Professional Development Resources for Technical Services: Vocabularies

Access to commonly used controlled vocabularies and other lists from the Library of Congress (LC); Examples include the Thesaurus for Graphic Materials as well as LC Subject Headings, LC Genre/Form Terms, and the Name Authority file.

List of all the various subject vocabularies maintained by LC

LC policy decisions from meetings on subject/classification are posted weekly along with summaries; you can request to attend virtual editorial meetings

Contains links to sections of the Library of Congress Subject Heading Manual, the official instructions for using LCSH

Searchable database including authorized subjects, names, and titles

Access the list of terms, the LCGDT Manual, and training

Access LCSH PDF files, an introduction, and Free-floating subdivisions

Complete BISAC Subject Headings List, 2018 Edition and a link to information on selecting a BISAC code

Terms that can be used to describe the resource Type in digital collections

List of terms representing research topics in the field of education

OCLC's project to adapt Library of Congress Subject Headings, primarily for describing web resources

Local thesaurus produced by the University of British Columbia

Getty Research Institute vocabularies for art, architecture, and cultural objects, including Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT), Cultural Objects Name Authorities (CONA), and Union List of Artists' Names (ULAN)

An international linked data vocabulary of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) terms.

National Library of Medicine's controlled vocabulary thesaurus; access MeSH browser to search terms

NASA subject headings used in cataloging technical reports and in U.S. GPO records

Find FAST Subject Headings and Instructions

A set of standardized statements that can be used to describe the copyright status of items in digital collections

Includes multiple name authority files

Yale University cataloging guideline for subjects, genres, local subjects, and LGBTQ resources

Book by Patricia Harpring, published by the Getty Research Institute, 2010

Codes used to identify source vocabularies in 6XX MARC Record fields and other metadata schemas

Headings in the Subject LC authority file with a set of subdivisions appropriate for use with other headings belonging to the category, such as religion and the arts.

Best practices for implementers wishing to apply LC faceted vocabularies--using purpose-built fields in the MARC 21 bibliographic format--retrospectively to library catalogs

SACO enables member institutions and the public to submit proposals for additions to Library of Congress Subject Headings and other terminologies

Training slides prepared for ALCTS by Bobby Bothman