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USING SUBJECT HEADINGS IN THE LIBRARY CATALOG
WHAT ARE SUBJECT HEADINGS?
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In the Highline Library catalog an important way to look for books and other library-owned materials is by subject heading. Subject headings are words and phrases which constitute a “controlled vocabulary” to categorize books by subject field. Headings used by the library are established by the Library of Congress and are listed in a multi-volume thesaurus entitled Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), located in the Reference collection. |
WHY USE ASSIGNED SUBJECT HEADINGS?
Subject headings often indicate the contents of books in terms that their titles do not use, which often may be very general. Subject headings in online databases are often referred to as descriptors, but they serve the same purpose in locating valuable resources. Using a "keyword" search will identify catalog entries that contain those specific terms which can add value to a search; however, the terms can be found anywhere - author, notes, publisher, etc. - therefore there is no indication of the value of the term(s) as content matter of the items in a results list.
Along with their subdivisions, subject headings provide a clear and systematic way of scanning the catalog for what is needed. Assigned headings are usually the dominant, and most important, subjects of a given item.
Subject headings bring similar materials together, requiring less use of the wide variation of synonymous terms that may appear to describe a single concept (teen, youth, adolescent, young adult, etc.).
WHY USE LCSH?
Use of the thesaurus brings terms of value that may otherwise be overlooked, to the user’s attention.
This controlled vocabulary has been developed over many years and the terms used may be other than what is expected. New and “current-events” terms may take years before becoming accepted subject headings. Keyword searching of newer terms may miss the classic and well-respected sources in a given field.
The thesaurus contains many cross-references from terms which are not in a catalog, to terms that are used: some are from familiar to unfamiliar words, others suggest more specific or more general headings to check.
LCSH terms are standardized throughout the country, making searching of multiple library catalogs easier for the user.
LIMITATIONS OF SUBJECT HEADINGS
Cross references, though extensive, are not exhaustive. Subject knowledge and imagination may be needed. Also, a book usually has no more than three or four subject headings even though it may deal significantly with more subjects than that. Checking books on broader or related subjects in addition to those that most closely approximate the chosen topic may be necessary. Books often contain detailed indexes, giving alternative terms, or bibliographies of closely related resources. For geographic breakdowns, some terms may be subdivided by place, some places may be subdivided by terms, e.g., caves - Arizona OR Zimbabwe—social life and customs. Here is where you may want to do a keyword search instead of a subject search.
There are a few suggested routes to looking up items in the library catalog using subject headings:
SEARCH AND BROWSE BY SUBJECT HEADING
On the main page of the library catalog, the search screen looks like this:
The second radio button is "Subject List." By clicking this button first, and then typing a search word in the "Find this:" box, you are searching subject headings only. As a sample search, you can try Zimbabwe. Your search screen would return this:
Under "Titles," the screen is telling you how many items we have under this subject heading. Remember that subjects can be subdivided, so even though there is only 1 title listed under Zimbabwe, there are more titles with subdivisions; all these books are about Zimbabwe. By clicking on the number in the Title box, a screen will appear with the titles, call number, and location of the books on Zimbabwe.
If you already know a subject heading, either by looking it up in the LCSH books located in the Reference collection, or because you have used it before, then this is a good method to use. You can also just browse lists to see if your topic is covered by typing in your topic in the "Find this:" search box and seeing if there is a nearby subject heading that matches. Most geographic locations will be subject headings, but they may be called something other than what you expected, so be careful. Using Rhodesia, Zimbabwe's former name, in a subject heading search, will return zero results.
KEYWORD SEARCHING
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Subject searching in the catalog requires the use of the exact phrase given in the assigned subject heading. If the exact phrase is not known, but individual terms are, use the “Keyword Search" choice from the radio button menu on the search screen instead of subject heading. Keyword search is the default search button. |
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Subject: |
women - employment - law and legislation |
this will retrieve the materials under the specific assigned heading |
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Keyword: |
law and employment and women |
this will retrieve the materials under the heading given above, without having to be in the exact order or within a defined subject heading |
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Keyword searching covers all searchable categories in one search (author, title, subject, etc.). This can be a valuable approach when only specific words are known, not the assigned subject heading. While materials may be found that would not be retrieved with the subject search, many items retrieved may have contents that are less pertinent. |
USING A KNOWN SOURCE
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After finding one book on your topic that you like using a keyword or other type of search, you can look at the catalog record to view the assigned subject headings for that item. In the listing of subject headings, click on any of interest; this will direct the user to other materials listed in the catalog which have also been assigned the same subject heading. |
The list in a catalog entry will look like this:
Clicking on any of the links of "Subjects:" will lead you to the list of subject headings, telling you how many titles we have on that particular topic. This is a great way to find more items on your topic, as the guesswork has been taken out of searching, and you can see precisely how many items Highline Library carries for that topic.
***This document is being used with permission from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries. It has been slightly altered for use at Highline Library Community College. You can see the original document here: http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/guides/subhd49.htm***
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