Subject Heading Introduction Standardized terms or phrases that

Subject Heading

Introduction Ø Standardized terms or phrases that are assigned to a publication and used to describe the contents of that publication Ø Users often approach a library catalogue seeking documents concerned with a particular subject. Ø This necessitates the provision for subject entries. Subject catalogue. Ø A subject catalogue is one which shows documents on a specific subjects. Ø A subject can be more expressed either through words chosen to describe the different subjects or through Notation scheme of classification

Need and Purpose Ø Subject entries are meant to arrange all the books on a particular subject in one sequence so that readers may be able to find out all the books which are available in the library on a particular subject. Ø The basic purpose of a subject catalogue is to provide a direct and prompt approach to finding a document or group of documents on a given subject.

Definition Ø According to Cutter: Purpose of the subject catalogue are to enable a person to find a book of which the subject is known and to show what the library has on a given subject.

Problems Many a times it becomes difficult to determine the subject of a document. 1. The subject, very often do not exist in separate compartment by themselves, they overlap in their extension and intension. 2. Subject shift their scope and coverage and change their nomenclature. 3. Subject may have no specific name because always possible to find a single term or phrase to represent a specific subject. 4. Subject may have more than one name 5. The document may deal with no precise subject or it may cover more than a subject.

Types of Subject Heading Ø Ø Ø Noun Heading: Philosophy Chemistry Adjectival heading: Inverted-Chemistry-organic Direct-English -Drama Phrase heading: Inverted-plant, protection Direct- Climate in India

Subdivisions D. J. Haykin said that “ certain conditions simple subject headings may not serve the purpose and subdivisions device is called for” Types 1. Form Subdivision Outer- Music-Dictionary Inner-Music-History 2. Geographical subdivision Direct-Architecture-India Indirect-India, Politics and government More than one geographical division Art- India, Rajaputana

Cont. 3. Period Division: Specific Period- Mughal Empire Dynasties: Gupta dynasty Battles – Panipath battle 4. Tropical: Space Science -Research 5. Individual Work: Shakespeare, William, Hamlet, Criticism 6. Person as Subject: In case of biographies literary criticism, festschriften etc. Ranganathan, Ambedkar, Gandhi, Basava , Buddha

Methods of Deriving Sub Headings 1. Use of a printed list of subject heading 2. Chain procedure 1. Printed List i. Boston Athenaeum ii. Peabody Institute of Baltimore iii. Cutter rules for a printed dictionary catalogue. in 1876 iv. ALA subjects heading. 1895 Library of Congress v. Sears list of Subject heading.

n Thank you