January 13, 1997 Library of Congress Publishes Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings, 5th edition

Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings, 5th edition (1996) is now available from the Cataloging Distribution Service of the Library of Congress.

The Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings, 5th edition, is the definitive guide for assigning subject headings and subdivisions in a consistent and standardized method. For reference librarians, it helps develop successful search strategies by illustrating LC subject heading practices; for catalogers, it gives the rationale for assigning subject headings to specific works. Many of the changes in the new edition have been suggested by librarians in response to a survey developed by the Program for Cooperative Cataloging in 1994-95.

Because the new edition now is in four smaller volumes, it is easier to use. It also has many new, expanded and rewritten instruction sheets; it presents examples with full USMARC content designation; it adds boldface paragraph titles to individual sections on each instruction sheet to help locate specific policies or instructions quickly; for the first time it documents LC cataloging practices previously considered "oral tradition" among LC catalogers; and among the general lists of free-floating subdivisions it includes references to other instructions that explain the use of individual subdivisions. It also contains a glossary that defines technical terms used in the manual.

Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings, 5th edition (1996), sells for $120 (North America) and $180 (outside North America), which includes expedited shipping. ISBN: 0-8444-0906-5. 4 volumes. 1,446 pages. Looseleaf binders and tabs included. Customers who purchase both the new edition of Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings and the 1997 Update Subscription Service (two looseleaf updates) by March 1, 1997, will save $15 off the total package price. Discount price: $145 (North America) and $245 (outside North America). After March 1, 1997, savings for the complete package will be $10. Order directly from: Library of Congress, Cataloging Distribution Service, Customer Services Section, P.O Box 5560, Washington, DC 20013-5560; telephone (800) 255-3666 (U.S. only) or (202) 707-6100; fax: (202) 707-1334. TDD: (202) 707-0012.