand its emphasis. Then write one sentence in ordinary language: “This workbook teaches small-library staff to describe and arrange local-history pamphlets.” That statement gives you concepts to investigate without committing prematurely to an official heading.
Keep the audience and the subject separate. A book written for librarians may be about personnel supervision rather than cataloging. A story set in a library is not automatically an instructional work on library operations. Note the treatment, scope, place, and period only when they are central to the resource.
Verify candidate terms in the chosen vocabulary
Search the vocabulary your institution uses and inspect the authorized term, references, and scope information. The Library of Congress maintains subject and genre/form vocabularies and provides links to their documentation through its subject resources.
For the fictional pamphlet workbook, start by investigating concepts such as cataloging and local-history collections. These are search concepts, not a pre-approved LCSH string. Read the applicable instructions before combining a heading with subdivisions; a natural-sounding phrase is not proof that the combination is authorized.
Record the vocabulary accurately
In MARC bibliographic data, field 650 is used for a topical subject added entry. Its second indicator identifies the thesaurus: 0 denotes LCSH, while 7 points to a source identified in $2. See the official 650 field definition. Do not label a locally invented term as LCSH simply because it appears in a 650 field.
In a review worksheet, keep separate columns for your plain-language concept, the verified heading, the vocabulary, and the reason it fits. That separation helps a reviewer detect a mistaken source code as well as a weak subject choice.
Review access from a reader’s perspective
Search the catalog with a reader’s likely wording, then test whether the selected headings lead to useful related materials. If a local term is needed for community access, document its status and relationship to the standard heading in the way your system supports. Do not silently replace controlled vocabulary values with unmarked local wording.
- Confirm the heading represents substantial content.
- Check its current authorized form and scope.
- Verify subdivisions and source coding.
- Review overlapping headings for unnecessary duplication.
- Test the record’s display and subject links.
The generator does not assign headings. Complete subject analysis in your cataloging workflow before moving on to classification and label production.
Frequently asked questions
Are keywords and controlled headings interchangeable?
No. Keywords can support searching, while controlled headings depend on an identified vocabulary and its rules.
Can I combine any heading with any subdivision?
No. Check the vocabulary’s instructions and permitted use.
References and further reading
Official references support the standards discussed here. Worked examples and local workflow suggestions are instructional illustrations.