Publications and Bibliographies

If you have any comments or suggestions about these informational postings, or any questions on cataloging which you would like answered, please send them to the Subject and Bibliographic Access Committee. The Committee is always looking for more questions for this monthly column.

When "public opinion" is used as a subdivision in LCSH under a topic/group of people, does it refer to the public opinion of the group of people, or to the public opinion about that topic/group of people?

Public opinion: used as a subdivision in LCSH under a topic/group of people refers to the public opinion about that topic/group of people.

As stated in the LC Subject Cataloging Manual (H1955) :

If a heading designating a class of persons or ethnic group is used, the heading refers to the group of people as the topic of the opinion, not to the group of people holding the opinion. For example, the heading Police– New York (State) – New York –Public opinion refers to public opinion about the police, not to opinions held by the police.

The rules for assigning headings to books on public opinion in the LC Subject Cataloging Manual (H1955) are:

General rule . Assign to works about public opinion on a topic the following combination of headings:

(1) [ topic ]–[place, if appropriate]–Public opinion
(2) Public opinion–[place].

First heading. The topic in the first heading is the topic about which the opinion is held. Divide the topic by place to bring out the location of the topic, not the place where the opinion is held .

Second heading.  The place in the second heading identifies the location of the people who hold the opinion. If no specific location is identified in the work being cataloged, omit the second heading

Examples:

Title: What New Yorkers’ really think about the NYPD.
Police $z New York (State) $z New York $x Public opinion
Public opinion $z New York (State) $z New York
Police-community relations $z New York (State) $z New York

Title: How Islamic nations view their women.
Women $z Islamic countries $x Public opinion
Public opinion $z Islamic countries
Women in public life $z Islamic countries

If the work discusses the opinion held by the group assign the heading [class of persons or ethic group] -- Attitudes

Examples:

Title: What college students in San Francisco really feel about drugs.
College students $z California $z San Francisco $x Attitudes.
Drug abuse $z United States