Best Practice for Use of Local Headings at Harvard

Owned by anneadams@fas.harvard.edu
Last updated: Mar 02, 2023 by Kate Bowers
6 min read

Introduction

Although, Harvard Library Best Practice for headings is to use controlled vocabularies from authorized thesauri (e.g., LCSH, LC/NAF, LCGFT, AAT, RBMS, TGM), there may be occasions when no appropriate term can be found in a controlled vocabulary.  If possible, catalogers should work toward submission of a proposal to establish this term in the appopriate thesaurus.  If the term is not eligible for inclusion in an established thesaurus, local terms may be used, and several libraries have established sets of such local terms. This best practice is meant to provide guidance when using these local terms, both for encoding and terms in use.

Exceptions to best practice

  • Form/genre: If a thorough search has turned up no possibilities for a form/genre term, one may use a local term.
  • Corporate name subdivisions: Libraries and archives applying Thesaurus for use in College and University Archives (TUCUA) terms as subdivisions under the authorized form of their school name.
  • Electronic Theses and Disserations (ETDs): Automatically-created bibliographic records for electronically submitted theses and dissertations make use of submitted data for topical terms and name access points, therefore, these are coded 653 and 720, respectively, in such records. Catalogers who are creating or editing records for ETDs under normal cataloging workflows are expected to use standard terms and name access point best practices.

In these exceptional circumstances, follow these MARC encoding protocols:

MARC encoding

Local form/genre terms

  • 655 _4 $$a [local term]
    • Former practice was to encode local genre/form terms in MARC as 655 _7 with $2 local.  This change in practice is to better align with OCLC. 

Local topical terms

  • 653 __ $$a [local term]
    • Field 653 is a standard MARC field, and is retained on the OCLC master record.
    • Before assigning the 653 field for any level of cataloging, please refer to the Subject Headings Manual: instruction sheet H 160.  While it is written for LC catalogers and may not fully apply to non-PCC records created at Harvard, it provides useful background information.

Uncontrolled personal names

  • 700 1_ $$a [uncontrolled name] 

    • Although the 720 field may be seen in ETD cataloging, catalogers who are creating or editing records for ETDs under normal cataloging workflows are expected to use standard name access point best practices (i.e., it should be in the 700 field). Read more at Best Practice for Name Access Points in Alma.

Please note:

Controlled corporate body local subdivisions

    • 610 27 $$a  [Corporate body name] $$x [TUCUA term] $$2 tucua
      • The Harvard University Archives uses terms from the Thesaurus for use in college and university archives.  Previously these terms used MARC21 field 693 29 field for local terms.  
      • Current best practice is to prefer the use of 610 27 with $$2 tucua.
      • Please note that tucua is the only vocabulary source code used in 610 27 configured for display in Hollis.

Local Terms

Countway genre terms

  • Analyzed data
  • Assessment data
  • Code books
  • Coded data
  • Grant files
  • Institutional Review Board records
  • Interview schedules
  • Raw data
  • Summary data
  • Survey instruments

Harvard Libraries genre terms

  • Harvard books, Pre-1764 fire
  • Harvard employees’ artwork
  • Harvard employees’ diaries
  • Harvard employees’ essays
  • Harvard graduates’ papers
  • Harvard graduates’ poems
  • Harvard objects
  • Harvard student study aids, unauthorized
  • Harvard students’ artwork
  • Harvard students’ books
  • Harvard students’ diaries
  • Harvard students’ essays
  • Harvard students’ fiction
  • Harvard students’ letters
  • Harvard students’ music
  • Harvard students’ notes
  • Harvard students’ papers
  • Harvard students’ poems
  • Harvard textbooks
  • Harvard websites

Houghton Library genre terms

  • Ballet scenarios

  • Books in parts

  • Embellishment (Vocal music) $$v Manuscript

  • English restoration bindings

  • Insertion arias

  • Manuscripts in books

  • Manuscript waste [only local if not a binding term]

  • Music sellers’ stamps (Provenance)

  • Ornate letterforms

  • Players’ parts

  • Printing in silver

  • Royalty plays

  • Seals, wax

Loeb Music Library genre terms

  • Acousmatic music
  • Multichannel music
  • Pizmonim

Schlesinger Library genre terms

  • Community cookbooks $$z [State] $$z [Town]

  • Personal zines

Harvard University Archives implementation of Thesaurus for use in College and University Archives (TUCUA) terms

  • Harvard University -- Academic costume

  • Harvard University -- Advanced placement

  • Harvard University -- Affirmative action

  • Harvard University -- African American studies

  • Harvard University -- African studies

  • Harvard University -- Afro-Latin American studies

  • Harvard University -- Agriculture

  • Harvard University -- Anthropology

  • Harvard University -- Arabic

  • Harvard University -- Archaeology

  • Harvard University -- Architecture (Field of Study)

  • Harvard University -- Art (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Astronomy

  • Harvard University -- Astrophysics

  • Harvard University -- Bells

  • Harvard University -- Bequests

  • Harvard University -- Biochemistry

  • Harvard University -- Biology

  • Harvard University -- Botany

  • Harvard University -- Buddhist societies

  • Harvard University -- Business administration (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Celtic Languages and Literature

  • Harvard University -- Characters and mascots

  • Harvard University -- Cheating

  • Harvard University -- Chemistry

  • Harvard University -- Chicano studies

  • Harvard University -- Chinese (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Christian societies

  • Harvard University -- City and regional planning

  • Harvard University -- Classics

  • Harvard University -- Commencement, [year]

  • Harvard University -- Commencements

  • Harvard University -- Comparative literature

  • Harvard University -- Computer science

  • Harvard University -- Continuing education

  • Harvard University -- Creative and performing arts

  • Harvard University -- Dance

  • Harvard University -- Dance groups

  • Harvard University -- Dental medicine

  • Harvard University -- Diplomas, certificates, etc

  • Harvard University -- Dramatic societies

  • Harvard University -- Dramatics

  • Harvard University -- Dropouts

  • Harvard University -- East Asian languages

  • Harvard University -- East Asian studies

  • Harvard University -- Economics

  • Harvard University -- Education (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Engineering

  • Harvard University -- English

  • Harvard University -- Environmental studies

  • Harvard University -- Ethics (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Expenses

  • Harvard University -- Faculty spouses

  • Harvard University -- Fellowships

  • Harvard University -- Festivals

  • Harvard University -- Film groups

  • Harvard University -- Final clubs

  • Harvard University -- Financial aid

  • Harvard University -- Fine arts

  • Harvard University -- Folklore (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Forensics

  • Harvard University -- Forestry

  • Harvard University -- Fraternities and sororities

  • Harvard University -- French

  • Harvard University -- Fund raising

  • Harvard University -- Gender studies

  • Harvard University -- Geography

  • Harvard University -- Geology

  • Harvard University -- German

  • Harvard University -- Germanic Languages and Literatures

  • Harvard University -- Gifts

  • Harvard University -- Government (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Government contracts

  • Harvard University -- Greek

  • Harvard University -- Hazing

  • Harvard University -- Hebrew

  • Harvard University -- History (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- History of science (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

  • Harvard University -- History -- Cold War

  • Harvard University -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783

  • Harvard University -- History -- Spanish-American War, 1898

  • Harvard University -- History -- World War, 1914-1918

  • Harvard University -- History -- World War, 1939-1945

  • Harvard University -- Horticulture

  • Harvard University -- Indian studies

  • Harvard University -- Interdisciplinary studies

  • Harvard University -- International studies

  • Harvard University -- Italian

  • Harvard University -- Journalism

  • Harvard University -- Lands

  • Harvard University -- Landscape architecture (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Languages

  • Harvard University -- Latin

  • Harvard University -- Latin American studies

  • Harvard University -- Law

  • Harvard University -- Lectureships

  • Harvard University -- Legal affairs

  • Harvard University -- Linguistics

  • Harvard University -- Literary societies

  • Harvard University -- Literature (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Materials science

  • Harvard University -- Mathematics

  • Harvard University -- Medicine

  • Harvard University -- Metallurgy

  • Harvard University -- Meteorology

  • Harvard University -- Middle Eastern studies

  • Harvard University -- Military science

  • Harvard University -- Military training and service

  • Harvard University -- Mineralogy

  • Harvard University -- Mining

  • Harvard University -- Minorities

  • Harvard University -- Music (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Musical groups

  • Harvard University -- Mythology (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Natural history

  • Harvard University -- Overseer

  • Harvard University -- Performing arts activities and groups

  • Harvard University -- Persons with disabilities

  • Harvard University -- Philology

  • Harvard University -- Philosophy

  • Harvard University -- Physical education

  • Harvard University -- Physics

  • Harvard University -- Physiology

  • Harvard University -- Plagiarism

  • Harvard University -- Political activities and groups

  • Harvard University -- Preacher

  • Harvard University -- Professorships

  • Harvard University -- Psychology

  • Harvard University -- Public health (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Public relations

  • Harvard University -- Public service activities and groups

  • Harvard University -- Puerto Rican studies

  • Harvard University -- Radio groups

  • Harvard University -- Regional studies

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Boston (Mass)

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Cambridge

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Cambridge (Mass)

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Concord (Mass)

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Holland

  • Harvard University -- Relations with industry

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Lexington (Mass)

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Massachusetts

  • Harvard University -- Relations with MIT

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Newton (Mass)

  • Harvard University -- Relations with other institutions

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Quincy (Mass)

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Radcliffe College

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Somerville (Mass)

  • Harvard University -- Relations with the federal government

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Waltham (Mass)

  • Harvard University -- Relations with Wayland (Mass)

  • Harvard University -- Religion (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Religious activities and groups

  • Harvard University -- Research centers

  • Harvard University -- Reunions

  • Harvard University -- Rhetoric and oratory

  • Harvard University -- Romance languages

  • Harvard University -- Russian studies

  • Harvard University -- Sanskrit

  • Harvard University -- Scandinavian languages and literature

  • Harvard University -- Science

  • Harvard University -- Scientific societies

  • Harvard University -- Semitic languages

  • Harvard University -- Slavic languages

  • Harvard University -- Social sciences

  • Harvard University -- Sociology

  • Harvard University -- Southern students

  • Harvard University -- Spanish

  • Harvard University -- Statistics (field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Student life

  • Harvard University -- Student unrest

  • Harvard University -- Students

  • Harvard University -- Students' spouses

  • Harvard University -- Students -- Rank

  • Harvard University -- Taxation

  • Harvard University -- Teaching fellows

  • Harvard University -- Technology (Field of study)

  • Harvard University -- Theology

  • Harvard University -- Town-gown relations

  • Harvard University -- Tuition

  • Harvard University -- Tutor

  • Harvard University -- Tutorial system

  • Harvard University -- Ukrainian studies

  • Harvard University -- Veterans' programs

  • Harvard University -- Veterinary medicine

  • Harvard University -- Visual arts

  • Harvard University -- Visual arts activities and groups

  • Harvard University -- Wartime programs

  • Harvard University -- Wartime training programs

  • Harvard University -- Wartime training programs, World War, 1939-1945

  • Harvard University -- Women

  • Harvard University -- Womens' studies

  • Harvard University -- Zoology

Kennedy School taxonomy

The Kennedy School has its own taxonomy, although its use in local MARC records (MARC21 field 690) ended in the 2019-2020 academic year.  The taxonomy may be found at https://wiki.harvard.edu/confluence/x/DYXjBQ


Note on name fields with $$c (Harvard local name) qualifier

This subfield was added in a batch process to unqualified names that were in danger of being controlled to an incorrect heading during the migration from Aleph to Alma. DO NOT ADD THIS QUALIFIER TO HEADINGS. If you encounter a legacy record with the "Harvard local name" qualifier, please follow the instructions at Best Practice for Name Access Points in Alma.


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