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Boatwright Memorial Library

FYS 100 (53) - From the River Jordan to Jazz (Crutcher)

Course guide for Dr. Ronald Crutcher's fall 2024 FYS

Using Subject Headings Effectively

Subject headings are terms that library catalogers assign to materials to describe what they're about. Catalogers select their subject headings from a list, called the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), which is more effective than randomly chosen keywords.  Many subject headings were added to LCSH decades ago and don't reflect the way that we talk today (for example, the subject term for movies is "Motion Pictures").  There's an ongoing project to replace harmful or outdated subject headings with more inclusive terms.

Here are some subject headings that may come in handy for this course.  Type them into Onesearch exactly as you see them here

AFRICAN AMERICANS - MUSIC

GOSPEL MUSIC

SPIRITUALS (SONGS)

ENSLAVED PERSONS