my new favorite subject heading

okay, sometimes people ask me "what kinds of stuff did you learn in library school?" they usually ask this with disdain, not understanding that there is a subtle science behind organization. when i am asked this i of course have trouble coming up with any sort of concrete answer. so let me bust out my knowledge of subject headings for you all. trust me, it will be funny in the end. i swear. when have i ever led you astray?

every item in the library is assigned at least one subject heading (usually several). subject headings are created by library of congress and other big organizing organizations. subject headings are TOTALLY different than keywords. a keyword is just a word in the title or description of a book. whereas, the subject heading is concrete and exact. for instance all books on american civil war battles would have the following subject heading:


United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Battlefields


if a book didn't have the word battlefields or civil war in the title, we would still be able to find it. this is our secret. subject headings. who would have thunk it?


ANYWAY, while trying to see how many books on ballerinas we have here in the library, i came across what is now my favoritest subject heading ever:


Ballerinas -- Crimes against

disclaimer: the author of this blog does not condone crimes and/or violent acts against ballerinas or any other types of dancers or performers. except maybe mimes. mimes really burn me up.