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Subject Headings Both the Dewey and Library of Congress classification systems allow libraries to organize books by subject on library shelves. However, as we stated before, most books and magazine articles contain information on a number of different subjects. As a result library users need more comprehensive subject access to information than can be provided by a Dewey or Library of Congress classification number. The way libraries provide more comprehensive access to information in books and magazine articles is by assigning subject headings. Subject headings are assigned to a book or magazine article by a librarian or indexer--these headings describe what the book or magazine article is about. Library users can also search for information in library databases using subject headings. Subject heading searching can be a very effective way to locate specific information. When assigning subject headings to a book or magazine article it is important that the librarian be consistent. Librarians cannot simply make up subject headings as they go along, and they must always use a subject heading the same way for every item on a given topic. There are a number of standardized resources available to assist librarians and indexers in assigning subject headings. Library of Congress Subject Headings Not only did the Library of Congress develop a classification system to organize its books by subject on the library shelves, it also developed a subject heading system to describe what a book is about. Library of Congress Subject Headings are published in large red books. Each heading has its own listing with links to other headings. A Library of Congress Subject Heading does not exist in isolation; rather, it is part of an interconnected list of related subject headings, something like a family tree. In fact, the phrase "subject tree" is used to describe these related subject headings. This subject heading system is related to how the various western academic disciplines divide knowledge.When assigning subject headings to a book the librarian must actually read parts of the book and determine what the book is about. The librarian then consults the LC Subject Headings and tries to find the subject heading which accurately describes the book's main idea. When an appropriate subject heading is found the librarian assigns it to the book record in the library catalog. The librarian next consults the list of related subject headings to determine if any of them might be appropriate. Then the librarian looks for other subject headings that describe other aspects of the book's content. Once all the information about a book has been entered into the library catalog patrons can search for the book. Because the book has been assigned subject headings using the Library of Congress Subject Heading system, patrons can now use those same subject headings to search the library catalog and find books about a given subject. (We will demonstrate how to search the library catalog in Lesson 4) Wilson index headings The Library of Congress Subject Heading system is not the only one used to organize information by subject. Companies that index magazine and journal articles tend not to use the Library of Congress Subject Headings; rather, they create subject heading systems of their own. The H.W. Wilson Company is a private company that creates indexes to articles in magazines and journals. The H.W. Wilson Company creates some of the most popular magazine and journal indexes in America. You may be familiar with many of their indexes already, they include: Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature Each of these indexes allow library users to search for magazine and journal articles by subject. To search effectively you need to understand how the H.W. Wilson Company subject headings work. Just as librarians catalog books using the Library of Congress Subject Heading system, indexers at the H.W. Wilson Company index magazine articles using the H.W. Wilson Subject Heading system. The indexer reads the magazine article, determines the subject content of the article and lists the magazine article in the index under the appropriate subject headings. The library patron then consults the appropriate H.W. Wilson index and attempts to find articles under appropriate subject headings. (Some libraries have access to the electronic version of the H.W. Wilson indexes and the library patron can search for articles by subject using a database). Local library subject headings At one time or another the "official" subject heading systems fail to provide libraries with adequate subject headings from which to choose--the "official" headings are either too obscure, or just don't quite describe the subject in the right way. As a result librarians develop their own subject headings for use in their local library. These local library subject headings may be used in cataloging books in the local library catalog, or they may be used in organizing local library collections such as pamphlet, picture, or map collections. Local subject headings work in the same way as the more "official" types; however, local subject headings are often not used outside of the particular library that developed them. An example of local library subject headings adopted by other libraries is the Hennepin County Public Library Subject Headings for Works of Fiction. As we have discussed, cataloging fiction can be very difficult. The Hennepin County Public Library was not happy with the Library of Congress Subject Heading system when it came to cataloging works of fiction. As a result the Hennepin County Public Library developed its own subject headings for fiction. Over time public libraries from around the country heard about the Hennepin County project, and before long Hennepin County Public Library was selling its Subject Headings to Works of Fiction to public libraries around the country. Locations in the library Libraries arrange their materials into different collections based on the type of resource. It will be helpful for you to know about these collections.
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