subject headings & classification or, why catalogers don’t seem to think like normal people...

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ClassificationOr, why catalogers don’t seem to think like normal people

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At some point, a system is needed…

Subject Headings

“The LCSH (Library of Congress Subject Headings) were created by thousands of catalogers over the course of 100 years using a strict set of ever-changing rules.”

-- Heidi Lee HoermanSchool of Library and Information Science,U. of South Carolina.

http://bit.ly/YR02My

Subject Headings• Can be• Ideas/concepts• Events• Places (even imaginary ones)• People (even imaginary ones)

Narrowing It Down• Subdivisions can be• Geographic (United States, Florida, etc.)• Chronology (dates; these are NOT the same for all headings)• Form (what kind of a thing it is: Periodicals, Dictionaries, Blogs,

etc.)• Topic (Religious aspects, economic aspects)

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What is This?

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Why???

Parsnip, but also Philodrendrons!Working class women was established about 1985, Working class men in 2005!Neighbors was not a subject heading until 2006Mosquito nets was not a subject heading until 2008 – and this term was requested and created by a cataloger at UF. Often, but NOT always, scientific names are used for plants and animals. If your research involves the sciences, use the authority file to find the correct LCSH. It will save much trouble.

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And some are just … odd…

Library of Congress Classification

Get the big picture:

http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/

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So What Do You Do?• Search keywords, but

then look at the whole record and click the subject heading that matches your idea• Check your subject or

name at http://authorities.loc.gov

Yes, We Have Fiction in West!• Not the same amount or kind as the public library, but we do.

Here are some of the secret tips:• Authors are sorted by nationality and/or language; British authors

and American authors are in different classes. • You can often find criticism of important books near that book, or

near the end of all books by the author. • Look around. You may discover authors who were popular in your

parents’, grandparents’, or great-grandparents’ time, but have fallen out of favor.

Some Numbers: American AuthorsDashiell Hammett: PS3515.A4347Shirley Jackson: PS3519.A392James Weldon Johnson: PS3519.O2625-----Mary Higgins Clark: PS3553.L287Stephen King: PS3561.I483 Barbara Kingsolver: PS3561.I496Amy Tan: PS3570.A48

Some Numbers: British Authors• Agatha Christie: PR6005.H66• Mary Renault: PR6035.E55• J.R.R. Tolkien: PR6039.O32• Evelyn Waugh: PR6045.A9• P.G. Wodehouse: PR6045.O53• ------• Douglas Adams: PR6051.D3352• Ian Fleming: PR6056.L4• P.D. James: PR6060.A467

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We also have the PZ call number for many items.

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Please Ask!

Naomi YoungPrincipal Serials Catalogernaomi@uflib.ufl.edu

See a mistake in the UF or union catalog? (Typos, the wrong contents note, something obvious like that? )catproblems@uflib.ufl.edu