Library of Congress Subject Headings Weekly List 09 (February 27, 2008). Here is my semi-regular commentary on Library of Congress Subject Headings. This week: the usual bit on SHes more important than the waves of feminism, and also headings that made me giggle or made me mad, including The addition of the word Christian in a couple of headings, which is a good thing.
More Important to the Library of Congress than the Waves of Feminism
(C) 150 Backyard skating rinks [May Subd Geog]
450 UF Backyard hockey rinks
450 UF Backyard ice rinks
450 UF Backyard rinks
450 UF Rinks, Backyard
550 BT Skating rinks
(and just look at all those cross-references delineating the different types of rinks! )
(A,C) 150 Coffee drinks [May Subd Geog]
450 UF Specialty coffee drinks
450 UF Specialty coffees (Beverages)
550 BT Beverages
(at least there's no NT Starbucks Coffee Company)
(C) 150 Compulsive hoarding [May Subd Geog]
450 UF Hoarding, Compulsive
450 UF Pathological hoarding
550 BT Compulsive behavior
(I so want to know what brought this SH to light. Maybe a government document?)
150 Ferry terminals—Washington (State)
(C) 110 Seattle Pier 52 Terminal (Seattle, Wash.)
410 UF Colman Dock Ferry Terminal (Seattle, Wash.)
410 UF Pier 52 Terminal (Seattle, Wash.)
550 BT Ferry terminals—Washington (State)
(big week for WA ferries!)
(C) 150 Older farmers [May Subd Geog]
550 BT Farmers
550 BT Rural elderly
(so it's okay to differentiate by age, but not by generation/generational focus?)
(A) 150 Ornamental shrimps [May Subd Geog]
053 SF458.O76 (Aquarium animals)
550 BT Aquarium animals
550 BT Shrimps
150 Pâté industry [May Subd Geog]
053 HD9330.P38-HD9330.P384
550 BT Meat industry and trade
(I guess food is more important than feminism. I've really got to start cooking, or I'll never be taken seriously!)
Etc.
(C) 150 Children and homosexuality [May Subd Geog]
450 UF Homosexuality and children
550 BT Homosexuality
(But what about homosexual children? That's the next SH I'd like to see--or at least a cross reference for the love of youthful self-knowledge.)
150 Demonstrations—Iceland
(down with arms manufacturers!)
(C) 150 Gangsta Disciples (Gang)
450 UF Disciples (Gang)
450 UF GD (Gang)
550 BT Gangs—United States
(c'mon, I know librarians are hip and all, but it's just funny imagining the discussion among the veteran catalogers at LC that established this heading)
(C) 150 Indigo children [May Subd Geog]
680 Here are entered works on children who appear to exhibit paranormal behavior and
possess psychic abilities, radiating a purplish aura.
550 BT Exceptional children
150 Logos (Christian theology)
* 550 BT Word of God (Christian theology)
* 550 BT Word of God (Theology) CANCEL
(yay--this is about defining Christianity as not the definitive religion of America!)
* 150 Word of God (Theology) CANCEL
150 Word of God (Christian theology)
450 UF God's Word (Christian theology)
450 UF Word of God (Theology) [EARLIER FORM OF HEADING]
450 UF Word of the Lord (Christian theology)
550 BT Theology, Doctrinal
550 BT Word (Theology)
(see above)
(C) 110 Old School (Pitminster, England)
410 UF Pitminster Old School (Pitminster, England)
410 UF Pitminster Old School Hall (Pitminster, England)
410 UF Pitminster School (Pitminster, England)
550 BT Community centers—England
(heh--I was hoping for a reference or disambiguation for "old skool.")
(C) 150 Polygyny in literature [Not Subd Geog]
(but you still have to use "Non-monogamous relationships" for polyamory!)
150 War on Terrorism, 2001-
* 680 Here are entered works on the events, metaphorically referred to as a "war," consisting of military operations, diplomatic activities, and other counterterrorist measures undertaken by the United States and allied countries in response to terrorist attacks that began September 11, 2001.
* 680 Here are entered works on the military operations, diplomatic activities, and other counterterrorist measures undertaken by the United States and allied countries in response to terrorist attacks that began September 11, 2001. CANCEL
(I bet they wordsmithed the shit out of this one; in fact I bet they've been fighting about the wording for years.)
Comments
Paul Weiss, Lib... (not verified)
Wed, 04/30/2008 - 12:27pm
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These headings are not
These headings are not necessarily important to the Library of Congress. In fact, most of them were submitted by other libraries through the SACO (Subject Authority Cooperative) program. Any heading on the weekly lists that is preceded by the notation (C) came through the SACO program and did not originate with the Library of Congress. Libraries in the United States and abroad collect material on a wide variety of subjects and need lots of subject headings that you might consider trivial or unimportant.
jenna
Mon, 05/19/2008 - 2:29pm
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I don't think any subject is
I don't think any subject is trivial or unimportant. The ship sailed long ago on trying to keep the thesaurus streamlined, so I'm for establishing anything that will help a reader find her material.
In this whole quest to get the -Wave Feminism headings established, I was guilty of recognizing a hierarchy of need, which I did mostly to draw attention to how some subjects are created while others aren't and that it doesn't always seem to make sense in terms of both the publications on the topic and what I gauge to be the likely public and congressional interest in it.