Gathering Subject Headings Using WorldCat

The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is, as The Curious Researcher points out, "a little appreciated but incredibly useful catalog of the standard headings used by most librarians to index information" (38). Creating a list of possible search terms based upon the LCSH makes your Horizon catalog and database searching--and in some cases, your Internet searching--much more productive and efficient, since you will be using the very terms that librarians use to index (catalog) reference material.

Also referred to as "the red books," the multiple-volume LCSH is available on one of the reference-shelf endcaps in the Kitty Lindsay Learning Resources Center. However, using the books can be inconvenient for a number of reasons:

• They are heavy and unwieldy;
• They are infrequently updated;
• You have to wait your turn if somebody is using the volume you need; and
• You have to come to campus to use them.

Now, however, the Library of Congress subject headings are available online through the WorldCat database in FirstSearch. This tutorial will walk you through the steps for accessing the Library of Congress subject headings and using them to create a list of viable subject headings that will aid you in your research.

Step 1: Log in to Richland's Research Databases

1. Go to Richland's home page at http://www.richland.edu. (You may also log in to the College Web site from any Richland page.)
2. Click on the Login link in the top right corner of the page.
   
   
3. Type your NetID and Password in the boxes provided.
   
4. Click the login button.
5. Click the Research Databases link in the right column of the page under your NetID. As long as you are logged in, the Research Databases link will always appear.
   
6. If you are off-campus, click on the Remote Access to Electronic Databases link. Otherwise, you will select the databases from the Electronic Databases page.
   
7. Remember to log off and close your Web browser after using the databases.

Step 2: Access the WorldCat Database

1. Click on any of the FirstSearch databases, such as Periodical Abstracts (Per Abs).
   
   
2. Click on the WorldCat link under Looking for a general database to search.
   
   
3. Click on the Subjects icon in the gray bar just below the tabs.
   
4. Type a search term or your topic in the Word or Concept box.
   
   
5. Click Find or press ENTER. Your Preferred Subject Heading will appear.
   
6. Click the Expand link next to the Preferred Subject Heading to see the Expanded Subject Heading, which includes other terms that the subject heading should be Used For, Broader Terms that may be used to make the search more general, Narrower Terms to make the search more specific, and Topical Sub-Headings for related terms that might also provide useful research items. Of course, you may also expand any of these terms that offer an Expand link for additional subject terms.
   

An Example

Imagine that you are writing an essay about obesity. Log in and enter the Research Databases. Click on the WorldCat link and then on the Subjects icon. Type the word obesity in the Word or Concept box.

The Preferred Subject Heading, obesity, will appear. Click the Expand link to view the Expanded Subject Heading.

In this example, the term obesity is used for adiposity, fatness, and overweight. In other words, if you were using any of these three terms as your search term, you would want to use obesity instead for a more productive search (but don't discard these three terms, because they may be useful during Internet searching, particularly overweight, since it is a commonly used term).

The Older Subject Headings are usually not very useful since this particular term isn't used much anymore; it's obsolete.

Broader Subject Headings provides you with body weight, metabolism--disorders, and nutrition disorders. These subject headings may or may not be useful. If you think you will discuss nutrition disorders that lead to obesity, then you may want to Expand this subject heading for additional related terms. Similarly, the Narrower Subject Headings may be useful if you think you will incorporate this information into your essay, in which case you would want to Expand the relevant subject headings; if you are not writing about the Pickwickian syndrome or Prader-Willi syndrome, then you can pass these subject headings by.

The Topical Sub-Headings provide you with categories under which your search term may fall. Certainly obesity is, in many cases, related to psychological aspects of a person's life, and therefore it may be helpful to expand this topical sub-heading. Additionally, if you are writing about bariatric surgery, also known as gastric bypass surgery, you may want to expand the surgery sub-heading.

Conclusion

Preparing a list of many possible search terms is the first important step in the research process and will save you much time and aggravation by helping you locate highly relevant sources quickly. If you aren't certain whether you will need a particular term, jot it down anyway--who knows where your discovery process will lead you!

© 2008 Kris Muschal