Verbal Subject Analysis I: Library Subject Headings

Subject Cataloging versus Indexing

• Both are related to the subject analysis of resources.
• Subject cataloging is a term used for the subject analysis operations in library cataloging. 
• Indexing is a term generally used for the subject analysis operations in various other resource organization contexts, including periodical databases and search engines.

Subject Analysis Jargon

• Documentary unit - depends on type of retrieval tools
• Monograph - in library catalog
• Chapters - i some library catalogs and periodical databases
• Articles - in periodical databases
• Paragraphs - in back of book indexes and search engines
• Web sites - in website directories
• Web pages - in search engines
• Indexable matter - amount of text for each info resource that is subject analyzed
• Exhaustivity - how many subject terms to assign to a surrogate
• Specificity - how specific are the subject terms for a surrogate

Some Subject Analysis Concepts

• Pre-coordinated vs. post-coordinated terms. 
• Collocation by subject
• Computer "matching":
• Indexers > vocab > match < vocab < users
• The computer is getting a little smarter (e.g. misspellings)

Issues that Vocabularies Must Address

• Growth of knowledge over time (i.e. the introduction of new concepts to a domain)
• Terminological changes to existing concepts over time:
• Maintaining new headings (i.e. the introduction of new terms to represent existing concepts in a domain)
• Maintaining new entry terms (i.e. the introduction of new terms to represent existing concepts in a domain) [e.g. Quaddafi, Kaddafi, Gaddafi, etc.]
• Techniques for managing synonymy over time.
• Techniques for managing homonymy over time (i.e. disambiguation)

Library of Congress Subject Headings

• 
  
• Begun in 1898 with Charles Cutter and his plan for a dictionary, rather than a classified, catalog:
• Direct access to subject in alphabetic list
• Easier for end-users to look up subjects
• It is currently in 5 volumes (the "Reds"), and over 245,000 headings (and countless entry terms).

Earlier Version of LCSH Subject Headings

A Later Version of LCSH Subject Headings.
As you can see, the growth of knowledge requires and expanse of entries, and thus the collection has grown from a set of 4 (picutred above) to a set of 6.

Literary Warrant in LCSH

• New headings are generated based on need as indicated by the emergence of new subjects in the published literature that has been selected for library collections. 
• Therefore, the LCSH is NOT a comprehensive subject headings list:
• It represents what the LC collections holds
• HOWEVER, the LC collection holds a LOT. 
• Grows by accretion over time as new headings are added that match what authors are writing about over time.

LCSH Structural Elements

• One-word subject headings (nouns).
• Two-word subject headings (nouns and adjectives):
• normal word order
• inverted word order
• More than 2 word subject headings: Use of conjunctions and prepositional phrases. 
• Parenthetical qualifiers.
• BT, NT, Use, UF, RT, and SA (the latter defined ad "general 'see also; relationships")

LCSH  Features

• Derived from book cataloguing of US Congress.
• Established over a long period, with inconsistencies between subject areas because of major vocabulary management changes introduced in the 1970s.
• Becoming polyhierarchical (i.e. "Fairy Poetry" is a NT of "Poetry" and "Fairies")
• Extensive guidance, including online subscription resources
• American spelling/usage

Hierarchical Relationships (BT and NT)

• Only immediate relationships are listed; user must "ride the rails" to locate desired specificity. 
• Polyhierarchy is used (i.e. multiple broader terms for a subject heading).
• Some BT and NT terms may not be listed in subject heading if they are adjacent alphabetically in list. 

Equivalence Relationships (Use and UF)

• Synonyms: feline heartworm USE Dirofilaria imitis
• Variant spellings: dog USE dogs
• History notes: AIDS UF Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome 
• Inverted multi-word headings: educational psychology UF psychology, educational

Associate Relationships (RT)

• Specific reference to other subject headings that are related by association. 
• These related subject headings are topics that are associated in ways other than hierarchically. (e.g. Birds and Ornithology (the study of birds)

Subdivisions in LCSH

• Subdivisions qualify (i.e. further specify) the meaning of subject heading in non-hierarchical ways
• Some subdivisions are editorially pre-coordinated with their subject headings.
• Some subdivisions are not  editorially pre-coordinated; rather, they are free floating:
• Free floating subdivisions have rules for their applications, and are connected via these rules. 
• These free floaters were a major improvement to LCSH and were introduced in the 1970s.  
• Headings are always first, followed by subdivisions.

Subdivision Types:

• Topical subdivisions:
• Qualifies meaning of a subject heading according to a specific subtopical aspect.
• Chronological subdivisions:
• Limits a subject heading to a particular time period.
• Geographic subdivisions:
• Indicated by "May Subd Geog" or disallowed by "Not Subd Geog" 
• Couls be inverted: Massachusetts -- History
• Form subdivisions:
• Not topical, rather used to indicate what a work is, e.g. abstracts, dictionaries, handbooks, pictorial workds
• Added at end of subdivision

Subdivision Type Examples

• Editorially pre-coordinated: Those created by LCSH editors for use under a partiular heading:
• EXAMPLES
• Dogs -- Anatomy
• United States -- History -- 1815-1861
• Free-floating: Those that may be used under heading without being established editorially:
• EXAMPLES
• Biochemistry -- Congresses [form subdivision]
• New York (N.Y.) -- Buildings, structures, etc. [topical subdivision]

General See Also Relationships (SA)

• A blanket reference to a group of related headings. 
• EXAMPLE
• Economic history -- "Subdivision economic conditions under names of countries, cities, etc., and under classes of persons and ethnic groups."

Assigning Headings to Works 

• These rules are taken from the Subject Cataloging Manual that is used by all catalogers:
• Assign one or more subject headings that best summarize the content of the work. 
• Assign headings only for topics that compromise at least 20% of the work.
• Sometimes, one heading is sufficient; generally, a maximum of 6 is appropriate, but never more than 10
• Assign headings that are as specific as the topics they cover.

Subject Analysis by Catalogers

• These guidelines are taken from the Subject Cataloging Manual that is used by all catalogers:
• Titles and subtitles are important because they sometimes state in the words of the author or publisher the subject matter of the work.
• If the title is misleading, euphemistic, or cryptic, do not use the title of the work as a guide to the contents of the work.
• If the title is general, but the work is actually on a more specific topci, assign a heading for the specific topic.