A special effort was made to formulate a principle that should govern the choice of adjective phrase; inversion; or noun, subdivided. Is it better to enter under Chemistry, Physiological, or Physiological chemistry? Under Psychology, Educational, or Educational psychology? Under Negro suffrage or Negroes—Suffrage?
A strict rule for this sort of heading would be a boon to catalogers, but surely not to the users of the catalog. The average reader does not reason concerning the principles upon which the catalog is constructed. The fact that he today finds what he seeks entered under Chemistry, Organic, will not prevent his turning to Electric engineering rather than Engineering, Electric, tomorrow. The adoption of either form of entry to the exclusion of the others would lead to absurdities. Because it is satisfactory to subdivide Railroads, would it be desirable to abandon headings beginning Electric and substitute subdivisions of Electricity for Electric conductors, Electric lighting and Electric power? Or because Botany, Structural, is preferable to Structural botany, should we use Physics, Agricultural, instead of Agricultural physics?
In the end, all efforts to frame the desired rule resolved themselves into something like this: It is necessary to use all three forms of heading; noun with subdivision, adjective phrase, and inversion. Each case must be decided upon its own merits, and that form used under which it is believed that the majority of readers will look,—the majority of readers in each particular library, be it understood. A university library will use many subdivisions because it is convenient for professors and students to have much of the material brought together under large subjects. A medical library will use few, if any, headings beginning Medical, because Medical is understood.
As was stated in the introduction, no radical changes from the second edition were made except in response to what seemed to be a very general demand. There were few dissenting votes to the proposition to abandon the headings Arts, Fine, and Arts, Useful. The majority in favor of Government instead of Political science was less decisive, but still a majority, and the confession heard more than once, "I never can remember the difference between political science and political economy," was a straw that helped to turn the scale. Trade union is no longer a comprehensive term when organizations of teachers and of others outside the trades must be included. The phrase Domestic economy is being superseded in recent books by Home economics or by Domestic science. It is impossible to mention the changes in detail or to give the reasons for each, but no changes were made without careful consideration.
Just how far it is advisable to alter existing catalogs in order to conform to the new headings is a problem that each cataloger must decide for herself. If in your opinion the heading already in use is better than the new one suggested, by all means retain it. If, while admitting a slight advantage in the new heading, you think that the gain is not sufficient to justify the labor of changing, it is much easier to alter your copy of the Subject headings than to erase or re-write catalog cards. But if you are convinced that the new heading is one that will be more readily found by the users of your library, and by the desk attendants who have not catalog training, then make the change, even at the expense of considerable time and labor. And by all means consult the attendants in the circulating and reference departments if in doubt as to the advisability of making a change. They know how books are called for. They know how they themselves look for them; and "see" references are irritating when there is a line of impatient borrowers reaching from the request window to the door.
Such changes as have already been made in the catalog of the Buffalo public library have met with general approval from the loan desk. Recitations and readings; Grammar, English; Spelling, English; Corn instead of Maize; Humor instead of Wit and humor; the transfer of the subheading Best books from Bibliography to Books and reading; and the removal of Immigration from under country, have received especial approbation. The necessity for the latter change was made apparent when it was discovered that the half dozen cards under Immigration were so soiled as to be almost illegible, while those under U. S. Immigration bore no evidence of use; either because the "See also" reference had been overlooked, or because readers were daunted or confused by the complex arrangement of the cards under United States.
In all these cases the new heading differs from both the old A. L. A. heading and from the Library of Congress heading.
Starting with the intention of retaining all headings upon which the A. L. A. list and the Library of Congress were agreed, I soon found that some of these very headings had occasioned the greatest dissatisfaction. If the new list was to be acceptable to any considerable number of those who had taken sufficient interest in the subject to answer Miss Crawford's questions, I must endeavor to get closer to the point of view of the users of the catalog, rather than be governed by theory or established precedent.
The Library of Congress headings are admittedly devised to meet conditions in the Library of Congress,—certainly very different conditions from those of a public library. Moreover, the Library of Congress headings have been, and still are, in a state of development. Many changes have been made in the last dozen years, and as it is plainly impracticable to reprint immediately all cards bearing a discarded heading, libraries purchasing cards printed several years ago will often find headings suggested that are no longer in use by the Library of Congress. Sometimes cards for two editions of the same book bear altogether different headings.
The varying headings adopted by the departmental libraries, whose cards are printed and issued by the Library of Congress, cause still further apparent inconsistency. We cannot be sure that any particular heading was ever approved by the Library of Congress unless the card bears the Library of Congress serial number. The Department of Education, for example, uses Secondary education and Art education, while the Library of Congress uses Education, Secondary, and Art—Study and teaching. The Department of Agriculture has adopted Botany, Agricultural; Fruit and fruit trees; and U. S.—Forestry; while the Library of Congress enters the same material under Botany, Economic; Fruit culture; and Forests and forestry—U. S. Such variations make it impossible for any cataloger using the printed cards to follow blindly the headings suggested thereon, and emphasize the fact that no list of headings can be satisfactory to all kinds of libraries.