ISSN: 1076-7975 Issue 11, December 1999 |
Library
of Congress Subject Headings for Environmental Sources: An Update Greta de Groat |
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| In the two years since I first reported
on this subject (see the EGJ issue 7, November 1997),
the Library of Congress has continued to add new headings to its subject headings list.
They have been joined by libraries around the country and around the world who contibute
new headings and cross references when they need them for cataloging through the Subject
Authority Cooperative Program ( SACO). Libraries need no longer provide insufficient
subject access when waiting for LC to establish an appropriate heading. Many libraries
seem still to be reluctant to do this, though. Of the 28 new environmental headings in the
last two years, six headings were contributed by the University of Washington in Seattle
and none by other libraries. Some of the more significant additions to the list have been in the area of conservation management. Among the headings added have been Agrobiodiversity and Agrobiodiversity conservation, Bioregionalism, Ecological assessment (Biology), Marine biological diversity and Marine biological diversity conservation, Pesticides—Risk mitigation, World Heritage areas, and an intersting trio of Remnant vegetation, Remnant vegetation conservation, and Remnant vegetation management. Environmental justice has at long last been added to the list (along with the inevitable Environmental lawyers), as has Political ecology and Women ecologists. Some headings are still missing from the list, such as Ecocide, Ecoterrorism, and Workplace recycling programs. Libraries acquiring works on these subjects should establish new headings as needed, as well as check their holdings to see if they have earlier works needing the headings. A new environmental subdivision was approved as well. --Effect of forest management on has been added to the list of subdivisions that are free-floating under the names of animals. It seems that it would also be useful under the names of plants, but it remains for LC or another library to suggest that it be authorized for that usage as well. Some changes have been made in existing headings. Headings relating to press coverage and public relations have been changed from their previous awkward constructions to simpler forms, specifically Environmental protection in the press has been changed to Environmental protection—Press coverage, Public relations--Conservation of natural resources was changed to Conservation of natural resources--Public relations, and similarly Public relations--Water pollution control was changed to Water--Pollution--Public relations. In all of these cases, cross-references were provided from the old form of the heading for the new. Two years ago, the heading Man—Influence on nature was cancelled in favor of the existing heading Nature—Influence of human beings on. As of May 6, 1999, a search in OCLC on the heading Man—Influence on nature still retrieves 222 records. On Weekly List 14-97, LC did at least add a cross reference from Human beings—Influence on nature, since the heading Man was changed to Human beings, would be machine-flipped to that heading in an automated heading correction program. Still, there is no direct reference from the old heading to the new, so that a researcher familiar with the old heading would find only an indirect route in connecting it with the new heading. LC does not make a cross reference from an obsolete heading with a subdivision, so here the niceties of thesaurus structure win out over practical common sense. In June 1999, the Library of Congress suspended publication of its Weekly Lists, the publication that lists new and changed headings, while it prepares to convert to a new online system. They are continuing to create and accept new headings, and all of these changes will be compiled when the publication resumes in the fall. These changes to LC’s online systems should help the library more easily change headings and manage large changes. However, don’t look for changes in the scope of headings such as Ecology or the establishment of broad and ambiguous concepts like Environment. Changes in usage such as this would require much more sophisticated analysis, possibly even recataloging of numerous works—well beyond the capabilities of the most sophisticated online system. As much as users may be dissatisfied or confused by Library of Congress usage of these particular headings, the reasons behind such restricted usage is sound (see my previous paper), and user’s do need to keep some of the quirks of the Library of Congress Subject Headings in mind to make the most of their local library’s resources. For an explanation of the abbreviations in the following list, as well as a discussion of subject heading practice, see my previous article. New headings (1997-June 1999) Agrobiodiversity [May Subd Geog] UF Agricultural biological diversity Agrobiodiversity conservation [May Subd Geog] UF Conservation of agrobiodiversity Animal sanctuaries [May Subd Geog] UF Sanctuaries, Animal Bioregionalism [May Subd Geog] BT Environmentalism Buffer zones (Ecosystem management) [May Subd. Geog] UF Areas, Buffer (Ecosystem management) Contaminated forests [May Subd Geog] UF Polluted forests Ecological assessment (Biology) [May Subd Geog] Here are entered works on estimating and evaluating the effects that human activities have on living organisms and their habitats. Works on estimating and evaluating the actual or potential hazards that toxic substances pose to an ecosystem are entered under Ecological risk assessment. UF Biological evaluation of environmental impacts Ecomuseums [May Subd Geog] BT Museums Environmental lawyers [May Subd Geog] BT Lawyers Environmental justice [May Subd Geog] Here are entered works on equal protection from environmental and health hazards for all people regardless of race, income, culture, or social class. UF Eco-justice Environmental law (Islamic law) [May Subd Geog] BT Islamic law Habitat surveys [May Subd Geog] BT Ecological surveys Incentives in soil conservation BT Soil conservation Industrial ecology [May Subd Geog] Here are entered works on optimizing the industrial materials cycle through design and production processes in order to minimize waste, pollution, and costs. BT Materials management Integrated solid waste management [May Subd Geog] UF Integrated waste management Marine biological diversity [May Subd Geog] UF Marine biodiversity Marine biological diversity conservation [May Subd Geog] UF Conservation of marine biological diversity Marine biological diversity conservation--Law and legislation [May
Subd Geog] Pesticide waste [May Subd. Geog] UF Unusable pesticide Pesticides--Risk mitigation [May Subd Geog] UF Hazard mitigation of pesticides Political ecology [May Subd Geog] BT Social ecology Remnant vegetation [May Subd Geog] UF Native vegetation remnants Remnant vegetation conservation [May Subd Geog] BT Plant conservation Remnant vegetation management [May Subd Geog] BT Vegetation management Watershed restoration [May Subd Geog] UF Restoration of watersheds LC database, May 26, 1999 (watershed restoration; restoration of watershed) Watershed restoration—Law and legislation [May Subd Geog] BT Environmental law Women ecologists [May Subd Geog] BT Ecologists World Heritage areas [May Subd Geog] UF World Heritage sites ..................................... Greta de Groat <gdegroat@sulmail.stanford.edu> is Electronic Resources Cataloger at Meyer Library, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, CA 94305-6004. |
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