A Practical Workbook for Learning Library of Congress Subject Headings

Learn Library of Congress subject access covers the skills necessary for a subject cataloger in a library or information agency, whether at a professional or a paraprofessional level. It is suitable for use by librarianship students, and for those studying subject cataloging by themselves as part of their continuing professional development. Since most catalogs provide some subject access, it is important for all library students and most library staff to be familiar with at least the basics of subject cataloging.

This book introduces students to the concepts of subject analysis and subject description. It provides practical guidance on identifying important topics and allocating appropriate terms to describe them. Since Library of Congress subject headings (LCSH) is the most widely used subject headings list worldwide, the main focus of the book is on effectively using this scheme. A mastery of Library of Congress subject headings will assist catalogers using any subject headings scheme.

This first international edition of Learn Library of Congress subject access builds on previous Australian and North American editions, with a broader range of exercises and more information on chronological, geographic and name headings. A new chapter explains the features of Library of Congress’ online product, Classification Web, and how it can be used for efficiently searching LCSH.

Throughout the text there are exercises to practise and test new skills, with answers for self-checking at the back of the book. You may not always agree completely with the answers given, and it is useful to check them with a teacher or experienced cataloger. Always bear in mind that there is often room for more than one interpretation or emphasis, particularly in the area of subject analysis.

LCSH is continually updated to include new concepts and incorporate revisions to existing headings. Answers to exercises reflect current practices as recorded in the 37th (2015) edition of Library of Congress subject headings and the online version of the Subject headings manual. Your answers may vary slightly if other editions of the scheme are used. Throughout the text, references have been made to relevant sections of the Subject headings manual by way of the section numbers-e.g., Free-Floating Subdivisions (H 1095).

Note on Spelling and Capitalization
This book is used in North America, Europe and Australasia, across countries that employ different spelling conventions for English words. For consistency, American spelling has been adopted for the text.

Titles included in the text are capitalized according to standard library cataloging practice-that is, apart from names, only the first word of the title has a capital letter. This is intended to accustom library students and staff to this style.