How Are Library Books Organized?: Subject headings

General Information covers these topics:

• Collections, Series, and Collected works
• Encyclopedias
• Dictionaries, and Other general reference works
• Indexes
• Museums, Collectors, and Collecting
• Newspapers
• Periodicals
• Academies, and Learned societies
• Yearbooks, Almanacs, and Directories
• History of Scholarship and Learning, and The Humanities

Subclass information: LOC Class A document.

Religion and Philosophy cover these topics:

• Philosophy
• Logic
• Speculative philosophy
• Psychology
• Aesthetics
• Ethics
• Religions, Mythology, and Rationalism
• Judaism
• Islam, Bahaism, Theosophy, and other religions
• Buddhism
• Christianity
• Doctrinal theology
• Practical theology
• Christian denominations

Subclass information: LOC Class B document.

Auxiliary Sciences of History covers these topics:

• History of civilization
• Archaeology
• Diplomatics, Archives, and Seals
  • aka Record-keeping
• Technical chronology and Calendars
  • aka Time
• Numismatics
  • aka Money and Currency
• Inscriptions, and Epigraphy
  • aka Iconography
• Heraldry (i.e. Coat of arms, Family crests)
  • Think of it like the Game of Thrones Houses
• Genealogy
  • aka Your family's history
• Biography

Subclass Information: LOC Class C document.

World History covers these topics:

• General History
• Great Britain
• Central Europe
• Austria, Liechtenstein, Hungary, Czechoslovakia
• France, Andorra, Monaco
• Germany
• Greco-Roman World
• Greece
• Italy, Malta
• Low / Benelux Countries
  • These are simply Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg (BeNeLux). The region is referred to as the Low Countries because it is a coastal lowland in Northwest Europe where three major rivers meet up.
• The Netherlands / Holland
• General Eastern Europe
• Russia, Soviet Union, Former Soviet Republics, Poland
• Northern Europe, Scandinavia
• Spain, Portugal
• Switzerland
• Balkan Peninsula
  • This is Southeastern Europe, so you will find countries like Greece, Romania, and the western (or European) part of Turkey.
• Asia
• Africa
• Oceania / South Seas
  • Australia and New Zealand are countries in this category. This also includes countries in the South Pacific and the history of Hawai'i.
• Romanies
  • They originate from the northern part of India. They are known for being nomadic travelers throughout Europe.

Subclass information: LOC Class D document.

This is the first of two categories covering the history of the Americas and the United States. Topics are below:

• America
  • This includes the indigenous people of North America and pre-Columbian America.
• United States
  • This covers the Colonial period up to Present Day.

Subclass information: LOC Classes E and F document.

This is the second of two categories covering the history of the Americas and the United States. Topics are below:

• United States Local History
  • There is a category for each region and state. For example, Kentucky is under F446-F460.
• British America
  • This includes Canada and Dutch America, or places like Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands.
• French America
  • An example topic is Louisiana before the US purchased it in 1803.
• Latin America, Spanish America
  • Topics include Central America, South America, and the southern Caribbean Islands.

Subclass information: LOC Classes E and F document.

Geography, Anthropology, and Recreation cover these topics:

• General Geography, Maps, Atlases
• Mathematical geography, Cartography
• Physical geography
• Oceanography
• Environmental sciences
• Human ecology, Anthropogeography
• Anthropology
• Folklore
• General Manners and customs
• Recreation, Leisure

Subclass information: LOC Class G document.

Social Sciences cover these topics:

• General Social Sciences
• Statistics
• Economic theory, Demography
• Economic history and conditions
• Industries, Land use, Labor
• Transportation and communications
• Commerce
• Finance
• Public finance
• General Sociology
• Social history and conditions, Social problems, Social reform
• Family, Marriage, Women
• Societies: Secret, Benevolent, etc.
  • Topics include Freemasons, Boy Scouts
• Communities, Classes, Races
• Social pathology, Social welfare, Criminology
• Socialism, Communism, Anarchism

Subclass information: LOC Class H document.

Political Sciences cover these topics:

• General legislative and executive papers
• General Political Science
• Political Theory
• Political institutions and Public administration in these areas:
  • General
  • The US
  • Canada
  • Latin America
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Africa
  • Australia
  • Pacific region
  • And more!
• Local government, Municipal government
• Colonies and colonization, Emigration and immigration, International migration
• International relations

Subclass information: LOC Class J document.

Law covers the following topics:

• General Law, Comparative and uniform law, Jurisprudence
  • Jurisprudence is the theory of law.
• General Religious Law, Comparative religious law, Jurisprudence
• Jewish law
• Islamic law
• History of Canon law
  • Laws for a Christian church or organization.
• Law of the Roman Catholic Church, The Holy See
• United Kingdom and Ireland
• America, North America
• Canada
• United States
• Latin America
• Mexico and Central America
• West Indies
• Caribbean area
• Europe
• Asia and Eurasia
• Africa
• Pacific region
• Antarctica
• Law of nations

Subclass information: LOC Class K document.

Education covers these topics:

• General Education
• History of Education
• Theory and Practice of Education
• Special Aspects of Education
• Individual institutions in these areas:
  • The US
  • North and South America *excluding the US*
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Africa
  • Indian Ocean Islands
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • The Pacific Islands
• College and school magazines and newspapers
• Student fraternities and societies in the US
• Textbooks

Subclass information: LOC Class L document.

Music covers these topics:

• General Music
• Literature on music
• Instruction and Study

Subclass information: LOC Class M document.

Fine Arts cover these topics:

• Visual arts
• Architecture
• Sculpture
• Drawing, Design, Illustration
• Painting
• Print media
• Decorative arts
• General Arts

Subclass information: LOC Class N document.

Languages and Literature cover these topics:

• Philology, Linguistics
• Greek and Latin languages and literatures
• Modern languages, Celtic languages
• Romance languages
• Germanic and Scandinavian languages
• English language
• West Germanic languages
  • Topics include English, German, Dutch, and Yiddish.
• Slavic, Baltic, and Albanian languages
• Uralic and Basque languages
  • Uralic languages are based in northern Eurasia.
  • Basque is an indigenous language still spoken in a small part of northern Spain and southwestern France.
• Oriental languages and literatures
• Indo-Iranian languages and literatures
• Eastern Asia, Africa, and Oceania languages and literatures
• Hyperborean, Indian, and Artificial languages
  • Hyperborean generally categorizes languages spoken in Arctic regions.
  • Artificial languages are how computers speak in a controlled environment.
• General Literature
• Romance language literatures
  • French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese
• English literature
• American literature
• Literature from the following cultures:
  • German
  • Dutch
  • Flemish from 1830-Present
  • Afrikaans
  • Scandinavian
  • Old Norse
  • Old Icelandic
  • Old Norwegian
  • Modern Icelandic
  • Faroese
  • Danish
  • Norwegian
  • Swedish
• Fiction
  • Adult, Young adult, and Juvenile

Subclass information: LOC Class P document.

Science covers these topics:

• General Science
• Mathematics
• Astronomy
• Physics
  • Topics includes Electricity, Meteorology, Sound, and Heat
• Chemistry
• Geology
• Natural history, Biology
• Botany
• Zoology
• Human anatomy
• Physiology
• Microbiology

Subclass information: LOC Class Q document.

Medicine covers these topics:

• General Medicine
• Public aspects of medicine
• Pathology
  • Disease and illness
• Internal medicine
• Surgery
• Ophthalmology
  • Eye
• Otorhinolaryngology
  • Ear, nose, throat (ENT)
• Gynecology and obstetrics
• Pediatrics
• Dentistry
• Dermatology
  • Skin
• Therapeutics, Pharmacology
• Pharmacy and materia medica (history of pharmacy)
• Nursing
• Botanical, Thomsonian, and Eclectic medicine
  • Alternative medicines using plants to treat illness, disease, and injury.
• Homeopathy
• Other systems of medicine

Subclass information: LOC Class R document.

Agriculture covers these topics:

• General Agriculture
• Plant culture
• Forestry
• Animal culture
• Aquaculture, Fisheries, Angling
• Hunting sports

Subclass information: LOC Class S document.

Technology covers these topics:

• General Technology
• General Engineering, Civil engineering
• Hydraulic engineering, Ocean engineering
• Environmental technology, Sanitary engineering
• Highway engineering, Roads and pavements
• Railroad engineering and operation
• Bridge engineering
• Building construction
• Mechanical engineering and machinery
• Electrical engineering, Electronics, Nuclear engineering
• Motor vehicles, Aeronautics, Astronautics
• Chemical technology
• Photography
• Manufactures
• Handicrafts, Arts and crafts
• Home economics
  • Topics include cooking

Subclass information: LOC Class T document.

Military science includes these topics:

• General Military science
• Armies: Organization, distributions, military situation
• Military administration
• Maintenance and transportation
• Infantry
• Cavalry, Armor
• Artillery
• Military engineering, Air forces
• Other services

Subclass information: LOC Class U document.

Naval science includes these topics:

• General Naval science
• Navies: Organization, distribution, naval situation
• Naval administration
• Naval maintenance
• Naval seamen
• Marines
• Naval ordnance
• Minor services of navies
• Navigation, Merchant marine
• Naval architecture, Shipbuilding, Marine engineering

Subclass information: LOC Class V document.

Information resources (general) cover these topics:

• General Books
• Writing
• Paleography
• Book industries and trade
• Libraries
• Bibliography
• General Information resources

Subclass information: LOC Class Z document.