Library of Congress Subject Headings: Principles and Application, 3rd Edition

This work offers users a complete and definitive guide to a challenging area of study. Chan presents a brief history of the system, analyzes its principles, and describes its vocabulary and subject authority control. She then discusses the application of LC subject headings to LC MARC records and outlines the Library of Congress's policies on the assignment of subject headings in general and the treatment of certain types of materials in particular.

Entirely rewritten to reflect the changes and developments in the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) since Chan's second edition was published in 1986, this work offers users a complete and definitive guide to a challenging area of study. Chan provides a brief history of the system, analyzes its principles, and describes its vocabulary and subject authority control. She then discusses the application of LC subject headings to LC MARC records and outlines the Library of Congress's policies on the assignment of subject headings in general and the treatment of certain types of materials in particular. Drawing on recent literature about the subject, Chan concludes the book with an examination of the future prospects of the system as an online retrieval tool. Intended for library and information professionals, library and information science educators, and advanced students, this work will also be helpful to technicians, paraprofessionals, and beginning students.