LCSH: waterboarding, quinoa, and Jewish pirates

LCSH Weekly Lists 2, 3, and 4

Where the Library of Congress acknowledges WATERBOARDING as a Narrower Term for TORTURE, and also welcomes COOKERY (QUINOA), DEFLORATION, JEWISH PIRATES, and other new subject headings to the catalog.

150 Abandonment of automobiles—Law and legislation [May Subd Geog] [sp2008009774]
If only people were required by law to abandon their automobiles!

(C) 150 Asian American gay men [May Subd Geog] [sp2008009912]
450 UF Gay men, Asian American
550 BT Gay men—United States
Suggested by the Leather Archives & Museum. Think they're part of the gay cataloging mafia?

(C) 150 Cookery (Quinoa) [sp2008009482]
550 BT Cookery (Cereals)
550 RT Quinoa
The next step of the vegan librarian uprising has been accomplished. VEGANS has been a subject heading since 2003 and VEGANISM since 1996, btw. VEGAN LIBRARIANS anyone? There's the Librarian in Black, Jess Ross, Vani Natarajan, and me, that I can think of off the top of my head. Who else?

150 Corn—Effect of magnetism on [May Subd Geog] [sp2009000289]
681 Example under Magnetic fields Physiological effect
The things one learns on LCSH watch. Also FISHES, HEART, and others, btw. I don't really get what this is all about, but I am amused that the next heading alphabetically is CORN--EFFECT OF MANGANESE ON. I surmise the magnetism thing has to do with attempts to increase production in corn and other agriculture. With FISHES and HEART there's something else going on. Search around, and you'll find some weird stuff, like synchronized swimming fishes.

150 Defloration [May Subd Geog] [sp 85036460]
* 550 BT Virginity CANCEL
* 550 RT Virginity
This one bothered me, and I wasn't sure why, so I poked around a little online. Plug {defloration} into the search engine of your choice, and you'll discover Defloration TV, the Teens Hymen blog, and lots more porn that I'm not going to link to. (I'm not making a statement about porn, but I do think looking at porn online is high risk behavior as far as one's computer is concerned.) I guess my main objection to the heading is the idea of equating virginity with flowers. Obviously LC can't control who uses words in the daily vernacular, but they can, and do, control vocabulary in the library catalog.

The Random House definition cited in the LC Authority record states, "deflower: to deprive (a woman) of virginity." Ugh. And why the move from Broader Term to Related Term?

150 Virgins [May Subd Geog] [sp2009000203]
550 BT Persons
I guess there's a little agency in this heading and reference, at least.

150 Home shopping television programs [May Subd Geog] [sp2008009800]
680 This heading is used as a topical heading for works about live television programs that purvey a wide variety of goods that can be purchased by the viewers. Works about program length television commercials that are devoted to one product, and that usually include a discussion or demonstration, are entered under Infomercials. When used as topical headings they are subdivided by the appropriate geographical, topical, and/or form subdivisions.
550 BT Television programs
550 RT Infomercials
681 Note under Infomercials

150 Infomercials [May Subd Geog] [sp 94000837]
* 680 This heading is used as a topical heading for works about program length television commercials that are devoted to one product, and that usually include a discussion or demonstration. When used as a topical heading it is subdivided by the appropriate geographical, topical, and/or form subdivisions. CANCEL
* 680 This heading is used as a topical heading for works about program length television commercials that are devoted to one product, and that usually include a discussion or demonstration. Works about live television programs that purvey a wide variety of goods that can be purchased by the viewers are entered under Home shopping television programs. When used as topical headings they are subdivided by the appropriate geographical, topical, and/or form subdivisions.
* 550 RT Home shopping television programs
* 681 Note under Home shopping television programs
LC can delineate the difference between INFOMERICALS and HOME SHOPPING, but not between VICTIMS and SURVIVORS? (backstory: I want LC to establish a heading for SURVIVORS, like RAPE SURVIVORS in addition to or instead of VICTIMS, like RAPE VICTIMS.)

(C) 150 Jewish pirates [May Subd Geog] [sp2008009765]
550 BT Pirates
In case like me you were wondering the warrant for this book, it was Jewish pirates of the Caribbean: how a generation of swashbuckling Jews carved out an empire in the new world in their quest for treasure, religious freedoms and revenge. (Notice that linking switch to the Open Library? I like linking to WorldCat so folks can see their local holdings, but with OCLC being all evil, I'm going to stop linking to them, for this post at least.)

(C) 150 Racism in public welfare [May Subd Geog] [sp2009000089]
450 UF Welfare racism
550 BT Public welfare
Of course racism is implied by the whole system, but still and all, this heading will be useful. Thank you University of Virginia cataloger. I wonder how long they've been asking, as all of the warrants in the authority record are at least 7 years old.

150 Sex in motion pictures [sp 85120622]
* 550 RT Pornographic films
I'd have preferred PORNOGRAPHIC FILMS to be a BT, rather than an RT. How about you?

150 Waterboarding [May Subd Geog] [sp2009000103]
450 UF Water boarding
550 BT Torture
Sandy Berman suggested this one during the Bush administration. Should we draw any conclusions about the Obama administration's different ideas about what constitutes torture?

Remember: Changes to existing headings are indicated by an asterisk. (A) indicates proposals that were approved before the editorial meeting. (C) indicates proposals submitted by cooperating libraries.

MARC Organizations Code List to find out which institution's cataloger proposed the new heading. Look in the 040 field $a.