The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is perhaps the most widely adopted subject indexing language in the world, has been translated into many languages, and is used around the world by libraries large and small. LCSH has been actively maintained since 1898 to catalog materials held at the Library of Congress. Proposals for additions and changes are reviewed regularly at staff meetings in the Policy, Training, and Cooperative Programs Division (PTCP) and an approved list is published.
- Process for Adding and Revising Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Request to attend a Subject Editorial Meeting [PDF, 139 KB]
- About the LCSH Approved Lists
- Submit a Proposal [PDF, 85 KB]
- View the Most Recent Tentative Lists
- View Summary of Decisions from Recent PTCP Meetings
Library of Congress Subject Heading PDF Files
- About the Library of Congress Subject Heading PDF Files
- Introduction to Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Download of Library of Congress Subject Headings: Main Volumes
- Download of Library of Congress Subject Headings: Free-floating Subdivisions
Subject Heading Manual PDF Files
Library of Congress Controlled Vocabularies and Manuals PDF Files
- Download of Library of Congress Children's Subject Headings (CYAC)
- Download of Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms
- Download of Library of Congress Demographic Group Terms
- Download of Library of Congress Medium of Perfomance Thesaurus for Music
