Using Subject Headings in the Cofrin Library Catalog and Controlled Vocabulary in Online Databases
WHAT ARE SUBJECT HEADINGS?
A useful way to look for books and other library-owned materials in the library's online catalog is by subject heading. Subject headings are words and phrases which constitute a "controlled vocabulary" to describe subjects. This basically means that the words you are using to define your research interests are the same words that the catalog uses to define that interest. Subject headings used by the Cofrin Library are established by the Library of Congress and are listed in a multi-volume thesaurus entitled Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). Copies of this thesaurus are available in the reference room on the third floor.
To search by Subject in the Cofrin Library Catalog type your term in the Find box and select Subject Heading in the Find words in box below.
WHY SUBJECT HEADINGS?
- Subject headings often indicate the contents of books in terms that their titles do not use, which may often be
- non-descriptive or very general.
- Along with their subdivisions, subject headings provide a clear and systematic way of scanning the catalog for what is needed. Assigned subject headings are usually the dominant, and most important, subjects of a given item.
- Subject headings bring like 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 LCSH brings terms 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 the catalog, to terms that are used: some are from familiar to unfamiliar words; some suggest more specific or more general headings to check.
FINDING THE RIGHT SUBJECT HEADINGS
Words and phrases in boldface type in Library of Congress Subject Headings correspond to subject entries in the catalog. More than one heading may be needed for books on a subject to cover differing aspects of a field. Cross references from one term to another are frequently given from a common term to a more established term, or to broaden or narrow the search. The following kinds of cross references will help find appropriate headings.
USE REFERENCES
"Use" references direct from terms not
used to terms that are used.
Examples:
- rural education: use education, rural
- crimes, rural: use rural crimes
- industrial revolution: use industry-history
- subdivisions Economic Conditions and Industries under names of countries
NT and RT REFERENCES (narrow topics and related topics)
Typically NT cross references are to
other headings which are specific instances of a general heading. However,
some are related in other ways, as are the RT headings, and judgment
should be used in selecting useful headings.
Example:
| Fiction | |
|---|---|
| NT | Fables Picaresque literature Science fiction Short stories |
| RT | Novelists |
BT REFERENCES Other useful headings are indicated by the BT notation. These are typically broader in scope than the headings that they come under.
Example:
| Short Stories | |
|---|---|
| BT | Fiction |
PROPER NAMES AS HEADINGS
Any proper name may be used as a subject heading. Because of the abundance of these possibilities, they are rarely listed in LCSH. While major countries (e.g. United States) and names (e.g. William Shakespeare, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln) will be listed, few others will be mentioned in the thesaurus. All names, places, and things (e.g. names of individuals, family names, geographic places of any size, institutions, agencies, buildings) are acceptable subject headings. Those listed in LCSH often illustrate potential subdivisions within name headings.
SUBDIVISIONS
Subdivisions restrict the scope of headings in various ways, and are Indicated by dashes under the listings of main terms. (Punctuation is not required in an online search although the terms must be used in the exact order given.)
FORM SUBDIVISIONS
These draw attention to materials of various types, within a given subject,
and are used whenever appropriate. Some examples are:
- abstracts
- bibliography
- biography
- concordances
- criticism and interpretation
- dictionaries
- directories
- handbooks, manuals, etc.
- indexes
- maps
- pictorial works
TOPICAL SUBDIVISIONS
These qualify the scope of the subject itself, e.g.women - employment
women - employment - law and legislation
In the catalog, subdivided headings appear as shown above; in Library of Congress Subject Headings, however, they are shown as indented, thus: women - employment --law and legislation
GEOGRAPHICAL SUBDIVISIONS
Subjects are divided by place whenever appropriate,
e.g. women - legal status, laws, etc. - india
HISTORICAL SUBDIVISIONS
Usually found within geographic headings, these
are listed chronologically.
AN EXCERPT FROM THE LCSH
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 arizona - antiquities. Check LCSH or do a keyword search instead of a subject search.
OTHER ASSISTANCE
KEYWORD SEARCHING Subject searching in the online 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 instead of the subject.
| Subject: | women - employment - law and legislation | this will retrieve the materials under the specific assigned heading |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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, citations retrieved may have contents that are less pertinent.
USING A KNOWN SOURCE
If a particular item is found that looks valuable, take note of the subject headings in the record. Click on any of interest to be directed to other materials in the library catalog which share the same subject heading.
SEARCHING IN ONLINE DATABASES USING CONTROLLED VOCABULARY
Many databases use thesaurus terms (subject labels).
This is a way of ensuring that all articles on a particular topic have
standard thesaurus terms (or subject headings) assigned to them, even if variant
terminology has been used by different authors. The words that make up the thesaurus
are referred to as "controlled vocabulary." Using a controlled vocabulary
makes
information easier to access in most cases. For example, if we agree the term
adolescent will be used to describe articles about people aged 13-17, then when
we search, we don't need to worry about whether to search for the word "teens"
or
"teenager" or "adolescence." All of those possibilities are contained in the
controlled word adolescent.
Thesaurus terms or controlled vocabulary can help to ensure that you get relevant
information, and reduce the number of "false hits", since indexers
generally apply thesaurus terms to subjects which form a significant part of
the subject dealt with by the article.
One way many print and computerized thesauri lead
users to controlled vocabulary terms is through the use of "SEE" and "SEE ALSO"
references. For example, if you look up the word moods in PsycINFO, it
tells you to USE: emotional states.
If you look up the phrase juvenile drinking in the Social Sciences Abstracts,
it tells you to see alcohol and youth.
TIPS
- Understand the difference between keywords and controlled vocabulary (variously known as subject headings, descriptors, or thesaurus terms)
- Understand the ways to locate controlled vocabulary terms so that you can exploit their power. [Reference Librarians can point you in the right directions].
- Recognize that you may have to try a search several different ways before you strike gold. If one word or phrase doesn't do the trick, others might, so be sure you have alternatives at the ready.
- Remember that one size generally does not fit all. Finding tools may or may not use the same controlled vocabulary; nor will they respond equally well even to the same keywords. You may find, for instance that broader terms work better in the catalog, and more specific words in indexes. As you move from one to the other, be aware that they may behave idiosyncratically and adjust your strategy accordingly.
NOTE: Not all databases provide searchers with
a thesaurus. Be sure to read the database documentation.
For further assistance, contact a Reference Librarian in person, by telephone (920-465-2303), or via e-mail at refdesk@uwgb.edu.