Cataloguing and Processing
A Resource for School Library Personnel
Chapter 6: Subject Headings
Subject headings consist of words, groups of words, or acronyms that are used to describe the subject of a work. As access points in the catalogue, these headings are extremely important in communicating the holdings of a library.
Add subject headings to the T-slips to provide access to the intellectual content of the material. In selecting subject headings, the cataloguer decides what index terms appear in the dictionary catalogue for the book. The chosen headings are numbered with arabic numerals and are recorded.
It is important to use consistently the same terminology to designate a particular subject. For this reason, libraries have developed standard lists of subject headings. The most commonly used lists in Canadian school libraries are the Sears List of Subject Headings and the Canadian Companion to the Sears list.
A supplemental choice would be the most recent edition of the Library of Congress Subject Headings and the National Library of Canada's Canadian Subject Headings. The latter two titles supply an expanded number of subject possibilities.
Note that subject headings are never assigned from the Dewey Decimal Classification.
Before assigning subject headings, the main subject or subjects of the book must be determined. This is done by examining the title, table of contents, description on the dust jacket, preface, text, and illustrations.
The next step is to write down the subject and check to see if that choice is permitted in the standardized list. If the subject selected is not in the list, the related subjects must be consulted. It is possible, although not advisable, to add a local subject heading. This should be done only when all other avenues have been exhausted. The standard subject lists represent a controlled vocabulary that has been carefully constructed over a number of years. Local subject creativity -- if taken to excess -- results in a garbled catalogue. If local headings are added to the catalogue, write them in your copy of Sears or LCSH for future reference.
Typically, two subject headings per item is sufficient for most school libraries, although there are occasions when three or more may be required to cover the scope of the item.
Select as specific a heading as possible. A book about bears should be given the subject heading BEARS rather than the general heading ANIMALS. For a book about several different animals, the more inclusive heading ANIMALS should be used rather than separate headings for each animal mentioned in the text. Determining whether to use a specific or a general subject entry can pose difficulties. The introduction to Sears describes how to designate them correctly.
The subject heading is listed at the bottom of the T-slip preceded by an Arabic numeral. Such a notation is called a tracing and tells the cataloguer what other cards exist.
School libraries often find it valuable to include subject headings for Fiction and Easy materials. This makes it easier to identify storybooks about a particular subject or theme. In general, add the word FICTION as a subdivision of other subjects to indicate that the item is a work of fiction.
6.1 Fiction Subject Headings (Card Examples) [Figures 18a and 18b]Figure 18a Fiction Subject Headings (Card Examples)
 |
Figure 18b
 |
6.2 Non-Fiction Subject Headings (Card Examples) [Figure 19]
Figure 19 Non-Fiction Subject Headings (Card Example)
 |