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.

What subject headings are assigned to books on sociology or that have a sociological slant to a topic?

There are a number of Library of Congress subject headings and subdivisions used to bring out the sociological aspects of topics.

First, the subject heading “Sociology” is available. This heading is used for books on sociology as a branch of learning. The heading may be divided geographically for works on this branch of learning in a specific place.

Example:
Title: Sociology in Europe : a new science emerges.
Sociology – Europe

Works on the social conditions of particular regions, countries, cities, etc., are entered under the name of the place subdivided by “Social conditions.”

Example:
Title: Spain , change and modernization.
Spain – Social conditions

The subdivision “Sociological aspects” can be used under types of institutions for works on the impact of the inherent nature of the institution in question on group interaction within the institution and vice versa. This subdivision is also established under a number of topics, for example:

Authorship – Sociological aspects
Crime – Sociological aspects
Dance – Sociological aspects
Economics – Sociological aspects
Women – Sociological aspects

There are also a number of headings of the type “[Topic] and society” or “[Topic] and sociology.” For example:

Art and society
Communism and society
Literature and society
Religion and sociology

Finally, the most widely used sociological subject heading is actually a subdivision. The subject subdivision “Social aspects” can be used as a subdivision under topical headings for works on the effect of the item, activity, discipline, etc., and society on each other. This subdivision does not need to be established under each topic (as “Sociological aspects” does) so it is used much more freely in most library catalogs.

Example:
Title: Drug abuse and society.
Drug abuse – Social aspects