Subjects

What's a subject heading?

As the wise Wikipedia says: "LC Subject Headings are an integral part of bibliographic control, which is the function by which libraries collect, organize and disseminate documents. LCSHs are applied to every item within a library’s collection, and facilitate a user’s access to items in the catalogue that pertain to similar subject matter."

Side note: Interestingly, professional library catalogers are often restricted to a limit of 3 in the number of subjects they may use. We collect general subjects, places mentioned, people mentioned, and even the time period the book is about. Feel free to imitate or enhance existing headings, or create an entirely new one. Or two. Or three. Or five.