Library of Congress Subject Headings: Principles and Application, 4th Edition

This book is the only comprehensive treatise on the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) system. It offers users a complete and definitive guide to a challenging area of study. Chan presents a brief history of the system, analyzes its principles, and describes its vocabulary and subject authority control. She then discusses the application of LC subject headings to LC MARC records and outlines the Library of Congress's policies on the assignment of subject headings in general and the treatment of certain types of materials in particular. This new edition updates the text according to policies governing current practices in using LCSH, and the highlighted relevance of LCSH in the global electronic environment. Part 3, completely rewritten, includes a chapter on FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology), which is an LCSH-based controlled vocabulary for electronic resources.

"Lois Mai Chan presents a comprehensive examination of the current practices and policies for use of LCSH, in addition to discussing historical and theoretical context and future directions….Chan does an excellent job of addressing the major discussion points surrounding the Library of Congress Subject Heading system without being apologetic or overly critical….This book combines theoretical discussion and practical explanation. It covers the formation of new subject headings as well as the application of existing ones. As a source for in-depth understanding of LCSH principles and practice, this book is an excellent resource for professional catalogers and advanced cataloging students and is highly recommended." -

Technical Services Quarterly

This book is the only comprehensive treatise on the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) system. The latest edition of this classic work provides a basic understanding of the ever-evolving Library of Congress Classification system and its applications. After introducing the classification and giving a brief history of its development, the author presents readers with the general principles, structure, and format of the scheme. She then discusses and illustrates the use of tables. The main thrust of the new edition is the updating of the text according to policies governing current practices in using LCSH, and the highlighted relevance of LCSH in the global electronic environment. Part 3, completely rewritten, includes a chapter on FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology), which is an LCSH-based controlled vocabulary for electronic resources.

Presents the only comprehensive treatise on the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) system, now fully updated to address LCSH in the electronic environment.

LOIS MAI CHAN is Professor of Library and Information Science at the University of Kentucky.

Preface

Principles, Form, and Structure

Introduction

Basic Principles

Forms of Main Headings

Subdivisions

Subject Authority Control and Maintenance

Application

Assigning Subject Headings

Subject Cataloging of Special Types of Materials

Subject Areas Requiring Special Treatment

Current and Future Prospects

Library of Congress Subject Headings in the Electronic Environment

Fast: Faceted Application of Subject Terminology

Appendix A: Library of Congress Bibliographic Records with MARC 21 Coding

Appendix B: Free-Floating Subdivisions: Form and Topical

Appendix C: Free Floating Subdivisions: Names of Persons

Appendix D: Free Floating Subdivisions: Names of Places

Appendix E: General Reference Sources Used In Establishing Headings

Appendix F: First-Order Political Divisions of the Exceptional Countries

Appendix G: MARC 21 Coding for Subject Information

Appendix H: Abbreviations

Appendix I: Capitalization

Appendix J: Puntuation

Glossary

Bibliography

Index