The LCSH Century:
One Hundred Years with the
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Introduction to the Centennial
Essays: The LCSH Century: A Brief History
of the Library of Congress Subject Headings.
ByAlva T. Stone,
Head of Cataloging, College of Law Library, Florida State University
Abstract.
The history of the Library of
Congress Subject Headings is traced, from its beginnings with the
implementation of a dictionary catalog at the Library of Congress in 1898 to the
present day. The author describes the most significant changes which have
occurred in LCSH policies and practices during the 100-year period.
Events noted near the end of the century indicate an increased
willingness on the part of the Library of Congress to involve the larger library
community in the creation or revision of subject headings and other
decision-making regarding the LCSH system.
Finally, the author provides
a summary of the other contributions to this collection of essays, a collection
which celebrates the "centennial" of the world's most popular library
subject heading language.
Keywords: Library of Congress Subject Headings; subject heading languages;
subject access
The author wishes to acknowledge Lynn El-Hoshy, Senior
Cataloging Policy Specialist, The Library of Congress, for her assistance in
verifying certain facts and dates.
LCSH: Semantics,
Syntax, and Specificity, by Elaine Svenonius.
Abstract. This paper looks at changes affecting LCSH over its
100-year history. Adopting a linguistic conceptualization, it frames these
changes as relating to the semantics, syntax and pragmatics of the LCSH
language. While its category semantics has remained stable over time, the LCSH
relational semantics underwent a significant upheaval when a thesaural structure
was imposed upon its traditional See
and See also structure. Over time the
LCSH syntax has become increasingly complex as it has moved from being largely
enumerative to in large part synthetic. Until fairly recently the LCSH
pragmatics consisted of only one rule, viz.
the injunction to assign specific headings. This rule, always controversial,
has become even more debated and interpreted with the move to the online
environment.
Turning Practice into Principles: A Comparison of the IFLA Principles
Underlying Subject Heading Languages (SHLs) and the Principles Underlying the
Library of Congress Subject Headings System, by Heidi Lee Hoerman and Kevin A.
Furniss.
Difference, Culture, and Change:
The Untapped Potential of LCSH, by
Hope A. Olson.
Abstract. The Library
of Congress Subject Headings have traditionally attempted to reflect reality
neutrally. The result is bias in representing cultural margins. While neutrality
is one of the ethical stances espoused by librarianship, another is universal
and equitable access to information for the betterment of humanity. This paper
views LCSH as a potential tool for
cultural change using Homi Bhabha’s postcolonial concept of a Third Space as a
model. LCSH functions as a Third Space
where the meanings of documents are constructed and enunciated for
library users. Therefore, it is in LCSH
that there is potential for instigating change.
'Improving LCSH for Online Environments' Revisited -- What Progress
Has Been Made? What Issues Still Remain? By
Pauline
Atherton Cochrane.
Abstract.
Filing
and Precoordination: How Subject Headings Are Displayed in Online Catalogs and
Why It Matters, by Gregory Wool.
Abstract. Library
of Congress subject headings retrieved as the results of a search in an online
catalog are likely to be filed in straight alphabetical, word-by-word order,
ignoring the semantic structures of these headings and scattering headings of a
similar type. This practice makes
LC headings unnecessarily difficult to use and negates much of their indexing
power. Enthusiasm for filing
simplicity and postcoordinate indexing are likely contributing factors to this
phenomenon. Since the report Headings
for Tomorrow (1992) first raised this issue, filing practices favoring
postcoordination over precoordination appear to have become more widespread and
more entrenched.
Machine-Assisted
Validation of LC Subject Headings: Implications for Authority File Structure, by
Stephen Hearn.
Abstract. Many kinds of structure can be discerned in the headings and
rules governing the Library of Congress
Subject Headings. By addressing
these structures at different levels, librarians can develop different
approaches to the machine-assisted validation of subject headings, from the
checking of individual words to the validation of complex forms of
heading/subdivision compatibility. Using
computer programs to assist with maintenance of subject headings is becoming
increasingly necessary as technical services librarians strive to create
consistent and useful patterns of subject collocation in library catalogs.
Teaching
Library of Congress Subject Headings, by Thomas Mann.
Abstract. An understanding of the workings of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is one of the most valuable conceptual tools a researcher can
have. The subject heading system is
by no means obvious or self-evident, however; it must be taught, explained, and
exemplified by librarians. Several
points must be covered explicitly. The
cross-reference notation of UF, BT, RT, SA, and NT has to be explained; the
importance of choosing the most specific heading available, rather than a
general term, must also be emphasized. There
are four ways to find the most specific LCSH terms for a particular topic; two of them come from using the
red books, two from using the online catalog itself. All four ways are important; none is obvious.
Each must be taught.
LCSH Works! Subject Searching
Effectiveness at the Cleveland Public Library and the Growth of Library of
Congress Subject Headings through Cooperation, by
Louisa J. Kreider.
Abstract. The nature of a library’s collections determines what kind of
subject access to provide to those collections.
The collections of the Cleveland Public Library serve both the
recreational and research needs of a large urban population.
The Cleveland Public Library uses Library
of Congress Subject Headings to describe its collections. A study of subject searches entered by library patrons over
the course of one week reveals several patterns among the types of subject
headings used most frequently, reflecting the characteristics of the population
served. Other topics discussed
include subject access to fiction, juvenile literature, and specialized
collections.
LCSH
for Music: Historical and Empirical Perspectives, by Harriette Hemmasi and J. Bradford
Young.
Abstract. The
development of LC music headings is traced by reviewing the contributions and
practices of the LC Music Division, the NYPL Music Division, and individual
members of the Music Library
Association. Cooperative efforts
between LC and the Music Library Association are a hallmark of this development.
Prospects for continuing and expanding this partnership continue today in the
foundation provided by the Music Thesaurus Project.
LCSH and Periodical Indexing: Adoption vs. Adaptation, by
Joseph Miller and Patricia Kuhr.
Abstract. The Library
of Congress Subjects Headings (and authority lists derived from LCSH) are
used by the H. W. Wilson Company to index a wide variety of peridocials,
including the most popular newsstand magazines, children's materials, trade
magazines, professional journals, scholarly academic journals, and technical and
scientific journals. The simple
syndetic structure and subject‑string grammar of
LCSH are practical, pragmatic, and readily adaptable to periodical
indexing. Some modifications are
necessary, however. Not only does
the material being indexed require specialized headings, but the various user
groups, from children to lawyers, require various levels of language in subject
access. Furthermore, because
periodical articles are often on very narrow (or new) topics, periodical
indexing requires much greater specificity (or currency) than LCSH usually
provides.
Out
from Under: Form/genre Access in LCSH, by David P. Miller.
Survey
on Subject Heading Languages Used in National Libraries and Bibliographies, by
Magda Heiner-Freiling.
Abstract. Surveys
conducted during the last four years under the auspices of the International
Federation of Library Associations and Organizations (IFLA) reveal that the Library
of Congress Subject Headings is heavily used in national libraries outside
of the United States, particularly in English-speaking countries.
Many other countries report using a translation or adaptation of LCSH as
their principal subject heading language. Magda
Heiner-Freiling presents an analysis of the IFLA data, which also includes
information on the classification schemes used by the libraries and whether or
not the libraries have a produced a manual on the creation and application of
subject headings. The paper
concludes with a table showing the complete data from the 88 national libraries
that responded to the surveys.
Crossing
Language Barriers in Europe: Linking LCSH to Other Subject Heading Languages,
by Andrew MacEwan.
Abstract. A
study group representing four European national libraries (the Swiss National
Library, Die Deutsche Bibliothek, the Bibliotheque nationale de France and The
British Library) recently conducted a study on the possibility of establishing
multilingual thesaural links between the headings in the LCSH authority file and
the authority files of the German indexing system SWD/RSWK and the French
indexing system RAMEAU. The study
demonstrated a high level of correspondence in main headings, but also revealed
a number of issues requiring further investigation. The study group’s findings led to recommendations on the
scope for the development of a prototype system for linking the three Subject
Heading Languages (SHLs) in the databases of the four institutions.
Automated Authority Files of
Spanish-Language Subject Headings, by Alvaro Quijano, Pilar Mara Moreno and Reynaldo Figueroa
Servin.
Abstract. Authority control of Spanish-language subject headings is
described, with a special focus on Mexico. Efforts currently underway in
Colombia, Chile, Spain and Mexico, although they share the same language, are
somewhat lacking in standardization and cooperation among countries. In the
absence of a national authority for bibliographic control in Mexico, a group of
university libraries has initiated a cooperative project to build in the near
future a national file of Spanish subject headings for the Social Sciences. The
project, based upon the experience and rich collections of El Colegio de México,
has attracted support from the U.S. Library of Congress and is being partially
financed by the U.S.-Mexican Fund for Culture (sponsored by the Rockefeller and
Bancomer Foundations). The paper mentions some of the difficulties found in
translating LCSH, which is the main resource for the project. These difficulties
can include semantics, syndetic structure, or pragmatic problems; most have been
solved by supplementing the LCSH with Spanish-language subject heading lists or
thesauri.
Entering the Millennium: A New Century for LCSH, by Lois Mai Chan and Theodora
Hodges.
Abstract. Library
of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), a system originally designed as a tool
for subject access to the Library's own collection in the late nineteenth
century, has become, in the course of the last century, the main subject
retrieval tool in library catalogs throughout the United States and in many
other countries. It is one of the largest non-specialized controlled
vocabularies in the world. As LCSH
enters a new century, it faces an information environment that has undergone
vast changes from what had prevailed when LCSH began, or, indeed, from its state
in the early days of the online age. In
order to continue its mission and to be useful in spheres outside library
catalogs as well, LCSH must adapt to the multifarious environment. One possible
approach is to adopt a series of scalable and flexible syntax and application
rules to meet the needs of different user communities.
