Culture · 6 pages · 12 min
Why subject headings are a controlled language
A catalog picks one term so the same subject can be found under one name.
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From the opening
A subject heading is an agreed term for a topic, taken from a list rather than from whatever words an author happened to use. The list is a controlled language, with one preferred name and unused synonyms pointed at it, so books on the same thing can be gathered. The opening covers one agreed term for a topic, see references and subdivisions, and why everyday words miss.
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Inside
- One agreed term for a topic
- See references and subdivisions
- Why everyday words miss
- When new topics split
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Library of Congress Subject Headings as a controlled vocabulary
- Cutter's rules for standardized subject entry